STS-41C

STS-41C was a NASA Space Shuttle Challenger mission launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39A on April 6, 1984. Robert L. Crippen commanded the flight, Francis R. Scobee served as pilot, and Terry J. Hart, James D. A. van Hoften, and George D. Nelson served as mission specialists. The crew deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility, a retrievable experiment platform carrying dozens of exposure experiments for later return to Earth. The mission also became the first Shuttle flight to repair a satellite in orbit: after a difficult first attempt to capture Solar Maximum Mission, the crew used Challenger's rendezvous capability, the remote manipulator system, the Manned Maneuvering Unit, and two EVAs by Nelson and van Hoften to bring the satellite into the payload bay, replace failed hardware, and release it again. Challenger landed at Edwards Air Force Base on April 13, 1984, after a mission lasting 6 days, 23 hours, and 40 minutes.