Spanel Planetarium

Pinky in Space

George Nelson

That's WWU's own Dr. George Nelson (Pinky) in the shuttle bay, the one on the left. He and Jim van Hoften are seen here repairing the Solar Max satellite during mission STS 41C, April, 1984.

STS-41C Challenger (April 6-13, 1984) was a seven day mission during which the crew successfully deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF); retrieved the ailing Solar Maximum Satellite, repaired it on-board the Orbiter, and replaced it in orbit. The mission also included flight testing of Manned Maneuvering Units (MMUs) in two extravehicular activities (EVAs), and operation of the Cinema 360 and IMAX Camera Systems.

The full size photographic print of this image is 60" x 40" and is on display in Spanel Planetarium.



Pinky mission patches: Challenger STS-41C, Columbia STS-61C, Discovery STS-26