View source for STS-8

{{Short description|1983 Space Shuttle Challenger mission}}
{{good article}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2022}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2022}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = STS-8
| names_list         = [[Space Transportation System]]-8
| image              = View of the INSAT-1B PAM-D being deployed S08-49-1722.jpg
| image_caption      = [[INSAT-1B]] is deployed from {{OV|099}}
| mission_type       = [[Communications satellite]] deployment
| operator           = [[NASA]]
| mission_duration   = {{time interval|August 30, 1983, 06:32:00|September 5, 1983, 07:40:43|show=dhms|sep=,}}
| distance_travelled = {{cvt|4046660|km}}
| orbits_completed   = 98
| spacecraft         = {{OV|099}}
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|110108|kg}}
| landing_mass       = {{cvt|92508|kg}}
| payload_mass       = {{cvt|12011|kg}}
| crew_size          = 5
| crew_members       = {{Unbulleted list|[[Richard Truly]]|[[Daniel Brandenstein]]|[[Guion Bluford]]|[[Dale Gardner]]|[[William E. Thornton]]}}
| launch_date        = {{Start date text|August 30, 1983, 06:32:00|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (2:32{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]])
| launch_site        = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|LC-39A]]
| launch_contractor  = [[Rockwell International]]
| landing_date       = {{End date text|September 5, 1983, 07:40:43|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}UTC (12:40:43{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Pacific Daylight Time|PDT]])
| landing_site       = [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards]], Runway{{nbsp}}22
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|348|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|356|km}}
| orbit_inclination  = 28.51°
| orbit_period       = 90.60 minutes
| apsis              = gee
| instruments        = {{ubl|Evaluation of Oxygen Interaction with Materials|High Capacity Heat Pipe Demonstration}}
| insignia           = STS-8 patch.svg
| insignia_caption   = STS-8 mission patch
| crew_photo         = STS-8 crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = From left: [[Daniel Brandenstein|Brandenstein]], [[Dale Gardner|Gardner]], [[Richard Truly|Truly]], [[William E. Thornton|Thornton]] and [[Guion Bluford|Bluford]].
| programme          = [[Space Shuttle program]]
| previous_mission   = [[STS-7]]
| next_mission       = [[STS-9]]
}}

'''STS-8''' was the eighth [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle]] mission and the third flight of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']]. It launched on August 30, 1983, and landed on September 5, 1983, conducting the first night launch and night landing of the [[Space Shuttle program]]. It also carried the first [[African-American]] astronaut to go into space, [[Guion Bluford]]. The mission successfully achieved all of its planned research objectives, but was marred by the subsequent discovery that a [[Solid rocket booster|solid-fuel rocket booster]] had almost malfunctioned catastrophically during the launch.

The mission's primary payload was [[INSAT-1B]], an [[India]]n [[communication satellite|communications]] and [[weather satellite|weather observation]] satellite, which was released by the orbiter and boosted into a [[geostationary orbit]]. The secondary payload, replacing a delayed NASA communications satellite, was a four-metric-ton dummy payload, intended to test the use of the shuttle's [[Canadarm]] (remote manipulator system). Scientific experiments carried on board ''Challenger'' included the environmental testing of new hardware and materials designed for future spacecraft, the study of biological materials in electric fields under [[Micro-g environment|microgravity]], and research into [[space adaptation syndrome]] (also known as "space sickness"). The flight furthermore served as shakedown testing for the previously launched [[TDRS-1]] satellite, which would be required to support the subsequent [[STS-9]] mission.

