STS-9 (also known as STS-41A) (Spacelab 1) was the 6th mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia It was Columbia's last flight until early January of 1986, STS-61C. It was also the last time the old Space Transportation System numbering was used until STS-26 (after STS-51-L, the mission in which the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster happened).
For the STS-9 mission Columbia was once again back in orbit. The launch occurred at 11 a.m. EST, Nov. 28, 19...
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STS-9 (also known as STS-41A) (Spacelab 1) was the 6th mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia It was Columbia's last flight until early January of 1986, STS-61C. It was also the last time the old Space Transportation System numbering was used until STS-26 (after STS-51-L, the mission in which the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster happened).
For the STS-9 mission Columbia was once again back in orbit. The launch occurred at 11 a.m. EST, Nov. 28, 1983, after a 1-month delay because of a nozzle problem with one of the SRBs. This necessitated moving the vehicle back to the Vehicle Assembly Building where the nozzle was replaced.
The 6-member crew—a manned space flight record at the time—included John W. Young, commander, on his second Shuttle flight; Brewster H. Shaw, pilot; Owen Garriott and Robert A. Parker, both mission specialists; and Byron K. Lichtenberg and Ulf Merbold payload specialists— the first two non-NASA astronauts to fly on the Shuttle. Merbold, a citizen of West Germany,...
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