STS-8

First African-American in space. First shuttle night launch and night landing. First night launch and night landing. Deployed Insat 1B.

First night launch and night landing. Deployed Insat 1B. Payloads: Deployment of INSAT (India communication satellite) with Payload Assist Module (PAM)-D, Payload Flight Test Article (PFTA)/ Payload Deployment Retrieval System (PDRS), Continuous Flow Electrophoresis (CFES), biomedical experiments. 250,000 express mail envelopes with special cachet for U.S. Postal Service were carried for a first-day cover.

NASA Official Mission Narrative

Mission Name: STS-8 (8)
CHALLENGER (3)
Pad 39-A (20)
8th Shuttle mission
3rd Flight OV-099
1st Night Launch
1st Night Landing

Crew:
Richard H. Truly (2), Commander
Daniel C. Brandenstein (1), Pilot
Dale A. Gardner (1), Mission Specialist
Guion S. Bluford (1), Jr., Mission Specialist
William E. Thornton (1), Mission Specialist

Milestones:
OPF - June 3O, 1983
VAB - July 26, 1983
PAD - Aug. 2, 1983

Payload:
INSAT-1B,PDRS/PFTA,CFES(4),OIM,MLR(3),GAS(x7)
Mission Objectives:

Launch:
August 30, 1983, 2:32:00 a.m. EDT. Launch delayed 17 mlnutes due to weather. Launch Weight: 242,742 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 191nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 98
Duration: Six days, one hour, eight minutes, 43 seconds.
Distance: 2,514,478 miles

Hardware:
SRB: BI-008
SRM: 008LW(HPM)
ET : 9/LWT-2
MLP : 2
SSME-1: SN-2017
SSME-2: SN-2015
SSME-3: SN-2012

Landing:
September 5,1983, 12:40:43 a.m. PDT, Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 9,371 feet. Rollout time: 50 seconds. Orbiter returned to KSC Sept. 9, 1983. Landing Weight 203,945 lbs

Mission Highlights:
Bluford became first African-American to fly in space. INSAT-1B, a multipurpose satellite for India attached to Payload Assist Module-D (PAM-D) motor, was deployed. Nose of orbiter held away from sun 14 hours to test flight deck area in extreme cold. For Development Flight Instrumentation Pallet (DFI PLT), crew filmed performance of experimental heat pipe mounted in cargo bay; also, orbiter dropped to 139 miles altitude to perform tests on thin atomic oxygen to identify cause of glow that surrounds parts of orbiter at night. Remote manipulator system tested to evaluate joint reactions to higher loads. Biofeedback experiments: six rats flown in Animal Enclosure Module to observe animal reactions in space. Other payloads: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES); Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSlP) experiment; Incubator-Cell Attachment Test (l CAT); Investigation of STS Atmospheric Luminosities (ISAL); Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME); and five Get Away Special experiment packages including eight cans of postal covers. Testing conducted between Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-I (TDRS-1 ) and orbiter using Ku-band antenna, and investigations continued on Space Adaptation Syndrome.