7.4K views · 555 reactions | This footage is from NASA’s STS-51-A space shuttle mission in 1984. During this mission, astronauts deployed two satellites—and remarkably, retrieved two others that had been stranded in the wrong orbit.  The satellite shown here is Westar 6, which was brought back to Earth, sold, and later re-launched in 1990—a rare and impressive feat in spaceflight history. | The Galactic Void | Facebook

This footage is from NASA’s STS-51-A space shuttle mission in 1984. During this mission, astronauts deployed two satellites—and remarkably, retrieved two others that had been stranded in the wrong orbit. 🚀 The satellite shown here is Westar 6, which was brought back to Earth, sold, and later re-launched in 1990—a rare and impressive feat in spaceflight history. | The Galactic Void

The event took place during the STS-51-A mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, which launched on November 8. This mission was unique because it was the first (and so far, only) spaceflight dedicated to retrieving and returning malfunctioning satellites from orbit. Gardner and fellow astronaut Joseph Allen flew untethered to recover two communication satellites: Palapa B2 and Westar 6. Due to rocket failure, the two satellites had failed to find their correct orbits, so NASA decided to send ast