Image: NASA
STS-4
Mission Profile
| Launch date | 1982-06-27 |
|---|---|
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A |
| Launch vehicle | Space Shuttle |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102) |
| Target | Low Earth Orbit |
| Type | Crewed |
| End date | 1982-07-04 |
| Duration | 7 days 1 hour 9 minutes |
| Partners | U.S. Department of Defense |
Overview
STS-4 was the fourth and final Orbital Flight Test of Space Shuttle Columbia, the mission that let NASA declare the Shuttle operational. Commanding was Ken Mattingly, the Apollo 13 command module pilot famously bumped from that lunar flight over a measles scare, now finally flying his second mission a decade later, alongside rookie pilot Henry Hartsfield. Over seven days the two men wrung out Columbia's systems, ran a classified Air Force payload, and operated the first Getaway Special canisters carrying student experiments. They landed at Edwards Air Force Base on Independence Day, July 4, 1982, where President Reagan greeted them and declared the shuttle fleet open for business. It was the first shuttle to lift off precisely on schedule, and the last purely developmental test flight of the program.
Crew
Ken Mattingly
Commander
Apollo 13 backup CMP grounded by measles exposure; flew Apollo 16; second spaceflight
Henry Hartsfield
Pilot
First spaceflight
Key Milestones
1982-06-27
Columbia lifts off from LC-39A, the first Shuttle to launch exactly on its scheduled time
1982-06-28
Crew activates classified Air Force payload and first Getaway Special student experiments
1982-07-04
Landing on Edwards lakebed Runway 22; President Reagan declares the Shuttle operational
Key Achievements
Final Orbital Flight Test that cleared the Space Shuttle for operational service
First Space Shuttle to launch precisely at its scheduled time
Flew the first Getaway Special canisters with student experiments
Second spaceflight for Ken Mattingly, a decade after his Apollo 13 grounding
