Dr Scully-Power graduated from the University of Sydney, and headed the Oceanographic section of the Navy Research Laboratory. After working in Australia and the United States, Dr Scully-Power became a flight crew instructor for NASA. On board the space shuttle "Challenger" he was the first Australian and the first oceanographer in space in 1984.

• STS-41-G - - 1984 Oct 5 - Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight Time: 8.22 days. Flight details: STS-41-G.

  Manned seven crew. Deployed ERBS; performed high resolution Earth imagery. Payloads: Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) deployment, Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications (OSTA)-3 experiments, Large Format Camera (LFC). First use of Orbital Refueling System (ORS) with extravehicular activity (EVA) astronauts, IMAX camera. In response to the American Strategic Defence Initiative and continued military use of the shuttle, the Soviet Union fired a 'warning shot' from the Terra-3 laser complex at Sary Shagan. The facility tracked Challenger with a low power laser on 10 October 1984. This caused malfunctions to on-board equipment and discomfort / temporary blinding of the crew, leading to a US diplomatic protest.