PFTA
Mission · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Shuttle Payload Flight Test Article, originally scheduled for launch on STS-16, but ultimately brought forward to STS-8 due to payload delays. It was an aluminum structure resembling two wheels with a six-meter long central axle, ballasted with lead to give it a total mass of 3,855 kg (8,499 lb), which could be lifted by the shuttle's Canadarm robot arm to give astronauts experience in using the system. It was stored in the midsection of the payload bay.
Related
- Country
- USA
- Launch Vehicles
- Space Shuttle
- Launch Sites
- Cape Canaveral LC39A
Chronology
1 event
1983 August 30
06:32 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. Launch Platform: MLP2. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.- PFTA - . Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: STS. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle Attached Payloads. Spacecraft: PFTA. Decay Date: 1983-09-05 . USAF Sat Cat: 14312 . COSPAR: 1983-089xx. Apogee: 223 km (138 mi). Perigee: 216 km (134 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 88.90 min.