STS-59
From The Space Library
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| Organization | Agenzia Spaziale Italiana(Italy),Bundesministerium fuer Forschungund Tecnnologie (Federal Republic of Germany),NASA-Office of Space Science Applications (United States) |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth Science,Human Crew |
| Launch date | April 9, 1994 |
| Launch vehicle | Space Shuttle |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, United States |
| COSPAR ID | 1994-020A |
| Inclination | 57 degrees |
| Experiments | Here |
| Alternate Names | SRL 1/STS 59,Shuttle Radar Lab 1,Space Radar Lab 1,23042 |
| Additional Information | Here |
| PDMP Information | Here |
| Telecommunications Information | Here |
| Data Collection | Here |
| Payload Mass Up | 12490 kg |
| Payload Mass Down | 12516.36 kg |
| Orbiter | Endeavour |
| Lift Off Mass | 2,050,448.64 kg |
| Orbiter Weight at Liftoff | 112,079.55 kg |
| Orbiter Weight at Landing | 100,778.64 kg |
| Landed | Concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. |
| Orbits of Earth | 183 |
| Orbital Altitude | 120 nautical miles (138 statute miles) |
Contents |
Crew
- Commander: Sidney M. Gutierrez
- Pilot: Kevin P. Chilton
- Payload Commander: Linda M. Godwin
- Mission Specialist 1: Jay Apt
- Mission Specialist 2: Michael R. "Rich" Clifford
- Mission Specialist 3: Thomas D. Jones
- Mission Specialist 4:
- Mission Specialist 5:
- Payload Specialist 1:
- Payload Specialist 2:
ISS/Mir Crew Transport
Mission
The Space Radar Laboratory 1 (SRL 1) was the first in a series of flights of this payload which was designed to (1) acquire radar imagery of the Earth's surface for studies in geology, geography, hydrology, oceanography, agronomy, and botony; (2) gather data for future space-borne radar systems including Earth Observing System (EOS); and (3) provide measurements of the global distribution of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the troposphere. Instruments on board included the Shuttle Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) with multi-frequency (C- and L-Bands), multi-polarization (HH, VV, HV, VH), and multi-incidence angle (15 to 55 degrees) capabilities thus lending itself to a wide range of earth surface applications; the X-band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR), an X-band, VV-polarized imaging radar system, built by Dornier (Germany) and Alenia (Italy) for the German Space Agency (DARA)/German Aerospace Research Establishment (DLR) and the Italian Space Agency (ASI); and, the Mapping Air Pollution from Space (MAPS) for the study of global air pollution. Also, on-board the SRL, was an ocean wave spectra processor, designed and built by Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, which collected data on ocean surface wave length, direction, and height. Four 45-Mbps data channels were recorded on special high data rate tape recorders and real-time data was transmitted to ground stations. About 50 hours each of SIR-C and X-SAR data were recorded during the mission. The combined SIR-C/X-SAR Science Team was made up of 49 members and 3 associates representing 13 countries. SIR-C/X-SAR data collection was focused on several worldwide supersites and correlated with ground and aircraft measurements. Radar data was also calibrated to allow comparisons with other operating spaceborne radars (ERS-1 SAR, JERS-1 SAR).
EVA
Payload
Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) 1; Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload (CONCAP) IV; three getaway special (GAS) payloads; Space Tissue Loss (STL) A, B; Visual Function Tester (VFT) 4; Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) II
Mission patch: 
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