STS-8 423300 210617995 2008-05-06T18:07:41Z MBK004 4916882 Added {{[[Template:nofootnotes|nofootnotes]]}} tag to article. using [[WP:FRIENDLY|Friendly]] {{nofootnotes|date=May 2008}} {{Infobox Space mission | mission_name = STS-8 | insignia = STS-8_patch.png | shuttle = Challenger | launch_pad = 39-A | launch = [[August 30]], [[1983]], 06:32:00 [[UTC]] | landing = [[September 5]], [[1983]], 07:40:43 UTC | duration = 6d/01:08:43 | altitude = 354 km | inclination = 28.5° | orbits = 98 | distance = 4,046,660 km | crew_photo = STS-8_crew.jpg | crew_caption = Seated (L-R): Daniel C. Brandenstein, Pilot, Richard H. Truly, Commander, and Guion S. Bluford, Jr., Mission Specialist. Standing (L-R): Dale A. Gardner, Mission Specialist, and William E. Thornton, Mission Specialist. | previous = [[STS-7]] [[Image:Sts-7-patch.png|42px|STS-7]]| | next = [[STS-9]] [[Image:Sts9 flight insignia.png|35px|STS-9]] }} '''STS-8''' was the third flight of the [[Space Shuttle]] [[Space Shuttle Challenger|''Challenger'']], and the eighth shuttle flight. It conducted the first night launch and night landing. ==Crew== <small>Number in parentheses indicates number of spaceflights by each individual prior to and including this mission.</small> *[[Richard Truly|Richard H. Truly]] (2) - Commander *[[Daniel Brandenstein|Daniel C. Brandenstein]] (1) - Pilot *[[Dale Gardner|Dale A. Gardner]] (1) - Mission Specialist *[[Guion Bluford|Guion S. Bluford, Jr.]] (1) - Mission Specialist *[[William E. Thornton]] (1) - Mission Specialist ==Mission parameters== *'''[[Mass]]:''' **''Orbiter Liftoff:'' 110,105 kg **''Orbiter Landing:'' 92,506 kg **''Payload:'' 13,642 kg *'''[[Perigee]]:''' 306 km *'''[[Apogee]]:''' 313 km *'''[[Inclination]]:''' 28.5° *'''[[Orbital period|Period]]:''' 90.7 min ==Mission highlights== [[Image:shuttle-challenger.jpg|thumb|[[Space Shuttle Challenger|''Challenger'']]'s rollout from Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to be stacked with External tank and SRB's for launch.]] [[Image:STS008-44-611.jpg|thumb|INSAT-1B after deployement.]] [[Image:STS008-33-1100.jpg|thumb|Payload Flight Test Article (PFTA).]] Bluford became the first [[African American]] to fly in space. Astronauts deployed INSAT-1B, a multipurpose satellite for India attached to Payload Assist Module-D (PAM-D) motor. On this mission, guidance held the nose of orbiter away from the sun for 14 hours to test the flight deck area in extreme cold. For the Development Flight Instrumentation Pallet (DFI PLT), the crew filmed performance of an experimental heat pipe mounted in the cargo bay. During the flight, the orbiter dropped to 139 miles altitude to perform tests on thin atomic oxygen to identify the cause of glow that surrounds parts of the orbiter at night. Astronauts tested the [[Remote Manipulator System]] to evaluate joint reactions to higher loads than previously examined. The flight included [[biofeedback]] experiments with six rats flown in an Animal Enclosure Module to observe animal reactions in space. Other payloads: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES); Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiment; Incubator-Cell Attachment Test (I CAT); Investigation of STS Atmospheric Luminosities (ISAL); Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME); and five Get Away Special experiment packages including eight cans of postal covers. Astronauts and ground control tested communications between [[Tracking and Data Relay Satellite]]-I (TDRS-1) and the orbiter using Ku-band antenna, and investigations continued on [[Space Adaptation Syndrome]]. [[Image:STS-8 flight cover 8912 front.jpg|left|thumb|This cover was one of thousands brought on the mission and sold to the public after landing.]] In cooperation with the [[United States Postal Service|USPS]], the mission also carried several hundred thousand covers franked with $9.35 express mail stamps, which were then sold to the public after the shuttle's return. The original plan was to carry 500,000, but the final number was reduced to 261,900, of which 2,523 were damaged during the flight and discarded. The remaining covers were each enclosed in a souvenir folder describing the mission and the cover, and sold for $15.35 apiece. They were sold out by November 1983, just a few months after the flight. == Mission insignia == The eight stars in the black field of the mission patch tell the flight's numerical designation in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence. ==See also== * [[Space science]] * [[Space shuttle]] * [[List of space shuttle missions]] * [[List of human spaceflights chronologically]] <br clear=all> ==References== {{reflist}} * [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-8/mission-sts-8.html Kennedy Space Center STS-8 Archive] * [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle08.htm STS-8 Video Highlights] * [http://www.spacepatches.nl/sts_mis/sts8b.html Info on the STS-8 mission logo known as "Eyes"] {{Space Shuttle Challenger}} {{DEFAULTSORT:STS-008}} [[Category:Space Shuttle missions]] [[Category:1983 in space exploration]] [[Category:1983 in the United States]] [[da:STS-8]] [[de:STS-8]] [[es:STS-8]] [[fr:STS-8]] [[it:STS-8]] [[he:STS-8]] [[hu:STS–8]] [[nl:STS-8]] [[ja:STS-8]] [[nn:STS-8]] [[pl:STS-8]] [[pt:STS-8]] [[ru:Челленджер STS-8]] [[sv:STS-8]] [[zh:STS-8]]