rjnoe@riccb.UUCP (Roger J. Noe ) (08/15/85)
Someone asked a little while ago what time of day the next shuttle would launch. Here's what I've got: Mission 51-I, the 20th shuttle mission, will begin with the 6th launch of orbiter Discovery at 08:51 EDT Sat Aug 24, 1985. Mission objectives include deployment of satellites Aussat-1, ASC-1, and Syncom IV-4 (a.k.a. Leasat 4). Also scheduled is retrieval and repair of Syncom IV-3, which failed to activate after being deployed from Discovery's cargo bay on mission 51-D last April. Crew consists of: mission commander Joe H. Engle (his only previous space flight was as commander of STS-2 in November, 1981), pilot Richard O. Covey, and mission specialists William F. Fisher, J. Michael Lounge, and James D. van Hoften. Engle's 53rd birthday will occur two days into the mission, assuming there is no launch delay. (Engle's pilot on STS-2, Richard Truly, celebrated his 44th birthday the day they landed, 11/14/81.) -- Roger Noe ihnp4!riccb!rjnoe Rockwell International Downers Grove, IL