NASA HISTORY: Oct. 5, 1984, Launch of History-Making STS-41G Mission
By NASA.gov // October 5, 2015
ABOVE VIDEO: From October 13th 1984 CNN Covers the Launch of STS-41-G,The 13th Space Shuttle Mission Launched at 7:03 am EDT.
BREVARD COUNTY • CAPE CANAVERAL, FLORIDA (NASA.gov) – A Florida dawn scene on Oct. 5, 1984 forms the backdrop for the climbing Space Shuttle Challenger, its two solid rocket boosters and external fuel tank, launched on the eight-day STS-41G mission.
The scene was photographed by astronaut Paul J. Weitz, who was piloting the Shuttle training aircraft (STA).
Crewed by Robert L. Crippen, Commander; Jon A. McBride, Pilot; Mission Specialists Kathryn D. Sullivan (now NOAA administrator), Sally K. Ride, David C. Leestma and Payload Specialists Marc Garneau of the Canadian Space Agency and Paul D. Scully-Power, the mission’s objectives included the deployment of the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite and the demonstration of the Orbital Refueling System by Sullivan and Leestma during a spacewalk.
On this mission, Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk.
Marc Garneau became the first Canadian astronaut to fly to space.
The shuttle’s crew of seven was the largest ever to fly on a single spacecraft at that time, and STS-41G was the first flight to include two female astronauts.
STS-41G completed 132 orbits of the Earth in 197.5 hours, before landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Oct. 13.
