Five astronauts launched aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia on January 9, 1990 at 7:35:00am (EST) for the STS-32 mission. The crew included David C. Brandenstein, commander; James D. Weatherbee, pilot; and mission specialists Marsha S. Ivins, G. David Low, and Bonnie J. Dunbar. Primary objectives of the mission were the deployment of the SYNCOM IV-F5 defense communications satellite and the retrieval of NASA?s Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF).
