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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-8 Mission: Multipurpose Satellite/First Night Launch and Landing Space Shuttle: Challenger Launch Pad: 39A Launch Weight: 242,742 pounds Launched: Aug. 30, 1983 at 2:32:00 a.m. EDT Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Landing: Sept. 5, 1983 at 12:40:43 a.m. PDT Landing Weight: 203,945 pounds Runway: 22 Rollout Distance: 9,371 feet Rollout Time: 50 seconds Revolution: 98 Mission Duration: 6 days, 1 hour, 8 minutes and 43 seconds Returned to KSC: Sept. 9, 1983 Orbit Altitude: 191 nautical miles Orbit Inclination: 28.5 degrees Miles Traveled: 2.5 million Crew Members Image above: STS-8 Crew photo with Commander Richard H. Truly, Pilot Daniel C. Brandenstein and Mission Specialists Dale A. Gardner, Guion S. Bluford, Jr. and William E. Thornton. Image Credit: NASA Mission Highlights Bluford became the first African-American to fly in space. INSAT-1B, a multipurpose satellite for India which was attached to the Payload Assist Module-D (PAM-D) motor, was deployed. The nose of orbiter was held away from the sun for 14 hours to test the flight deck area in extreme cold. For the Development Flight Instrumentation Pallet (DFI PLT), the crew filmed performance of an experimental heat pipe mounted in the cargo bay; also, the orbiter dropped to 139 miles altitude to perform tests on thin atomic oxygen to identify the cause of glow that surrounds parts of the orbiter at night. The remote manipulator system was tested to evaluate joint reactions to higher loads. The following biofeedback experiment was conducted: six rats were flown in the Animal Enclosure Module to observe animal reactions in space. Other payloads on this mission: Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES); Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSlP) experiment; Incubator-Cell Attachment Test (l CAT); Investigation of STS Atmospheric Luminosities (ISAL); Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME); and five Get Away Special experiment packages including eight cans of postal covers. Testing was conducted between the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-I (TDRS-1) and the orbiter using a Ku-band antenna, and investigations continued on the Space Adaptation Syndrome. 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