NSSDCA/COSPAR ID: 1984-011A
STS 41-B was the fourth Challenger shuttle flight with Vance Brand, Robert Gibson, Bruce McCandless, Ronald McNair, and Robert Stewart on board. Misson Highlights consisted of the first untethered space walks by McCandless and Stewart, using manned maneuvering unit. WESTAR-VI and PALAPA-B2 satellites were deployed, but failure of Payload Assist Module-D (PAM-D) rocket motors left them in radical low-Earth orbits. German-built Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS), first flown on STS-7, became the first satellite refurbished and flown again. SPAS remained in the payload bay due to electrical problem with Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The RMS manipulator foot restraint was first used, and practice procedures performed for Solar Maximum satellite retrieval and repair planned for next mission. Integrated Rendezvous Target (IRT) failed due to internal failure. Five Get Away Special canisters were flown in the cargo bay and a Cinema-360 camera was used by the crew. Other payloadsconsisted of : Acoustic Containerless Experiment System (ACES); Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR); and Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME), and Isoelectric Focusing (IEF) payload. The mission duration was 191 hours 15 minutes 55 seconds.
Launch Date: 1984-02-03
Launch Vehicle: Shuttle
Launch Site: Cape Canaveral, United States
Mass: 15342 kg
Questions and comments about this spacecraft can be directed to: Coordinated Request and User Support Office
STS 41B information (NASA KSC)
STS 41B Press Release images (NASA JSC)