On Jan. 24, 1985, space shuttle Discovery took off from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on STS-51C, the first space shuttle mission entirely dedicated to the Department of Defense (DOD). As such, many of the details of the flight remain classified. Discovery’s crew of Commander Thomas “T.K.” Mattingly, Pilot Loren Shriver, Mission Specialists Ellison Onizuka and James Buchli, and Payload Specialist Gary Payton deployed a classified satellite that used an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) to reach its final geostationary orbit. The three-day mission ended with a landing at…
Read More40 Years Ago: STS-51C, the First Dedicated Department of Defense Shuttle Mission