== Crew ==
{{Spaceflight crew
| terminology = Astronaut
| position1   = Commander
| crew1_up    = [[Richard H. Truly]]
| flights1_up = Second and last
| position2   = Pilot
| crew2_up    = [[Daniel Brandenstein]]
| flights2_up = First
| position3   = Mission Specialist 1
| crew3_up    = [[Guion Bluford]]
| flights3_up = First
| position4   = Mission Specialist 2<br>Flight Engineer
| crew4_up    = [[Dale Gardner]]
| flights4_up = First
| position5   = Mission Specialist 3
| crew5_up    = [[William E. Thornton]]
| flights5_up = First
}}

This mission had a crew of five, with three [[mission specialists]]. It was the second mission (after [[STS-7]]) to fly with a crew of five, the largest carried by a single spacecraft up to that date.<ref name=j271>Jenkins, p. 271</ref> The crew was historically notable for the participation of [[Guion Bluford]], who became the first African-American to fly in space.<ref>Jenkins, p. 271. An African-American test pilot, [[Robert Henry Lawrence Jr.]], had been selected for the [[United States Air Force|U.S. Air Force]] [[Manned Orbiting Laboratory]] (MOL) program in 1967, but was killed in a flying accident a few months later. The Manned Orbiting Laboratory program was canceled in June 1969, and most of its surviving astronauts transferred to NASA. Outside the United States, [[Arnaldo Tamayo Méndez]] was a [[Cuba]]n Air Force officer who flew on the [[Soyuz 38]] mission in 1980 as part of the [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] [[Interkosmos]] program, and became the first person of African descent in space.</ref>

The commander, Truly, was the only veteran astronaut of the crew, having flown as the pilot on [[STS-2]] in 1981 and for two of the [[Approach and Landing Tests]] (ALT) aboard [[Space Shuttle Enterprise|''Enterprise'']] in 1977. Prior to this, he had worked as a [[Flight controller|capsule communicator]] (CAPCOM) for all three [[Skylab]] missions and the [[Apollo–Soyuz|ASTP]] mission.{{sfn|STS-8 Press Kit|1983|p=47}} Brandenstein, Gardner and Bluford had all been recruited in 1978, and been training for a mission since 1979.<ref>Press kit, pp. 48–50 {{PD-notice}}</ref> The mission had originally been planned for a crew of four, with Thornton added to the crew as a third mission specialist in December 1982, eight months after the crew was originally named.<ref name="Evans, p. 76">Evans, p. 76</ref> As with Truly, he was an [[Apollo program|Apollo]]-era recruit, having joined NASA in 1967.<ref>Press kit, p. 51 {{PD-notice}}</ref> His participation on the mission included a series of tests aimed at gathering information on the physiological changes linked with [[Space Adaptation Syndrome]], more commonly known as "space sickness"; this had become a focus of attention in NASA, as astronauts succumbed to it during Shuttle missions.<ref name="Evans, p. 76" />

The orbiter carried two [[Extravehicular Mobility Unit]] (EMUs) for use in case of an [[Extravehicular activity|emergency spacewalk]]; if needed, they would be used by Truly and Gardner.{{sfn|''STS-8 Press Information''|1983|p=61}}

=== Crew seat assignments ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Seat<ref>{{cite web|title=STS-8|url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-8.htm|publisher=Spacefacts|access-date=July 29, 2024}}</ref>
! Launch
! Landing
|rowspan=8| [[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg|150px]]<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
|-
! 1
|colspan=2| Truly
|-
! 2
|colspan=2| Brandenstein
|-
! 3
|colspan=2| Bluford
|-
! 4
|colspan=2| Gardner
|-
! 5
|colspan=2| Thornton
|-
! 6
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|-
! 7
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|}

== Mission plan and payloads ==
[[File:Insat-1B.jpg|thumb|left|INSAT-1B being prepared in a processing facility.]]

