STS-61-C

STS-61-C

The launch of Space Shuttle Columbia on the STS-61-C mission, 12 January 1986.
Mission type	Satellite deployment Microgravity research
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1986-003A
SATCAT no.	16481
Mission duration	6 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes, 51 seconds
Distance travelled	4,069,481 kilometers (2,528,658 mi)
Orbits completed	98
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Columbia
Launch mass	116,121 kilograms (256,003 lb)
Landing mass	95,325 kilograms (210,156 lb)
Payload mass	14,724 kilograms (32,461 lb)
Crew
Crew size	7
Members	Robert L. Gibson Charles F. Bolden George D. Nelson Steven A. Hawley Franklin R. Chang-Diaz Clarence W. "Bill" Nelson Robert J. Cenker
Start of mission
Launch date	12 January 1986, 11:55:00 (1986-01-12UTC11:55Z) UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39A
End of mission
Landing date	18 January 1986, 13:58:51 (1986-01-18UTC13:58:52Z) UTC
Landing site	Edwards
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	331 kilometres (206 mi)
Apogee	338 kilometres (210 mi)
Inclination	28.5 degrees
Period	91.2 min
Back row L–R: Bill Nelson, Hawley, George Nelson, Front row L–R: Cenker, Bolden, Gibson, Chang-Diaz Space Shuttle program ← STS-61-B STS-51-L →

STS-61-C was the twenty-fourth mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the seventh mission of Space Shuttle Columbia. It was the first time that Columbia, the first operational orbiter to be constructed, had flown since STS-9. The mission launched from Florida's Kennedy Space Center on 12 January 1986, and landed six days later on 18 January. STS-61-C's seven-person crew included the second African-American shuttle pilot, future NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, the first Costa Rican-born astronaut, Franklin Chang-Diaz, and the second sitting politician to fly in space, Representative |Bill Nelson (D-FL). It was the last shuttle mission before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which occurred just ten days after STS-61-C's landing.

STS-61-C saw Columbia return to flight for the first time since the STS-9 mission in November 1983, after having undergone major modifications over the course of 18 months by Rockwell International in California. Most notable of these modifications was the addition of the SILTS (Shuttle Infrared Leeside Temperature Sensing) pod atop Columbia's vertical stabilizer, which used an infrared camera to observe reentry heating on the shuttle's left wing and part of its fuselage. The camera was only used for a few more missions after STS-61-C, but the pod remained on Columbia for the remainder of its operational life. Smaller and more discreet modifications were also added at various points throughout the shuttle. The bulky ejection seats, which had been safed after STS-4, were replaced with conventional seats and head-up displays for the commander and pilot were installed.