STS-53 was a NASA Space Shuttle Discovery mission in support of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). The mission was launched on December 2, 1992, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This was also the last mission to have been operated via MCR-2 in JSC. Afterwards the room was restored entirely to its Apollo era appearance.
Launch of Discovery for a Department of Defense (DoD) mission
| |
| Names | Space Transportation System-53 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Satellite deployment |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1992-086A  |
| SATCAT no. | 22259 |
| Mission duration | 7 days, 7 hours, 19 minutes, 17 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 4,800,000 km (3,000,000 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 116 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch mass | 110,655 kg (243,953 lb) |
| Landing mass | 87,565 kg (193,048 lb) |
| Payload mass | 11,860 kg (26,150 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members |
|
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | December 2, 1992, 13:24:00 UTC |
| Rocket | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | December 9, 1992, 20:43:17 UTC |
| Landing site | Edwards Air Force Base Runway 22 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 365 km (227 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 376 km (234 mi) |
| Inclination | 57.00° |
| Period | 92.00 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| |
 STS-53 mission patch  Back: Walker, Cabana, Clifford Front: Bluford, Voss
← STS-52
STS-54 →
| |
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | David M. Walker Third spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Robert D. Cabana Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Guion Bluford Fourth and last spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 | Michael R. Clifford First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | James S. Voss Second spaceflight | |
Discovery carried a classified primary payload (DOD-1) for the United States Department of Defense (DoD), two unclassified secondary payloads and nine unclassified middeck experiments.[1]
Discovery's primary payload, USA-89 (1992-086B) is also known as "DoD-1", and was the shuttle's last major payload for the Department of Defense. The satellite was the third launch of a Satellite Data System-2 (SDS 2-3) military communications satellite, after USA-40onSTS-28 and STS-38's deployment of USA-67.[1]
Secondary payloads contained in or attached to Get Away Special (GAS) hardware in the cargo bay included the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) satellites and the combined Shuttle Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP).[1]
Middeck experiments included Microcapsules in Space (MIS-l); Space Tissue Loss (STL); Visual Function Tester (VFT-2); Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM); Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME-III); Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE); Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User-friendly, Location-targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES); Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST); and the Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS).[1]
The five sides represent the Pentagon, the Department of Defense headquarters. The five stars and three stripes of the insignia symbolize the flight's numerical designation in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