An early plan for STS-8, released in April 1982, had scheduled it for July 1983. It was expected to be a three-day mission with four crew members, and would launch [[INSAT-1B]], an Indian satellite, and [[TDRS-B]], a NASA communications relay satellite.<ref name="news 82-46">{{cite press release|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/19820014425.pdf|hdl=2060/19820014425|title=Space Shuttle payload flight manifest / News Release 82-46|date=April 14, 1982|publisher=NASA |last1=McCormack |first1= Dick |last2=Hess |first2=Mark |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412163838/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19820014425 |archive-date=April 12, 2022 |url-status=live }} {{PD-notice}}</ref> However, following problems with the [[Inertial Upper Stage]] (IUS) used to deploy TDRS-A on the [[STS-6]] mission, it was announced in May 1983 that the TDRS was not going to be flown. It was replaced in the manifest<ref>The term "[[wikt:manifest#Noun|manifest]]" is used by NASA to indicate both the overall program schedule and the individual payloads and experiments planned for a single flight. {{PD-notice}}</ref> by the Payload Flight Test Article.{{sfn|''STS-8 Press Information''|1983|p=i}} After re-development of the IUS, TDRS-B was eventually re-manifested for the [[STS-51-L]] mission, and was lost along with the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' and its crew when the launch failed in January 1986.<ref>Jenkins, p. 287</ref>

The primary element of the STS-8 mission payload was INSAT-1B. It was the second in a series of multi-purpose weather and communications satellites to be operated by the [[Indian Space Research Organisation]] (ISRO); the first, [[INSAT-1A]], had been launched by a [[Delta (rocket family)|Delta launch vehicle]] in April 1982, but had to be shut down shortly afterwards due to a failure of the onboard
[[reaction control system]] (RCS). The satellite was carried in the rear of the shuttle's payload bay, and was boosted into a [[Geostationary transfer orbit]] (GTO) by a [[Payload Assist Module]] (PAM-D), a small [[solid rocket]] [[upper stage]], after its release from the orbiter.<ref>Press kit, p. 34 {{PD-notice}}</ref> The satellite, with its upper stage, massed a total of {{cvt|3377|kg|lb|abbr=on}}, with the cradle massing another {{cvt|1102|kg}},<ref>Press kit, p. 31 {{PD-notice}}</ref> and had cost around US$50 million.<ref name="Evans, p. 83">Evans, p. 83</ref>

[[File:Payload Flight Test Article (STS 8).png|thumb|left|Technical diagram of the Payload Flight Test Article (PFTA)]]

The Payload Flight Test Article (PFTA) had been scheduled for launch in June 1984 on STS-16 in the April 1982 manifest,<ref name="news 82-46" /> but by May 1983 it had been brought forward to STS-11. That month, when the TDRS missions were delayed, it was brought forward to STS-8 to fill the hole in the manifest.{{sfn|''STS-8 Press Information''|1983|p=i}} It was an [[Aluminium|aluminum]] structure resembling two wheels with a {{cvt|6|m}} long central axle, ballasted with [[lead]] to give it a total mass of {{cvt|3855|kg}}, which could be lifted by the [[Canadarm|"Canadarm" Remote Manipulator System]] – the Shuttle's "robot arm" – and moved around to help astronauts gain experience in using the system. It was stored in the midsection of the payload bay.<ref>Press kit, p. 32 {{PD-notice}}</ref>

The orbiter carried the Development Flight Instrumentation (DFI) pallet in its forward payload bay; this had previously flown on ''[[Space Shuttle Columbia|Columbia]]'' to carry test equipment. The pallet was not outfitted with any flight instrumentation, but was used to mount two experiments. The first studied the interaction of [[Allotropes of oxygen|ambient atomic oxygen]] with the structural materials of the orbiter and payload, while the second tested the performance of a heat pipe designed for use in the heat rejection systems of future spacecraft.<ref>Press kit, pp. 38–39. The first experiment was formally designated "Evaluation of Oxygen Interaction with Materials" (DSO-0301) while the second was the High Capacity Heat Pipe Demonstration (DSO-0101) {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Four [[Getaway Special]] (GAS) payloads were carried. One studied the effects of [[cosmic ray]]s on electronic equipment. The second studied the effect of the gas environment around the orbiter using [[ultraviolet]] absorption measurements, as a precursor to ultraviolet equipment being designed for [[STS-51-F|Spacelab 2]]. A third, sponsored by the [[Japan]]ese ''[[Asahi Shimbun]]'' newspaper, tried to use [[water vapor]] in two tanks to create [[snow crystal]]s. This was a second attempt at an experiment first flown on [[STS-6]], which had had to be redesigned after the water in the tanks froze solid. The last was similar to an experiment flown on [[STS-3]], and studied the ambient levels of [[Allotropes of oxygen|atomic oxygen]] by measuring the rates at which small [[carbon]] and [[osmium]] wafers [[redox|oxidized]].<ref>Press kit, pp. 40–41. In order, these were designated the Cosmic Ray Upset Experiment (CRUX) (G-0346); the Ultraviolet-Sensitive Photographic Emulsion Experiment (G-0347); the Japanese snow crystal experiment (G-0475), and the Contamination Monitor Package (G-0348). {{PD-notice}}</ref>

