STS-51 Mission Patch

57th Space Shuttle Mission 17th Flight of Discovery Crew: Frank L. Culbertson, Jr., Commander William F. Readdy, Pilot James H. Newman, Mission Specialist Daniel W. Bursch, Mission Specialist Carl E. Walz, Mission SpecialistOne of two primary payloads, the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), was deployed. ACTS was boosted to geosynchronous orbit by an attached Transfer Orbit Stage booster, flown aboard the Shuttle for the first time.