STS-5 Fact Sheet

By Cliff Lethbridge

STS-5 — Columbia

5th Space Shuttle Mission

5th Flight of Columbia

Crew:

Vance D. Brand, Commander

Robert F. Overmyer, Pilot

Joseph P. Allen, Mission Specialist

William B. Lenoir, Mission Specialist

Orbiter Preparations:

Tow to Orbiter Processing Facility – July 16, 1982

Rollover to Vehicle Assembly Building – September 9, 1982

Rollout to Launch Pad 39A – September 21, 1982

Launch:

November 11, 1982 – 7:19:00 a.m. EST. Launch occurred as scheduled with no delays.

Landing:

November 16, 1982 – 6:33:26 a.m. PST at Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, California. Rollout distance was 9,553 feet. Rollout time was 63 seconds. Mission duration was 5 days, 2 hours, 14 minutes, 26 seconds. Landing occurred during the 82nd orbit.

Mission Summary:

This was the first operational flight of a Space Shuttle, and the first time more than three astronauts were carried into space in a single vehicle. Two communications satellites were deployed.

The ANIK C-3 satellite was deployed for TELESAT Canada and the SBS-C satellite was deployed for Satellite Business Systems. Each was equipped with a Payload Assist Module-D (PAM-D) solid rocket motor, which fired about 45 minutes following deployment, boosting the satellites into a highly elliptical orbit. One GAS and two SSIP experiments were conducted. The first scheduled spacewalk in the Shuttle program was canceled due to a malfunctioning spacesuit.