Cleave

Neri Vela

O Connor

Ross

Shaw

Spring

Walker

---

STS-61-B Credit - NASA

27 November 1985 00:28 GMT. Landing Date: 1985-12-03 21:33:38 PM. Flight Time: 6.88 days. Flight Up: STS-61-B. Flight Back: STS-61-B. Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Cleave, Neri Vela, O Connor, Ross, Shaw, Spring, Walker. Location of Capsule: First Mexican astronaut. Program: STS.

What went wrong: Experienced primary O-ring erosion in both nozzle joints. There was blow-by past the primary O-ring in the left-hand nozzle joint. Manned seven crew. Deployed Morelos 2, Aussat 2, Satcom K2, OEX. Payloads: Deploy SATCOM (RCA-Satellite Communi-cations) Ku-2 with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D II. Deploy Morelos (Mexico communications satellite)-B with PAM-D. Deploy AUSSAT (Australian communications satellite)-2 with PAM-D. EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures— Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) by extravehicular activity (EVA) astronauts, Continuous Flow Electrophore-sis System (CFES), Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS), IMAX camera, one getaway special (GAS), Linhof camera and Hasseblad camera.

Orbits of Earth: 108. Distance traveled: 4,568,882 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 118,664 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 93,316 kg. Payload to Orbit: 21,791 kg. Payload Returned: 9,282 kg. Landed at: Concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Cali. Landing Speed: 350 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 727 m. Landing Rollout: 3,279 m. EVA: Jerry Ross and Sherwood Spring, EVA No. 1, duration 5 hours, 34 minutes. EVA No. 2, duration 6 hours, 46 minutes.

STS-61-B Credit- www.spacefacts.de

Mission Name: 61-B (23)
Atlantis (2)
Pad 39-A (35)
23rd Shuttle mission
2nd Flight OV-104
2nd Night launch
Shortened mission

Crew:
Brewster H. Shaw, Jr. (2), Commander
Bryan D. O'Connor (1), Pilot
Mary L. Cleave (1), Mission Specialist 1
Sherwood C. Spring (1), Mission Specialist 2
Jerry L. Ross (1), Mission Specialist 3
Rodolfo Neri Vela (1), Payload Specialist 1
Charles D. Walker (3), Payload Specialist 2

Milestones:
OPF - Oct. 12, 1985
VAB - Nov. 7, 1985
PAD - Nov. 12, 1985

Payload:
MORELOS-B,SATCOM-KU1,AUSSAT-2,EASE/ACCESS/CFES(6),UVX,IMAX-CAMERA(4),GAS
Mission Objectives:

Launch:
November 26, 1985, 7:29:00 p.m. EST. Launch proceeded as scheduled with no delays. Launch Weight: 261,455 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 225nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 109
Duration: Six days, 21 hours, four minutes, 49 seconds.
Distance: 2,838,972 miles

Hardware:
SRB: BI-023
SRM: L023(HPM)
ET : 22/LWT-15
MLP : 2
SSME-1: SN-2011
SSME-2: SN-2019
SSME-3: SN-2017

Landing:
December 3, 1985, 1:33:49 p.m. PST, Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 10,759 feet. Rollout time: 78 seconds. Mission shortened one revolution due to lightning conditions at Edwards. Landed on concrete runway because lake bed was wet. Orbiter returned to KSC Dec. 7, 1985. Landing Weight: 205,732 lbs.

Mission Highlights:
Three communications satellites deployed: MORE LOS-B (Mexico), AUSSAT-2 (Australia) and SATCOM KU-2 (RCA Americom). MORELOS-B and AUSSAT-2 attached to Payload Assist Module-D motors, SATCOM KU-2 to a PAM-D2 designed for heavier payloads. Two experiments conducted to test assembling erectable structures in space: Experimental Assembly of Structures in Extravehicular Activity (EASE) and Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structure (ACCESS). Experiments required two space walks by Spring and Ross lasting five hours, 32 minutes, and six hours, 38 minutes, respectively. Middeck payloads: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES); Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS); Morelos Payload Specialist Experiments (MPSE) and Orbiter Experiments (OEX). In payload bay: Get Away Special and IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC).

• 1985 Nov 27 - STS-61-B  Crew: Cleave, Neri Vela, O Connor, Ross, Shaw, Spring, Walker. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Payload: Atlantis F02 / EASE / ACCESS. Mass: 21,791 kg (48,040 lb). Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Vehicle: Shuttle. Duration: 6.88 days. Perigee: 361 km (224 mi). Apogee: 370 km (220 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 91.90 min.

  STS-61-B Astronaut Jerry Ross at threshold of airlock compartment following EVA... Credit- NASA

  Manned seven crew. Deployed Morelos 2, Aussat 2, Satcom K2, OEX. Payloads: Deploy SATCOM (RCA-Satellite Communi-cations) Ku-2 with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D II. Deploy Morelos (Mexico communications satellite)-B with PAM-D. Deploy AUSSAT (Australian communications satellite)-2 with PAM-D. EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures— Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) by extravehicular activity (EVA) astronauts, Continuous Flow Electrophore-sis System (CFES), Diffusive Mixing of Organic Solutions (DMOS), IMAX camera, one getaway special (GAS), Linhof camera and Hasseblad camera.

• 1985 Nov 29 - EVA STS-61-B-1  Crew: Ross, Spring. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.23 days. Spacecraft: Atlantis.

  Began EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures / Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) structural assembly experiments.

• 1985 Dec 1 - EVA STS-61-B-2  Crew: Ross, Spring. EVA Type: Extra-Vehicular Activity. EVA Duration: 0.28 days. Spacecraft: Atlantis.

  Completed EASE/ACCESS (Assembly of Structures / Assembly Concept for Construction of Erectable Space Structures) structural assembly experiments.

• 1985 Dec 3 - Landing of STS-61-B 

  STS-61-B landed at 21:33 GMT.