Discovery Begins a Record-Setting Career

August 30, 1984 — Space Shuttle Discovery launches on its maiden voyage from Kennedy Space Center

At 8:41:50 a.m. on August 30, 1984, Space Shuttle Discovery lifted off from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. The launch began STS-41D, a six-day mission, and introduced an orbiter that would eventually fly more missions than any other space shuttle.

The first flight came only after a difficult summer on Florida's Space Coast. A June 26 launch attempt ended four seconds before liftoff, after two main engines had ignited, when the shuttle's computers detected that the third engine had not started correctly. NASA returned Discovery to the Vehicle Assembly Building, replaced the faulty engine, and moved the orbiter back to the pad. A software problem then delayed an August 29 attempt by one more day.

Six People and a Heavy Payload

Commander Henry W. Hartsfield Jr. led a six-member crew that included pilot Michael L. Coats; mission specialists Judith A. Resnik, Richard M. Mullane, and Steven A. Hawley; and payload specialist Charles D. Walker.

The crew carried three communications satellites: SBS-4, Telstar 3C, and Leasat 2, also known as Syncom IV-2. Together with the mission's other equipment, the cargo weighed 41,184 pounds—the heaviest shuttle payload flown up to that time.

The astronauts deployed one satellite on each of the mission's first three days. Leasat 2 was especially notable because it was the first satellite designed specifically for launch from the space shuttle.

A Solar Wing Unfolds in Space

Another major experiment was the OAST-1 solar array, a lightweight panel extending 102 feet from Discovery's payload bay. Mission specialist Judith Resnik first deployed it to 70 percent of its length for structural tests and later extended and retracted it fully.

The experiment helped NASA study how large, lightweight solar arrays might behave in orbit. That work pointed toward the much larger structures that would later supply electrical power to facilities such as the International Space Station.

Florida's Launch Site and a Lasting Legacy

STS-41D ended on September 5 at Edwards Air Force Base in California after 97 orbits and 2.5 million miles. The mission lasted 6 days, 56 minutes, and 4 seconds.

For Florida, the maiden flight added another chapter to Kennedy Space Center's role as America's principal departure point for human spaceflight. The engineers, launch crews, contractors, and communities of the Space Coast supported not only a single mission but the beginning of a 27-year shuttle career.

By the time Discovery retired in 2011, it had completed 39 missions—more than any other space shuttle. Its later flights included deploying the Hubble Space Telescope, returning astronauts to flight after both the Challenger and Columbia disasters, and helping build and supply the International Space Station.

That record-setting career began in Florida on August 30, 1984.

Sources & Further Reading

• NASA: STS-41D Mission.
• NASA History: STS-41D — First Flight of Space Shuttle Discovery.
• NASA History: Space Shuttle Discovery Makes Its Public Debut.