The mission, in cooperation with the [[United States Postal Service]] (USPS), also carried 260,000 [[cover (philately)|postal covers]] franked with US$9.35 express [[postage stamp]]s, which were to be sold to collectors, with the profits divided between the USPS and NASA. Two storage boxes were attached to the DFI pallet, with more stored in six of the Getaway Special canisters.<ref>Press kit, p. 37 {{PD-notice}}</ref>

A number of other experiments were to be performed inside the orbiter crew compartment. Among these was the Continuous Flow [[Electrophoresis]] System, being flown for the fourth time. This separated solutions of biological materials by passing electric fields through them; the experiment aimed at supporting research into [[diabetes]] treatments.<ref>Press kit, p. 38 {{PD-notice}}</ref> A small animal cage was flown containing six [[rat]]s; no animal experiment was carried out on the flight, but a student involvement project was planned for a later mission which would use the cage, and NASA wanted to ensure it was flight-tested.<ref name="Press kit, p. 39">Press kit, p. 39 {{PD-notice}}</ref> The student involvement project carried out on STS-8 involved [[William E. Thornton]] using [[biofeedback]] techniques, to try to determine if they worked in [[Micro-g environment|microgravity]].<ref name="Press kit, p. 39" /> A photography experiment would attempt to study the spectrum of a luminous atmospheric glow which had been reported around the orbiter, and determine how this interacted with firings of the reaction control system (RCS).<ref>''STS-9 Press Information'', p. 60. This was formally designated as "Investigation of STS Atmospheric Luminosities". {{PD-notice}}</ref>

The mission was also scheduled to carry out a series of tests with the TDRS-1 satellite which had been deployed by [[STS-6]], to ensure the system was fully operational before it was used to support the [[STS-9|Spacelab program]] on the upcoming [[STS-9]] flight.<ref>Press kit, p. 42 {{PD-notice}}</ref> The orbiter furthermore carried equipment to allow for encrypted transmissions, to be tested for use in future classified missions.<ref name="ReferenceA">''Major NASA satellite missions'', p. 34 {{PD-notice}}</ref>

=== Support crew ===
* [[John E. Blaha]]
* [[Mary L. Cleave]]
* [[William Frederick Fisher|William F. Fisher]]
* [[Jeffrey A. Hoffman]]
* [[Bryan D. O'Connor]] (ascent CAPCOM)

== Mission summary ==
=== Launch preparations ===
[[File:shuttle-challenger.jpg|thumb|[[Space Shuttle Challenger|''Challenger'']]'s rollout from the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) to the Vehicle Assembly Building (VAB) to be stacked for launch.]]

Preparation for the mission began on June 3, 1983, with the assembly of the shuttle's [[solid rocket boosters]] (SRB) on the [[Mobile Launcher Platform]]. The boosters were stacked on June 20, 1983, and the [[external tank]] (ET) mated to the assembly on June 23, 1983. ''Challenger'' arrived at [[Kennedy Space Center]] on June 29, 1983, and was transferred to the [[Orbiter Processing Facility]] on June 30, 1983. After post-flight maintenance and preparation for the new mission, including the installation of most flight payloads, the shuttle was transferred to the [[Vehicle Assembly Building]] on July 27, 1983, and mated to the booster/tank stack. The stack was checked out on July 29 and 30, 1983, and moved to [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|Launch Complex 39A]] on August 2, 1983.<ref>Press kit, p. 11; ''Shuttle flight data'', p. 1-270 {{PD-notice}}</ref> INSAT-1B was loaded into the orbiter when on the pad; the overall processing time from ''Challenger'' arriving at KSC to being ready for launch was only sixty-two days, a record for the program at the time.<ref>Evans, p. 75</ref>

