Description
STS-61-C – Gibson, Bolden, Nelson, Hawley, Chang-Diaz, Cenher, Nelson Mission Patch NASA – Space Shuttle Patch 4.25 x 4 in. USED
STS-61-C was the 24th mission of NASA’s Space Shuttle program, and the seventh mission of Space Shuttle Columbia. It was the first time that Columbia, the first space-rated Space Shuttle orbiter to be constructed, had flown since STS-9. The mission launched from Florida’s Kennedy Space Center on 12 January 1986, and landed six days later on 18 January 1986. STS-61-C’s seven-person crew included 2 future Administrator of NASA: the second African-American shuttle pilot, Charles F. Bolden, the second sitting politician to fly in space, Representative Clarence W. “Bill” Nelson (D-FL), and the first Costa Rican-born astronaut, Franklin R. Chang-Díaz. It was the last shuttle mission before the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, which occurred just ten days after STS-61-C’s landing.
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STS-61-C details courtesy of Wikipedia.
