STS-51-J

STS-51-J

DSCS-III satellites in Atlantis' payload bay
Names	Space Transportation System-21
Mission type	Satellite deployment
Operator	NASA / U.S. DoD
COSPAR ID	1985-092A
SATCAT no.	16115
Mission duration	4 days, 1 hour, 44 minutes and 38 seconds
Distance travelled	2,707,948 km (1,682,641 mi)
Orbits completed	64
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch mass	N/A
Landing mass	86,400 kg (190,500 lb)
Payload mass	19,968 kg (44,022 lb)
Crew
Crew size	5
Members	Karol J. Bobko Ronald J. Grabe David C. Hilmers Robert L. Stewart William A. Pailes
Start of mission
Launch date	October 3, 1985, 15:15:30 (October 3, 1985, 15:15:30) UTC (11:15:30 pm EDT)
Launch site	Kennedy, LC-39A
Contractor	Rockwell International
End of mission
Landing date	October 7, 1985, 17:00:08 UTC (October 7, 1985, 17:00:08 UTC) UTC (10:00:08 am PDT)
Landing site	Edwards, Runway 23
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	475 km (295 mi)
Apogee altitude	484 km (301 mi)
Inclination	28.50°
Period	94.20 minutes
STS-51-J mission patch From left: Stewart, Hilmers, Bobko, Pailes and Grabe Space Shuttle program ← STS-51-I (20) STS-61-A (22) →

STS-51-J was NASA's 21st Space Shuttle mission and the first flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 3, 1985, carrying a payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 7, 1985.