The launch had originally been scheduled for on August 4, 1983, and was later rescheduled for on August 20, 1983.<ref>Jenkins, p. 266. Some sources give an originally planned date of August 14, 1983.</ref> The requirement to conduct testing with the [[Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System]] (TDRSS) required a delay of ten days for the system to be ready, during which the stack remained on the launch pad.<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', p. 1-330 {{PD-notice}}</ref> During the on-pad delay, [[Hurricane Barry (1983)]] hit the [[Florida]] coastline, making landfall just south of the Kennedy Space Center on the morning of August 25, 1983. The storm had only been identified two days earlier, and there was no time to roll ''Challenger'' back from the pad; the decision was made to secure the launch stack and ride out the storm.<ref name="News5">{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1345&dat=19830825&id=PbQSAAAAIBAJ&sjid=n_kDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6226,1947815|title=Shuttle nestled away from the storm|access-date=July 7, 2009|newspaper=Spokane Chronicle|date=August 25, 1983}}</ref>

=== Launch ===
[[File:Electrical Storm - GPN-2000-001879.jpg|thumb|A [[lightning]] strike near the orbiter stack, some hours before launch.]]

''Challenger'' finally launched at 06:32:00 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (02:32:00 [[Eastern Time Zone|EDT]]) on August 30, 1983,<ref name="Jenkins, p. 266">Jenkins, p. 266</ref> after a final 17-minute delay due to [[thunderstorm]]s near the launch site.<ref name=p84>''STS-9 Press Information'', p. 84 {{PD-notice}}</ref> The launch window extended from 06:15 to 06:49.<ref name=p5>Press kit, p. 5 {{PD-notice}}</ref> The countdown to launch was called by Mark Hess, public information officer.

The launch, which occurred in pre-dawn darkness, was the first American night launch since [[Apollo 17]],<ref name="Shayler, p. 136">Shayler, p. 136</ref> and was watched by several thousand spectators. The unusual launching time was due to tracking requirements for the primary payload, INSAT-1B;<ref name=j271 /> the program would not have another night launch until [[STS-61-B]] in 1985.<ref>Jenkins, p. 275</ref> The crew had attempted to prepare for it by training in darkened simulators so as to keep their [[night vision]], but in practice it was discovered that the light of the solid-fuel rocket boosters made the immediate area around the launchpad virtually as bright as a day launch.<ref>Evans, p. 80</ref>

The launch was the first to use a newly developed high-performance motor for the solid rocket boosters, which gave approximately 7% greater thrust. Post-flight analysis later showed there was nearly a burn-through of the rocket casing, a significant problem that later [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|doomed the 51-L mission]] (see "Post-flight safety analysis" section below for more). This launch was also the second-to-last to use the original standard-mass steel casings for the boosters. These had been replaced by a thinner case, saving some {{cvt|1800|kg}}, on [[STS-6]] and [[STS-7]], but because of safety concerns the next two flights used the conventional cases.<ref>Jenkins, p. 425</ref>

=== Orbital operations ===
[[File:STS008-44-611.jpg|thumb|INSAT-1B after deployment]]

After a successful insertion into a circular orbit at {{cvt|296|km}}, the first experiments began; the first two samples were run through the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System, and measurements were taken for the atmospheric luminosities study. A hydraulic circulation pump failed, but this was worked around and it proved to have no impact on operations.<ref name=p84 />

