Discovery launched April 12, 1985 on the STS-51D mission, four years to the day of the maiden space shuttle flight. A Canadian communications spacecraft was successfully dispatched from the payload bay. But a U.S. military communications satellite, known as Leasat 3, failed to activate after its deployment. That set the stage for a spacewalk -- the shuttle program's first unplanned EVA -- to attach handcrafted "Flyswatter" objects on the shuttle robotic arm to hit a timing switch on the satellite. The rescue attempt did not succeed (requiring the later STS-51I repair mission). Upon landing at Kennedy Space Center, Discovery blew a tire. The crew of seven, including Senator Jake Garn of Utah, narrate this post-flight film of highlights from the week-long mission.
Source: NASA-JSC (23 min 48 sec QT 6 Broadband Large file)
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