#sts-51-d

Among STS-51-D's first day activities was the deployment of the Telesat-I (Anik C-1) communications satellite.

Date: April 12, 1985

"CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. -- This orbiter tribute of space shuttle Discovery, or OV-103, hangs in Firing Room 4 of the Launch Control Center at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Discovery’s accomplishments include the first female shuttle pilot, Eileen Collins, on STS-63, John Glenn’s legendary return to space on STS-95, and the celebration of the 100th shuttle mission with STS-92. In addition, Discovery supported a number of Department of Defense programs, satellite deploy and repair missions and 13 International Space Station construction and operation flights. The tribute features Discovery demonstrating the rendezvous pitch maneuver on approach to the International Space Station during STS-114. Having accumulated the most space shuttle flights, Discovery’s 39 mission patches are shown circling the spacecraft. The background image was taken from the Hubble Space Telescope, which launched aboard Discovery on STS-31 and serviced by Discovery on STS-82 and STS-103. The American Flag and Bald Eagle represent Discovery’s two Return-to-Flight missions -- STS-26 and STS-114 -- and symbolize Discovery’s role in returning American astronauts to space. Five orbiter tributes are on display in the firing room, representing Atlantis, Challenger, Columbia, Endeavour and Discovery."

Date: July 29, 2010

"On Space Shuttle Mission STS-51-D, an improvised 'fly swatter' is used by the Canadarm to activate the Syncom satellite."

Date: April 12-19, 1985

Jeff Hoffman demonstrates (with intensity) centrifugal force with a toy car and circular loop on Discovery's middeck, April 1985. The crew of STS-51-D brought numerous toys on board and filmed themselves in microgravity playing with them.