The major event of the second day (August 31, 1983) was the successful deployment of the INSAT-1B satellite, which took place at 07:48 UTC, with ''Challenger'' then maneuvering to avoid the firing of the booster motor forty minutes later.<ref name=e85>Evans, p. 85</ref> Other experimentation continued, though telemetry through TDRS was lost for around three hours, requiring manual intervention.<ref>''STS-9 press information'', pp. 84–85</ref> A fire alarm sounded in the morning, indicating signs of a fire in the [[avionics]] compartment, but a second alarm remained silent and it was eventually determined to be a false alarm.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://digitalnewspapers.libraries.psu.edu/Default/Skins/BasicArch/Client.asp?Skin=BasicArch&&AppName=2&enter=true&BaseHref=DCG/1983/09/01&EntityId=Ar00600|title=Shuttle launches satellite despite 'fire'|last=Rosenthal|first=Harry F.|date=September 1, 1983|agency=Associated Press|access-date=July 31, 2009}}</ref>

On the third and fourth days (September 1 and 2, 1983), work began with the [[Canadarm]] Remote Manipulator System and the payload test article, and communications testing through TDRS continued. The former was successful, but the latter lost contact on a number of occasions, due to problems at the [[White Sands Test Facility|White Sands]] [[ground station]].<ref name=p85>''STS-9 press information'', p. 85 {{PD-notice}}</ref> As a result, the crew had to be awakened early on September 1, 1983, in order to deal with the problem.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dgIMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jFkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5700,21794&dq=challenger|title=Challenger tests its robot arm successfully|last=Benedict|first=Howard|date=September 1, 1983|agency=Associated Press|access-date=July 31, 2009}}</ref> A minor cabin pressure leak on September 2, 1983, was traced to the waste management system, and quickly controlled.<ref name=p85 /> The orbiter performed an [[Orbital Maneuvering System]] (OMS) firing on September 2, 1983, to place itself in a lower orbit, where the air density was higher and the oxygen interaction experiments would work more effectively.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dwIMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jFkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=3749,237641&dq=challenger|title=Challenger crew conducts various scientific experiments|last=Benedict|first=Howard|date=September 2, 1983|agency=Associated Press|access-date=July 31, 2009}}</ref>

On the fifth day (September 3, 1983), testing of the Canadarm continued, including a number of optional "shopping list" tests, and the TDRS tests were carried out with more success.<ref name=p85 /> A live press conference was held late in the day, the first in-flight press conference since [[Apollo 17]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=eAIMAAAAIBAJ&sjid=jFkDAAAAIBAJ&pg=6964,664139&dq=challenger|title=Challenger just humming along|last=Benedict|first=Howard|date=September 3, 1983|agency=Associated Press|access-date=July 31, 2009}}</ref> On the sixth day (September 4, 1983), experiment runs were completed and the crew prepared to deorbit. Two systems failures were recorded on this last day, the most serious of which involved a synchronization failure in one of the onboard computers.<ref name=p85 />

While on orbit, ''Challenger'' made a number of altitude and [[Spacecraft attitude control|attitude]] adjustments, in order to test the behavior of a Shuttle orbiter and to perform some experiments in different thermal conditions. By exposing or shading areas from the sun in an unusual way, it was possible to induce particularly warm or cold conditions and observe any resulting problems.<ref>Evans, p. 90</ref>

=== Landing ===
The mission plan called for a landing at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]], at 121:28 [[mission elapsed time]] (MET).<ref>Press kit, p. 14 {{PD-notice}}</ref> On the original plan, this would have been at 07:44 [[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] on September 4, 1983, before accounting for the last-minute launch delay;<ref name=p5 /> in the event, this was put back by one day to allow for further communications testing, and ''Challenger'' touched down at 07:40:33 UTC (00:40:33 [[Pacific Time Zone|PDT]]), September 5, 1983, on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, on the morning of the seventh day of the mission.<ref name="Jenkins, p. 266" /> As with the launch, this was the first night landing of the program. The Shuttle orbiters had no on-board lights, due to the difficulty of designing [[landing lights]] to survive re-entry,<ref name="ReferenceA" /> and so the runway was lit by high-intensity [[xenon arc lamps]] to guide the orbiter in.<ref name=p5 /> There was no pressing operational requirement for a night landing, but there was a desire to prove it was possible.<ref name=j271 /> Footage of the landing was shown in the 1986 film ''[[SpaceCamp]]''.

