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Bolden, Administrator Blog Speeches & Testimony Lori B. Garver, Deputy Administrator Facebook | Twitter Speeches & Testimony NASA Org Structure | Leadership GalleryNASA LOCATIONS Find a Center or Facility Visiting NASA NASA Home | Missions | Space Shuttle | Shuttle Missions | Archives SendBookmarkPrint MissionsMissions HighlightsCurrent MissionsCurrent Missions Space Shuttle Shuttle Missions Archives Behind the Scenes Launch & Landing Multimedia News & Media Resources Vehicle Structure Past MissionsFuture MissionsLaunch ScheduleMission CalendarSpace ShuttleMission ArchivesText SizeSTS-6 Mission: Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-1 (TDRS-1)/First Shuttle Space Walk Space Shuttle: Challenger Launch Pad: 39A Launched: April 4, 1983 at 1:30:00 p.m. EST Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Landing: April 9, 1983 at 10:53:42 a.m. PST Runway: 22 Rollout Distance: 7,244 feet Rollout Time: 49 seconds Revolution: 81 Mission Duration: 5 days, 0 hours, 23 minutes and 42 seconds Returned to KSC: April 16, 1983 Orbit Altitude: 184 nautical miles Orbit Inclination: 28.5 degrees Miles Traveled: 2.1 million Crew Members Image above: STS-6 Crew photo with Commander Paul J. Weitz, Pilot Karol J. Bobko and Mission Specialists Donald H. Peterson and F. Story Musgrave. Image Credit: NASA Launch Information The launch set for Jan. 20 was postponed due to a hydrogen leak into the number one main engine aft compartment which was discovered during the 20-second Flight Readiness Firing (FRF) on Dec. 18, 1982. Cracks in the number one main engine were confirmed to be the cause of the leak during a second FRF performed on Jan. 25, 1983. All three main engines were removed while the shuttle was on the pad and the fuel line cracks were repaired. Main engines two and three were reinstalled following extensive failure analysis and testing. The number one main engine was replaced. An additional delay was caused by contamination to the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite- 1 (TDRS-1) during a severe storm. The launch on April 4 proceeded as scheduled. Mission Highlights The primary payload was the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-1(TDRS-1). A malfunction of the Inertial Upper Stage booster resulted in placement of the spacecraft into an improper but stable orbit. Additional propellant aboard the satellite was used over next several months to gradually place TDRS-1 into its properly circularized orbit. The first space walk of the Shuttle program performed by Astronauts Peterson and Musgrave, lasted about 4 hours and 17 minutes. Other payloads on this flight were: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES), Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR), Radiation Monitoring Experiment (RME). Night/Day Optical Survey of Lightning (NOSL), and three Get Away Special canisters. This Mission used the first lightweight external tank and lightweight rocket booster casings. NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center Related Sites > NASA's Orbiter Fleet > NASA's Launch Schedule > Shuttle Reference Manual > Shuttle Archives › Back To Top NASA HomePage Last Updated:November 23, 2007 Page Editor:Jeanne Ryba NASA Official:Brian DunbarNASA Information on the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 Budgets, Strategic Plans and Accountability Reports Equal Employment Opportunity Data Posted Pursuant to the No Fear Act Information-Dissemination Policies and Inventories Freedom of Information Act Privacy Policy & Important Notices NASA Advisory Council Aerospace Safety Advisory Panel Inspector General Hotline Office of the Inspector General NASA Communications Policy Contact NASA Site Map USA.gov ExpectMore.gov Open Government at NASA Help and Preferences