After a refurbishment period, shuttle Columbia returned to space with launch at 6:55 a.m. on January 12, 1986. The crew was led by commander Hoot Gibson, with pilot Charlie Bolden, mission specialists Franklin Chang-Diaz, Steve Hawley and George Nelson and payload specialists Robert Cenker and Bill Nelson, the first congressman to fly in space. The Satcom KU 1 commercial communications satellite was deployed.