STS-61-M
| Names | Space Transportation System |
|---|---|
| Mission type | TDRS-D satellite deployment (planned) |
| Operator | NASA |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Challenger (planned) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 6 |
| Members | Loren J. Shriver Bryan D. O'Connor Mark C. Lee Sally K. Ride William Frederick Fisher Robert Wood |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | July 15, 1986 (planned)[1] Not launched |
| Rocket | Space Shuttle Challenger |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 285 km (177 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 295 km (183 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.45° |
| Period | 90.40 minutes |
 Space Shuttle patch Cancelled Shuttle missions | |
STS-61-M was a proposed NASA Space Shuttle program mission, planned for July 1986 but canceled following the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (STS-51-L).
The payload manifest was to have been TDRS-D, INSAT-1C, and EOS-1 (Electrophoresis Operations in Space).[1] EOS-1 was a payload developed by McDonnell Douglas that would have demonstrated the production in space of ultra-pure erythropoietin through electrophoresis.[2] Robert Wood, a McDonnell Douglas engineer, was assigned as the payload specialist for EOS-1 with fellow engineer Charles D. Walker assigned as his backup.[3]
If flown, this would have been Sally Ride's third spaceflight. After the Challenger disaster, Ride was named to the Rogers Commission investigating the disaster and left NASA afterwards in 1987.[4]
Primary Crew
[edit]| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Loren J. Shriver Would have been second spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Bryan D. O'Connor Would have been second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Mark C. Lee Would have been first spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 | Sally K. Ride Would have been third spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | William F. Fisher Would have been second spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 1 | Robert Wood Would have been first spaceflight | |
Backup Crew
[edit]| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Payload Specialist 1 | Charles D. Walker Would have been fourth spaceflight | |
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Furness, Tim (1986). Space Shuttle Log. Jane's Information Group. p. 86. ISBN 978-0710603609. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ Harwood, William (October 22, 1986). "Science Today: Space drug grounded but going strong". UPI. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ Walker, Charles D. (November 7, 2006). "Charles D. Walker Oral History". NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project (Interview). Interviewed by Johnson, Sandra. Springfield, Virginia: NASA. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
- ^ Williams, Patti (2015). "Sally K. Ride Papers". Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved June 1, 2025.
Space Shuttle Challenger (OV-099) | ||
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