== Post-flight safety analysis ==
The launch was carried out with no obvious anomalies, but on September 27, 1983, during post-flight inspection of the solid rocket boosters, severe corrosion was discovered in the left-hand booster. The three-{{cvt|8|cm}}-thick resin lining protecting the rocket nozzle, which was designed to erode about half its thickness during firing, was found to have burned down to as little as {{cvt|0.5|cm}} in places. By some estimations, this left around 14 seconds of firing time before the nozzle would have ruptured, a situation which would have resulted in loss of control and the probable break-up of the spacecraft. It was later determined that this fault was due to the particular batch of resin used on this set of boosters.<ref name="Shayler, p. 136" /> The burn-through problem was treated as a small mishap by the media, and did not receive significant interest until after the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|''Challenger'' disaster]] in 1986;<ref name="Shayler, p. 136" /> the only major contemporary public criticism came from NASA's [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] counterparts.<ref>Shayler, p. 166</ref> As a result of this incident, the flight of STS-9 was delayed for a month while the nozzles of its boosters were changed.<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', p. 1-331</ref>

Post-flight inspection of the [[thermal protection system]] tiles found seven major debris impacts and forty-nine minor impacts, of which three and twenty-six respectively were on the orbiter's underside.<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', p. 1-220. "Major" is defined as a divot over one{{cvt|2.5|cm}} in diameter.</ref> This was the lowest incidence of major tile damage until at least [[STS-74]],<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', pp. 1–220 to 1–222 {{PD-notice}}</ref> and compares very favorably with the program average of twenty-three major impacts to the underside.<ref>''Columbia Accident Investigation Board Report'', vol. I, p. 122</ref> It was the first Shuttle flight with no significant problems reported for the thermal protection system.<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', p. 1-227 {{PD-notice}}</ref> Three windows were removed from the orbiter due to pitting and hazing.<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', p. 1-232 {{PD-notice}}</ref>

A total of thirty-three in-flight anomalies were eventually reported.<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', p. 2-3 {{PD-notice}}</ref> As well as the issues above, STS-8's more minor problems ranged from faulty [[thermostats]]<ref>''Shuttle flight data'', p. 2-24</ref> to an unusually high amount of dust in the cabin.<ref>Evans, p. 91</ref>

== Scientific results ==
[[File:Bluford on Treadmill - GPN-2000-001078.jpg|thumb|[[Guion Bluford]] exercising on a mid-deck treadmill while in orbit.]]

Overall, the crew successfully completed all fifty-four of the planned mission test objectives.<ref>''STS-9 press information'', p. 84 {{PD-notice}}</ref> While the INSAT deployment was a success, the satellite had problems unfolding its solar array once in geostationary orbit, and was not fully operational until the middle of September 1983. Once functional, however, it provided satisfactory service for seven years, returning 36,000 images of Earth and broadcasting television to thousands of remote Indian villages.<ref name=e85 /> The Payload Flight Test Article evaluation found that the Canadarm remote manipulator system was capable of moving bulky masses with some accuracy, to a precision of {{cvt|5|cm}} and 1° of alignment.<ref name=e88>Evans, p. 88</ref>

The TDRS-1 program was overall less successful, with the satellite suffering several computer failures and an overall loss of telemetry for several hours. In all, the orbiter was able to use the satellite for 65 of the planned 89 orbits, and could make successful use of the connection on about forty.<ref name=e88 /> The Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System equipment functioned as planned, processing several hundred times more material than would have been possible on Earth,<ref>Evans, p. 86</ref> and the ''Asahi Shimbun'' crystal experiment, flown for the second time, was able to produce [[snow]] crystals after the canister was redesigned.<ref name=e88 />

Thornton's research into [[space adaptation sickness]] noted that the STS-8 astronauts had escaped severe cases, with none suffering loss of [[motor control]];<ref name=e78>Evans, p. 78</ref> Gardner suffered a "mild case", but was still able to manage effectively,<ref>Evans, p. 77</ref> while Brandenstein – who had suffered from induced motion sickness during training operations – was entirely unaffected.<ref name="Evans, p. 83" /> The symptoms were found to abate within three days of launch.<ref name=e78 />

