STS-7

STS-7 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Challenger, launched June 18, 1983. This was the seventh space shuttle mission, and was the second mission for the Space Shuttle Challenger.

The mission of the STS-7

STS-7 was Challenger's first on-time liftoff. It also was the first American female astronaut (Sally Ride). With 5 people, STS-7 was also the largest crew to fly into space in a single spacecraft.

Two communications satellites were launched during this mission. The mission also carried the first Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-l) built by Messerschmitt-Bolkow-Blohm, a West German aerospace firm. SPAS-1 was unique because it was launched free of the payload bay, flew alongside Challenger for several hours, then was grabbed by the RMS and brought back into the payload bay.

This mission also carried seven GAS[?] canisters which contained several experiments, as well as the OSTA-2 payload, a joint U.S.-West German scientific pallet payload. Also, the orbiter's Ku-band[?] antenna was able to relay data through the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to a ground terminal for the first time.

The crew orbited the Earth 97 times.

Crew

• Commander: Robert L. Crippen[?]
• Pilot: Frederick H. Hauck[?]
• Mission Specialist: John M. Fabian[?]
• Mission Specialist: Sally K. Ride
• Mission Specialist: Norman E. Thagard[?]

Related articles

• Space science
• Space shuttle
• Space Shuttle Challenger
• Sally Ride

External links

• STS-7 Mission Data (http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/shuttle/missions/sts-7/mission-sts-7)
• STS-7 Mission Chronology (http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/chron/sts-7.htm)