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STS-51-I
STS-51-I was the 20th mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the sixth flight of Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. During the mission, ''Discovery'' deployed three communications satellites into orbit. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 27, 1985, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 3, 1985. Crew Spacewalks * '' Fisher and van Hoften '' – EVA 1 * EVA 1 Start: August 31, 1985 * EVA 1 End: August 31, 1985 * Duration: 7 hours, 20 minutes * '' Fisher and van Hoften '' – EVA 2 * EVA 2 Start: September 1, 1985 * EVA 2 End: September 1, 1985 * Duration: 4 hours, 26 minutes Crew seating arrangements Launch Mission summary ''Discovery'' launched at 6:58 a.m. EDT on August 27, 1985. Two earlier launch attempts, one on August 24 and another on August 25, were scrubbed – the first because of poor weather, and the second because the backup orbiter computer failed and had to be replaced. The successful launch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
James Van Hoften
James Dougal Adrianus "Ox" van Hoften (born June 11, 1944 ) is an American civil and hydraulic engineer, retired U.S. Navy officer and aviator, and a former astronaut for NASA. Personal data Van Hoften was born June 11, 1944, in Fresno, California. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second-highest rank, Life Scout. He considers Burlingame, California, to be his hometown. He is of Dutch descent. Van Hoften is married to the former Vallarie Davis of Pasadena, with three children: Jennifer Lyn (born October 31, 1971), Jamie Juliana (born August 24, 1977), and Victoria Jane (born March 17, 1981). He enjoys skiing, playing handball and racquetball, and jogging. In college, he was a member of the Alpha Sigma chapter of Pi Kappa Alpha. Education Graduated from Mills High School, Millbrae, California, in 1962; received a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966; a Master of Science and a Doctor of ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Joe Engle
Joe Henry Engle (born August 26, 1932) is an American pilot, aeronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut. He was the commander of two Space Shuttle missions including STS-2 in 1981, the program's second orbital flight. He also flew three flights in the Shuttle program's 1977 Approach and Landing Tests. Engle is one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. As an X-15 pilot, Engle made three flights above 50 miles, thus qualifying for astronaut wings under the American convention for the boundary of space. In 1966 he was selected for NASA's fifth Astronaut Group, joining the Apollo program. He was the backup Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) for Apollo 14 and originally scheduled as LMP for Apollo 17. However, cancellation of later flights prompted NASA to select geologist-astronaut Harrison Schmitt as LMP, displacing Engle. Engle is an experienced spaceplane operator and the last living X-15 pilot. B ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Optus (satellite)
This is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. The satellite communications facility is located at Belrose on Sydney's Northern Beaches. Optus' satellites are divided into 4 classes A, B, C and D. As of April 2014 it owns and operates Optus B3, Optus C1, Optus D1, Optus D2 and Optus D3. Optus A1, Optus A2, Optus A3 and Optus B1 satellites have been retired. Optus has the largest network of satellites in Australia and New Zealand. On February 2, 2014 NBN Co of Australia chose Optus for a five-year contract to operate two purpose-built satellites (the Sky Muster satellites) to deliver high speed broadband across rural and remote Australia. A-Class *Satellite Type: Hughes HS-376 *Design Life: 7 Years for A1 & A2 - 10 Years for A3 *Equipment: 15 Ku band transponders (including four 30W transponders and eleven 12W transponders) *Diameter: 2.2m *Height: 2.9m (stowed), 6.3m (deployed) The Aussat A-Class satellites were funded by the Gover ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
William Frederick Fisher
William Frederick Fisher (born April 1, 1946) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Fisher went into space in 1985 on board the Space Shuttle. He retired from NASA in 1992 and returned to the full-time practice of medicine. His time at NASA coincided with that of his former wife and fellow astronaut Anna Lee Fisher. He is also the great grandson of Pony Express rider William Frederick Fisher (1839 - 1919) Early life Fisher was born April 1, 1946, in Dallas, Texas. Education * 1964: Graduated from North Syracuse Central High School, North Syracuse, New York * 1968: Received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Biological Sciences from Stanford University * 1969–1971: Performed graduate work in Microbiology at the University of Florida * 1975: Received a Doctor of Medicine from the University of Florida * 1975–1977: Residency in General Surgery from UCLA Medical Center * 1978–1980: Performed graduate work in Engineering at the University of Houston Career Fisher ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Syncom
Syncom (for "synchronous communication satellite") started as a 1961 NASA program for active geosynchronous communication satellites, all of which were developed and manufactured by the Space and Communications division of Hughes Aircraft Company (now the Boeing Satellite Development Center). Syncom 2, launched in 1963, was the world's first geosynchronous communications satellite. Syncom 3, launched in 1964, was the world's first geostationary satellite. In the 1980s, the series was continued as Syncom IV with some much larger satellites, also manufactured by Hughes. They were leased to the United States military under the Leasat program. Syncom 1, 2 and 3 Common features The three early Syncom satellites were experimental spacecraft built by Hughes Aircraft Company's facility in Culver City, California, by a team led by Harold Rosen, Don Williams, and Thomas Hudspeth. All three satellites were cylindrical in shape, with a diameter of about and a height of about . Pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, aggregating more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date. The Space Shuttle launch vehicle has three main components: the Space Shuttle orbiter, a single-use central fuel tank, and two reusable solid rocket boosters. Nearly 25,000 heat-resistant tiles cover the orbiter to protect it from high temperatures on re-entry. ''Discovery'' became the third operational orbiter to enter service, preceded by '' Columbia'' and '' Challenger''. It embarked on its final mission, STS-133, on February 24, 2011, and touched down for the last time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, having spent a cumulative total of nearly a full year in space. ''Discovery'' performed both ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