== Wake-up calls ==
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during [[Project Gemini]], and first used music to wake up a flight crew during [[Apollo 15]]. Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.<ref name="chronology">{{cite news|first=Colin|last=Fries|title=Chronology of Wakeup Calls|date=June 25, 2007|publisher=NASA|url=https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf|access-date=August 13, 2007|archive-date=December 20, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231220093919/https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-09-01 |title=40 Years Ago: STS-8, the First African American in Space, and the First Space Shuttle Night Launch and Landing – NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/history/40-years-ago-sts-8-the-first-african-american-in-space-and-the-first-space-shuttle-night-launch-and-landing/ |access-date=2024-02-15 |language=en-US}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Flight day
! Song
! Artist/Composer
! Played for
|-
| Day 2
| "[[Georgia Tech Fight Song]]"
|
| [[Richard H. Truly]]
|-
| Day 3
| "[[Illinois Fight Song]]"
|
| [[Dale Gardner]]
|-
| Day 4
| "[[Penn State Fight Song]]"
|
| [[Guion Bluford]]
|-
| Day 5
| "[[University of North Carolina]] Fight Song"
|
| [[William E. Thornton]]
|-
| Day 6
| "Tala Sawari"
| [[Ravi Shankar]]
| [[INSAT]]
|-
| Day 7
| "[[Semper Fidelis (march)|Semper Fidelis]]"
| [[John Philip Sousa]]
|
|}

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book|last=Shayler|first=David J.|title=Disasters and accidents in manned spaceflight|publisher=Springer-Praxis|year=2000|isbn=1-85233-225-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ng9i5IMtlpsC}}
* {{cite book|last=Jenkins|first=Dennis R.|title=Space Shuttle – the history of the national space transportation system: the first 100 missions|publisher=Midland|year=2001|isbn=1-85780-116-4|edition=3rd}}
* {{cite book|title=Space Shuttle Challenger: ten journeys into the unknown|year=2007|publisher=Springer|last=Evans|first=Ben|isbn=978-0-387-46355-1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=MQjCF8Cc7HoC}}
* {{cite book|hdl=2060/19960047214|title=Shuttle flight data and in-flight anomaly list – STS-1 through STS-71, STS-73 and STS-74 (5th revision)|date=April 1996|publisher=NASA}}
* {{cite book|title=STS-8 Press Information|date=August 1983|publisher=Rockwell International|url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/shuttle_pk/mrk/FLIGHT_008_STS-008_MRK.pdf|ref={{harvid|STS-8 Press Information|1983}}}} {{PD-notice}}
* {{cite book |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/shuttle_pk/mrk/FLIGHT_009_STS-009_MRK.pdf |title=STS-9 press information |date=November 1983 |publisher=Rockwell International}} {{PD-notice}}
* {{cite book|url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/shuttle_pk/pk/Flight_008_STS-008_Press_Kit.pdf|title=Space Shuttle Mission STS-8 Press Kit|date=January 2001|orig-date=August 1983|publisher=NASA|editor=Orloff, Richard W.|ref={{harvid|STS-8 Press Kit|1983}}}} {{PD-notice}}
* {{cite book |hdl=2060/19920075896 |title=Major NASA satellite missions and key participants: volume III |year=1983 |volume=III |publisher=NASA}}

== External links ==
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-8/mission-sts-8.html STS-8 info] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080616074730/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-8/mission-sts-8.html |date=June 16, 2008 }} NASA Kennedy Space Center
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle08.htm STS-8 video highlights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023043440/http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle08.htm |date=October 23, 2008 }} NSS

{{Space Shuttle Challenger}}
{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions}}
{{Orbital launches in 1983}}

[[Category:Space Shuttle missions]]
[[Category:Edwards Air Force Base]]
[[Category:1983 in spaceflight]]
[[Category:1983 in the United States]]
[[Category:1983 in science]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1983]]
[[Category:Spacecraft which reentered in 1983]]