STS-51-C

Mission Profile

Overview

STS-51-C was NASA's first shuttle flight dedicated entirely to the Department of Defense, and most of what it did remains classified to this day. It was the swan song of Ken Mattingly, the veteran of Apollo 16 and STS-4 who had already announced he would return to active Navy duty; he took up his new post barely two weeks after landing. Mattingly commanded a crew that included Loren Shriver, Ellison Onizuka and James Buchli, along with the first military payload specialist, Air Force officer Gary Payton. Onizuka, flying his first mission, became the first Asian American in space. Over a compact three-day flight the crew deployed a classified satellite boosted to geostationary orbit by an Inertial Upper Stage, then returned Discovery to a Florida landing. It was Discovery's shortest mission, and a poignant prelude: Onizuka would die a year later aboard Challenger.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1985-01-24

   Discovery launches from LC-39A on NASA's first dedicated DoD mission after a one-day weather slip

2. 1985-01-24

   Crew deploys a classified satellite carried to geostationary orbit by an Inertial Upper Stage

3. 1985-01-27

   Discovery lands at Kennedy Space Center after just over three days, its shortest flight

Key Achievements

• First Space Shuttle mission entirely dedicated to the Department of Defense

• First Asian American in space (Ellison Onizuka)

• Final spaceflight of Apollo 16 veteran Ken Mattingly

• Shortest mission of Discovery's career

Related Missions

Sources

1. NASA: 40 Years Ago: STS-51C, the First Dedicated Department of Defense Shuttle Mission
2. Wikipedia: STS-51-C