October 5, 2021
Today in 1984, Space Shuttle Challenger launched on the eight-day STS-41G mission. On this mission, Kathryn D. Sullivan became the first U.S. woman to perform a spacewalk. The shuttle’s crew of seven was the largest ever to fly on a single spacecraft at that time. STS-41G completed 132 orbits of the Earth in 197.5 hours, before landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on Oct. 13.
The first American woman to complete a spacewalk, Kathy Sullivan, aboard the space shuttle. Credit – NASA