STS-6 was the sixth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the maiden flight of the . Launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 4, 1983, the mission deployed the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-1, into orbit, before landing at Edwards Air Force Base on April 9, 1983. STS-6 was the first Space Shuttle mission during which a Extravehicular activity was conducted, and hence was the first in which the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) was used.

Crew

Commander Paul Weitz had previously served as Pilot on the first Skylab crewed mission (Skylab-2), where he lived and worked in Skylab for nearly a month from May to June 1973. After Skylab, Weitz became the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office under Chief Astronaut John Young. Bobko originally became an astronaut for the Air Force's Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program but later joined NASA in 1969 after the MOL program's cancellation. Prior to STS-6 he participated in the Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT) and worked as a member of the support crew for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP).

Peterson was also a transfer from the MOL program, and was a member of the support crew for Apollo 16. Musgrave joined NASA in 1967 as part of the second scientist-astronaut group, and was the backup Science Pilot for the first Skylab mission. He also participated in the design of the equipment that he and Peterson used during their EVA on the STS-6 mission.

Support crew

  • Roy D. Bridges Jr. (entry CAPCOM)
  • Mary L. Cleave
  • Richard O. Covey (ascent CAPCOM)
  • Guy Gardner
  • Jon McBride
  • Bryan D. O'Connor

Spacewalk

  • Personnel: Musgrave and Peterson
  • Date: April 7–8, 1983 (21:03–01:20 UTC)
  • Duration: 4hours, 17minutes

Crew seat assignments

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! Seat

! Launch

! Landing

|rowspan=8| 150px<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.

|-

! 1

|colspan=2| Weitz

|-

! 2

|colspan=2| Bobko

|-

! 3

|colspan=2| Musgrave

|-

! 4

|colspan=2| Peterson

|-

! 5

|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| Unused

|-

! 6

|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| Unused

|-

! 7

|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| Unused

|}

Mission background

The new orbiter was rolled out to LC-39A in December 8, 1982. On December 18, 1982, Challenger was given a PFRF (Pre Flight Readiness Firing) to verify the operation of the main engines. The PFRF lasted for 16seconds. Although engine operation was generally satisfactory, telemetry data indicated significant leakage of liquid hydrogen in the thrust section. However, it was not possible to determine the location of the leak with certainty, so program directors decided on a second PFRF with added telemetry probes. It was known that during the test run on December 18, 1982, that recirculated exhaust gases and vibration leaked into the thrust section and this was considered a potential cause of the leak. Therefore, the original planned launch in late January 1983 had to be postponed.

On January 25, 1983, a second PFRF was conducted which lasted 23 seconds and exhibited more hydrogen leaks. Eventually, it was found that low pressure ducting in the No. 1 engine was cracked. The engine was replaced by a spare, which was found to also have leaks. A third engine had to be ordered from Rocketdyne, and after thorough testing, turned out to be in proper operating condition. The No. 2 and No. 3 engines turned out to have leaks as well, and were taken out of the orbiter for repairs. By mid-March, the engine problems had been completely resolved.

While the engine repairs were underway on February 28, 1983, a severe storm caused contamination of the mission's primary cargo, the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-A (TDRS-1), while it was in the Payload Changeout Room on the Rotating Service Structure at the launch pad. Consequently, the satellite had to be taken back to its checkout facility, where it was cleaned and rechecked. The Payload Changeout Room and the payload bay also had to be cleaned. All of these events pushed the launch back from March 26, 1983, to early April 1983.

Mission summary

On April 4, 1983, STS-6, the first mission of the orbiter Challenger, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 18:30:00UTC (1:30pmEST, local time at the launch site). It marked the first use of a new lightweight external tank and lightweight Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) casings, first use of the head-up display, and first extravehicular activity (EVA) in the Space Shuttle program.