STS-51-F
STS-51-F (also known as Spacelab 2) was the 19th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle ''Challenger''. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on July 29, 1985, and landed eight days later on August 6, 1985. While STS-51-F's primary payload was the Spacelab 2 laboratory module, the payload that received the most publicity was the Carbonated Beverage Dispenser Evaluation, which was an experiment in which both Coca-Cola and Pepsi tried to make their carbonated drinks available to astronauts. A helium-cooled infrared telescope (IRT) was also flown on this mission, and while it did have some problems, it observed 60% of the galactic plane in infrared light. During launch, ''Challenger'' experienced multiple sensor failures in its Engine 1 Center SSME engine, which led to it shutting down and the shuttle had to perform an "Abort to Orbit" (ATO) emergency procedure. It is the only Shuttle mission to have carried out an abort after lau ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
STS-51-D
STS-51-D was the 16th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fourth flight of Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. The launch of STS-51-D from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on April 12, 1985, was delayed by 55 minutes, after a boat strayed into the restricted Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) recovery zone. STS-51-D was the third shuttle mission to be extended. On April 19, 1985, after a week-long flight, ''Discovery'' conducted the fifth shuttle landing at KSC. The shuttle suffered extensive brake damage and a ruptured tire during landing. This forced all subsequent shuttle landings to be done at Edwards Air Force Base, California, until the development and implementation of nose wheel steering made landings at KSC more feasible. Crew Spacewalk * '' Hoffman and Griggs '' – EVA 1 * EVA 1 Start: April 16, 1985 * EVA 1 End: April 16, 1985 * Duration: 3 hours, 6 minutes Crew seating arrangements Mission summary During STS-51-D, the shuttle crew deployed two commu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
American Satellite Corporation
American Satellite Company (ASC) was one of many Fairchild Industries subsidiary companies and was established in partnership with Continental Telephone in 1972. Emanuel Fthenakis was the President and Chief Executive Officer upon the founding of the corporation. He was replaced in 1976 by Harry Dornbrand, who was President of Fairchild Space and Electronics division at the time. Under their leadership, ASC pioneered advancements in satellite broadcasting both domestically and abroad. Overview In June 1973 ASC became the first company to transmit United States domestic television via satellite. The first broadcast was of an address by then Speaker of the House Carl Albert delivered in Washington D.C. and sent to the National Cable Television Association convention in Anaheim, California. On the same day, they became the first company to broadcast a major sports event via satellite: the fight between Jimmy Ellis and Ernie Shavers in Madison Square Garden. ASC was headquartered ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
STS-51-J
STS-51-J was the 21st NASA 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. Crew Backup crew Crew notes All five astronauts on the secret mission were active-duty military officers. Before William A. Pailes was assigned to the STS-51-J flight, Mike Mullane was rumored to have been assigned as Mission Specialist 3 on his second trip to space. Mission summary STS-51-J launched on October 3, 1985, at 15:15:30 UTC (11:15:30 a.m. EDT), from Launch Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. The launch was delayed by 22 minutes and 30 seconds due to a problem with a main engine liquid hydrogen prevalve close remote power controller; the controller was showing a faulty "on" indication. The mission was the second shuttle flight totally dedicated to dep ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, smaller islands. With an area of , Australia is the largest country by area in Oceania and the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, sixth-largest country. Australia is the oldest, flattest, and driest inhabited continent, with the least fertile soils. It is a Megadiverse countries, megadiverse country, and its size gives it a wide variety of landscapes and climates, with Deserts of Australia, deserts in the centre, tropical Forests of Australia, rainforests in the north-east, and List of mountains in Australia, mountain ranges in the south-east. The ancestors of Aboriginal Australians began arriving from south east Asia approximately Early human migrations#Nearby Oceania, 65,000 years ago, during the Last Glacial Period, last i ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Communications Satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite that relays and amplifies radio telecommunication signals via a transponder; it creates a communication channel between a source transmitter and a receiver at different locations on Earth. Communications satellites are used for television, telephone, radio, internet, and military applications. Many communications satellites are in geostationary orbit above the equator, so that the satellite appears stationary at the same point in the sky; therefore the satellite dish antennas of ground stations can be aimed permanently at that spot and do not have to move to track the satellite. Others form satellite constellations in low Earth orbit, where antennas on the ground have to follow the position of the satellites and switch between satellites frequently. The high frequency radio waves used for telecommunications links travel by line of sight and so are obstructed by the curve of the Earth. The purpose of communications sate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
