‘A Heck of a Push’: 30 Years Since the Dramatic Rescue of Mission 51I (Part 2)

The sheer size of the 15,000-pound (6,800 kg) Leasat-3 satellite is illustrated in this view of James “Ox” van Hoften manhandling it into space on Mission 51I. Photo Credit: NASA

For Dick Covey, the instant that Space Shuttle Discovery broke the shackles of Earth on the cusp of daybreak on 27 August 1985 had [...]