The first untethered space walks were performed on this mission. Practice sessions were conducted using the remote manipulator system (RMS), which suffered from electrical problems when satellite deployment was attempted. Payloads carried included Radiation Monitoring Equipment and Getaway Special cannisters. Crew members used a Cinema-360 camera throughout the mission.!
Front row, left to right: Commander Vance Brand, DOB: 5/9/31, Background: Flew on Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. Commanded STS-5 and STS-35. Education: B.S. degrees in aeronautical engineering and business; M.S. in business administration.
Pilot Robert Gibson, DOB: 10/30/46, Background: Capt., USN. Commander on 61-C, STS-27 and STS-47. Education: B.S. in aeronautical engineering.
Back row, left to right: Mission Specialist Robert Stewart, DOB: 8/13/42, Background: U.S. Army Brigadier General. Mission specialist on 51-J. Education: B.S. in mathematics; M.S. in aerospace engineering.
Mission Specialist Ronald McNair, DOB: 10/21/50, Background: Worked as a research physicist conducting laser studies. Flew on 51-L and perished in the accident. Education: Ph.D. in physics.
Mission Specialist Bruce McCandless, II, DOB: 6/8/37, Background: Capt., USN. Mission specialist on STS-31. Education: M.S. in electrical engineering.!
3 February 1984 8:00 a.m. EST
Launch was originally set for 29 January but was delayed 5 days so the orbiter's auxiliary power units could be replaced as a precautionary measure.!
11 February 1984 7:15 a.m. EST
at Kennedy Space Center, FL
Mission Duration: 7 days, 23 hours, 15 minutes, 55 seconds. Completed 127 orbits. First landing at KSC.!
