STS-41-C

Robert Crippen

• Birthday: 09/11/1937
• Role: Commander
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 04/12/1981
• Last Flight: 10/05/1984

Robert Laurel Crippen is an American retired naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and retired astronaut. He traveled into space four times: as Pilot of STS-1 in April 1981, the first Space Shuttle mission; and as Commander of STS-7 in June 1983, STS-41-C in April 1984, and STS-41-G in October 1984. Crippen received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Dick Scobee

• Birthday: 05/19/1939
• Role: Pilot
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 04/06/1984
• Last Flight: 01/28/1986

Francis Richard Scobee was an American pilot and astronaut. He was killed commanding the Space Shuttle Challenger, which suffered catastrophic booster failure during launch of the STS-51-L mission.

Terry Hart

• Birthday: 10/27/1946
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 04/06/1984
• Last Flight: 04/06/1984

Terry Jonathan “T.J.” Hart is an American mechanical and electrical engineer, a retired United States Air Force lieutenant colonel and pilot, and former NASA astronaut. Hart was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978. He flew as a mission specialist on STS-41-C and logged a total of 168 hours in space.

James van Hoften

• Birthday: 06/11/1944
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 04/06/1984
• Last Flight: 08/27/1985

James Dougal Adrianus “Ox” van Hoften, Ph.D. is an American civil and hydraulic engineer, retired U.S. Navy officer and aviator, and a former astronaut for NASA.

George Nelson

• Birthday: 07/13/1950
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 04/06/1984
• Last Flight: 09/29/1988

George Driver “Pinky” Nelson is an American physicist, astronomer, science educator, and a former NASA astronaut.

STS-41-C

• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $450,000,000

STS-41-C was the eleventh mission of the shuttle program and fifth mission for Space Shuttle Challenger. It marked the first time a shuttle performed a direct ascent. Its mission was to capsule the Solar Max Satellite and repair it whilst in orbit.

Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A has witnessed the launch of 174 rockets, including 173 orbital launch attempts, while Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 232 rocket launches.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS). Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.