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THIS DAY IN HISTORY: Space Shuttle Challenger Launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center 40 Years Ago

By  //  April 29, 2025

April 29, 1985

ABOVE VIDEO: CNN Covers the Launch of STS-51-B,The 17th Space Shuttle Mission Launched at 12:02 pm EDT on April 29,1985.

BREVARD COUNTY • KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FLORIDA – The 17th launch of the space shuttle took place 40 years ago today, kicking off the Spacelab 3 mission (STS-51B).

Between 1983 and 1988, hundreds of experiments designed by researchers around the world were conducted over 22 major Spacelab missions, advancing our knowledge in biology, physical sciences, astronomy, and more.

The Spacelab 3 mission featured the flight that was first manifested as 51-E but it was rolled back from pad due to a timing problem with the TDRS-B payload.

These seven men are the prime crew for NASA’s Spacelab 3/STS-51B mission, launched in late April 1985. In the front row are astronauts Robert F. Overmyer (left), commander; and Frederick D. Gregory, pilot. In the back row, left to right, are Don L. Lind, mission specialist; Taylor G. Wang, payload specialist; Norman E. Thagard and William E. Thornton, both mission specialists; and Lodewijk van den Berg, payload specialist.

Mission 51-E was cancelled and the orbiter was remanifested with 51-B payloads. The launch on April 29 was delayed two minutes, 18 seconds due to a launch processing system failure.

The 17th launch of the space shuttle took place 40 years ago today, kicking off the Spacelab 3 mission (STS-51B).

The orbiter made its first crosswind landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California and returned to Kennedy Space Center on May 11, 1985.

The primary payload was Spacelab-3. This was the first operational flight for the Spacelab orbital laboratory series developed by the European Space Agency. Spacelab includes five basic discipline areas: materials sciences, life sciences, fluid mechanics, atmospheric physics, and astronomy.

The main mission objective with Spacelab-3 was to provide a high quality microgravity environment for delicate materials processing and fluid experiments.

Two monkeys and 24 rodents were observed for the effects of weightlessness. Of the 15 Spacelab primary experiments conducted, 14 were considered successful. Two Get Away Specials were on board.