STS-61-E

{{Short description|Canceled NASA Space Shuttle mission}}

{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}

{{Infobox spaceflight

| name = STS-61-E

| names_list = Space Transportation System

| image =

| image_caption =

| image_size = 300px

| mission_type = Observations of the Comet of Halley

| operator = NASA

| COSPAR_ID =

| SATCAT =

| mission_duration = 8 days, 22 hours, 2 minutes (planned)

| distance_travelled =

| orbits_completed =

| spacecraft = {{OV|102}} (planned)

| launch_mass = {{cvt|1217990|kg}}

| landing_mass = {{cvt|90584|kg}}

| payload_mass = {{cvt|21937|kg}}

| crew_size = 7

| crew_members = Jon A. McBride
Richard N. Richards
Jeffrey A. Hoffman
David C. Leestma
Robert A. Parker
Samuel T. Durrance
Ronald A. Parise

| launch_date = 6 March 1986, 10:45 UTC (planned)

| launch_rocket = Space Shuttle Columbia

| launch_site = Kennedy Space Center, LC-39B

| launch_contractor = Rockwell International

| landing_date = 15 March 1986, 08:47 UTC (planned)

| landing_site = Kennedy Space Center

| orbit_reference = Geocentric orbit (planned)

| orbit_regime = Low Earth orbit

| orbit_periapsis = {{cvt|285|km}}

| orbit_apoapsis = {{cvt|295|km}}

| orbit_inclination = 28.45°

| orbit_period = 90.40 minutes

| apsis = gee

| instruments =

| insignia = STS-61-E patch.png

| insignia_caption = STS-61-E mission patch

| insignia_size = 200px

| crew_photo = STS-61-E crew.jpg

| crew_photo_caption = Back row: Samuel T. Durrance, Robert A. Parker, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Ronald A. Parise
Front row: Richard N. Richards, Jon A. McBride, David C. Leestma

| crew_photo_size = 300px

| programme = Space Shuttle program

| previous_mission = STS-51-L (25)

| next_mission = STS-26

| programme2 = Cancelled Shuttle missions

| next_mission2 = STS-61-F

}}

STS-61-E was a NASA Space Shuttle mission planned to launch on 6 March 1986 using Columbia. It was canceled after the Challenger disaster.

Crew

{{Spaceflight crew

| terminology = Astronaut

| position1 = Commander

| crew1_up = Jon A. McBride

| flights1_up = Would have been second

| position2 = Pilot

| crew2_up = Richard N. Richards

| flights2_up = Would have been first

| position3 = Mission Specialist 1

| crew3_up = Jeffrey A. Hoffman

| flights3_up = Would have been second

| position4 = Mission Specialist 2

| crew4_up = David C. Leestma

| flights4_up = Would have been second

| position5 = Mission Specialist 3

| crew5_up = Robert A. Parker

| flights5_up = Would have been second

| position6 = Payload Specialist 1

| crew6_up = Samuel T. Durrance

| flights6_up = Would have been first

| position7 = Payload Specialist 2

| crew7_up = Ronald A. Parise

| flights7_up = Would have been first

}}

= Backup crew =

{{Spaceflight crew

| terminology = Astronaut{{cite web|title=STS-61E|url=https://www.spacefacts.de/cancelled/english/sts-61e.htm|publisher=Spacefacts|access-date=July 8, 2025}}

| position6 = Payload Specialist

| crew6_up = Kenneth H. Nordsieck

| flights6_up = Would have been first

}}

Mission objectives

Columbia was to carry the ASTRO-1 observatory, which would be used to make astronomical observations including observations of Halley's Comet. ASTRO-1 consisted of three ultraviolet telescopes mounted on two Spacelab pallets, controlled by the Instrument Pointing System (IPS) which was first tested on STS-51-F.{{cite book |last=Evans|first=Ben|title=Space Shuttle Columbia: Her Missions and Crews|year=2005|publisher=Springer Science + Business Media|isbn=0-387-21517-4|page=99|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n24k0B9BOf4C&pg=PA99}}

After the Challenger disaster, the flight was remanifested as STS-35 and several crew members were replaced. Both Richards and Leestma were reassigned to STS-28 while McBride left NASA in 1989. Vance D. Brand replaced McBride as the commander while Guy S. Gardner and John M. Lounge replaced Richards and Leestma, respectively.

See also

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

References

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Space Shuttle Columbia|state=expanded}}

{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions}}

Category:Cancelled Space Shuttle missions