SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER - STS - 41C CREW - COMMEMORATIVE ENVELOPE SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: CAPTAIN ROBERT "BOB" CRIPPEN, TERRY J. HART, GEORGE D. NELSON, LT. COLONEL DICK (FRANCIS R.) SCOBEE, JAMES D. A. VAN HOFTEN - HFSID 296016

SPACE SHUTTLE CHALLENGER: STS-41C MISSION
Commemorative Envelope signed by all five crew members: Crippen, Scobee, Nelson, van Hoften and Hart
Commemorative Envelope signed: "Bob Crippen", "Dick Scobee", "Terry J Hart", "Ox van Hoften", "George Nelson", 6½x3½. Envelope postmarked Kennedy Space Center, April 6, 1984. Space shuttle mission STS-41C, the eleventh orbital flight and the fifth of 10 flights by Challenger, was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on April 6, 1984 and landed at Edwards Air Force Base on April 11, one day later than its scheduled return to Kennedy. This mission deployed a Long Duration Exposure Facility and captured, repaired and r-deployed the "Solar Max" satellite (first launched in 1980). The mission Commander was ROBERT CRIPPEN (b. 1937), the pilot of the shuttle's first orbital test flight (STS-1), would go into space three more times during 1983 and 1984. After leaving NASA, he became President of Thiokol, which makes rocket engines. FRANCIS RICHARD SCOBEE (1939-1986) wasthe pilot on this mission. His next flight was aboard the Space Shuttle 51-L mission, the ill-fated flight of the Challenger. Mission Specialist 1 GEORGE D. NELSON (b. 1950) would return to space on the orbiters Columbia (1986) and Discovery (1988). He has since returned to academia, focused on improving science education. Mission Specialist 2 James "OX" van HOFTEN (b. 1944), naval veteran of 60 combat missions in Vietnam, was making the first of his two shuttle flights, the second coming aboard Discovery in 1985. He left NASA for the Bechtel Company in 1986. Mission Specialist 3 TERRY D. HART (b. 1946), an Air Force pilot, Hart served as Ascent and Orbit CAPCOM with the Mission Control Team for STS-1, STS-2, STS-3 and STS-7 After this Challenger mission, and several engineering management positions, he returned to his alma mater, Lehigh University, to teach aerospace engineering. Challenger disintegrated shortly after take-off on what would have been its tenth flight, with the loss of all seven crew members, on January 28, 1986. Fine condition.