STS-61-A

Mission Profile

Overview

STS-61-A flew the West German Spacelab D-1 laboratory and carried the largest crew ever launched and landed aboard a single spacecraft: eight people. Among them was Dutch physicist Wubbo Ockels, who became the first Netherlands citizen in space, working as a payload specialist alongside West Germans Reinhard Furrer and Ernst Messerschmid. For the first time, scientific operations were partly directed from the German Space Operations Centre at Oberpfaffenhofen rather than Houston. The crew ran roughly 75 experiments in materials science, fluid physics, life sciences and human physiology across two shifts during the week-long flight. It was a milestone for European human spaceflight and for Ockels personally, who had trained for years as an ESA astronaut. Poignantly, it was Challenger's final successful mission before the loss of the orbiter and STS-51-L crew in January 1986.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1985-10-30

   Challenger launches from KSC LC-39A carrying Spacelab D-1 and a record crew of eight

2. 1985-10-30

   Wubbo Ockels becomes the first Dutch citizen in space

3. 1985-11-01

   German Space Operations Centre at Oberpfaffenhofen takes over Spacelab science management

4. 1985-11-06

   Challenger lands at Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 17

Key Achievements

• First Dutch citizen in space (Wubbo Ockels)

• Largest crew (eight) ever launched and landed on a single spacecraft

• First Spacelab mission managed in part from the German control centre at Oberpfaffenhofen

• Last successful flight of Space Shuttle Challenger

Related Missions

Sources

1. NASA – STS-61-A mission archive
2. ESA – Wubbo Ockels: STS-61A Payload Specialist
3. Wikipedia – STS-61-A