| Mission Insignia | |
|---|---|
| Mission Statistics | |
| Mission: | STS-6 |
| Shuttle: | Challenger |
| Launch Pad: | 39-A |
| Launch: | April 4, 1983 1:30:00 p.m. EST |
| Landing: | April 9, 1983 10:53:42 a.m. PST |
| Duration: | 5 days, 2 hours, 14 minutes, 25 seconds |
| Orbit Altitude: | 178 nautical miles |
| Orbit Inclination: | 28.5 degrees |
| Miles Traveled: | 2,094,293 miles |
| Crew photo | |
STS-6 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Challenger, launched April 4, 1983. This was the sixth space shuttle mission, and was the first mission for the Space Shuttle Challenger.
| Table of contents |
|
2 Crew 3 Related articles 4 External links |
This was the first Challenger mission, and was the first time a new lightweight external tank and lightweight SRB casings. Launch was delayed several times due to a hydrogen leak in Engine 1, along with fuel line cracks in the other two engines. Engine 1 was replaced, and the other two were fixed.
STS-6 launched the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS). Launch was not without its problems; The TDRS's two-stage booster rocket called the Interim Upper Stage (IUS), shut down early, which placed the satellite into a low elliptical orbit. Fortunately, the satellite contained extra propellant beyond what was needed, and over the next several months the thrusters were used to bring it into a geosynchronous orbit.
STS-6 also marked the first space walk for the shuttle program. The new space suits were designed for the shuttle. The EVA was preformed by the two mission specialists on April 7 and its objective was to perform various tests in the payload bay. Their space walk lasted for 4 hours, 17 minutes.
Other STS-6 cargo included three GAS canisters and continuation of the Monodisperse Latex Reactor and the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis experiments.
The mission of the STS-6
Crew
Related articles
External links
Previous Mission:
STS-5Space Shuttle program
Next Mission:
STS-7
