Launch from Cape Canaveral (
KSC); landing on
Edwards
AFB.
The
launch originally was scheduled for December 18, 1985, but had to be delayed
for several times because of technical and weather
problems.
Communications satellite Satcom-KU1 was successfully deployed.
The flight also carried a large number of small experiments, including 13 GAS
canisters devoted to investigations involving the effect of microgravity on
materials processing, seed germination, chemical reactions, egg hatching,
astronomy and atmospheric physics. Other cargo included a Materials Science
Laboratory-2 structure for experiments involving liquid bubble suspension by
sound waves, melting and resolidification of metallic samples and containerless
melting and solidification of electrically conductive
specimens.
Finally, an experiment called the Comet Halley Active
Monitoring Program (CHAMP), consisting of a 35 mm camera to photograph Comet
Halley through the aft flight deck overhead window, was not successful because
of battery problems. Congressman Bill
Nelson became second poltician in space.
It was
planned to shorten the mission for one day, to have more time for maintenance
work between the Shuttle-missions, but bad weather in Florida forced to extend
the mission duration about two more days.