STS-53
From The Space Library
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| Organization | NASA-Office of Space Flight (United States),Department of Defense-Department of the Air Force (United States) |
|---|---|
| Mission type | Earth Science,Human Crew |
| Launch date | December 2, 1992 |
| Launch vehicle | Space Shuttle |
| Launch site | Cape Canaveral, United States |
| COSPAR ID | 1992-086A |
| Inclination | 57 degrees |
| Experiments | Here |
| Alternate Names | STS 53/DoD 1,STS/DoD 1,22259 |
| Additional Information | Here |
| PDMP Information | Here |
| Telecommunications Information | Here |
| Data Collection | Here |
| Payload Mass Up | 11868 kg |
| Payload Mass Down | 2341.36 kg |
| Orbiter | Discovery |
| Lift Off Mass | 2,048,473.64 kg |
| Orbiter Weight at Liftoff | 110,887.27 kg |
| Orbiter Weight at Landing | 87,825.00 kg |
| Landed | Concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. |
| Orbits of Earth | 116 |
| Orbital Altitude | 200 nautical miles (230 statute miles) |
Contents |
Crew
- Commander: David M. Walker
- Pilot: Robert D. Cabana
- Payload Commander:
- Mission Specialist 1: Guion S. Bluford
- Mission Specialist 2: James S. Voss
- Mission Specialist 3: Michael Richard "Rich" V. Clifford
- Mission Specialist 4:
- Mission Specialist 5:
- Payload Specialist 1:
- Payload Specialist 2:
ISS/Mir Crew Transport
Mission
The STS-53 Space Shuttle "Discovery" mission is a dedicated Department of Defense (DoD) mission and carried the DoD-1 classified payload. In addition, several non-classified DoD experiments were carried out. The Space Shuttle "Discovery" had been completely refurbished and modified. The secondary unclassified experiments include: (1) Shuttle Glow (GLO), to investigate Shuttle/space environment interactions; (2) Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (CRYOHP), a joint DoD and NASA Hitchhiker experiment to test advanced technology to regect excess heat generated by infrared sensors; (3) Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System (ODERACS), an experiment which will release 6 calibrated spheres into orbit in order to provide a source for fine-tuning ground-based radar facilities around the world; (4) Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST), an Army space project to demonstrate the use of spaceborne laser receivers to detect laser energy from ground test locations; (5) Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense System (CLOUDS), a meteorological experiment to quantify the variation in apparent cloud cover as a function of orbital view angle; (6) Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM), an experiment designed to collect cosmic ray energy loss spectra, neutron fluxes, and induced radioactivity; (7) Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Equipment (FARE), an experimen t to investigate the dynamics of fluid transfer in space; (8) Hand-held, earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User-friendly, Location-targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES), a Naval Research Lab (NRL) experiment to enable a Shuttle astrionaut to point a camera at an Earth feature, record the image and determine the latitude and longitude of the feature; (10) Microencapsulation In Space (MIS), designed to incresae the knowledge of microencapsulated drug technology; (11) Radiation Monitoring Equipment -III (RME-III), an instrument to measure the exposure to ionizing radiation on the Shuttle; (12) Space Tissue Loss (STL), to study the effects of space on fragile life systems; and (13) Visual Function Tester - Model II (VFT-2), a series of vision performance experiments in space.
EVA
Payload
Department of Defense (DOD)1; Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment Payload (GCP); Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST); Cloud Logic To Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS) 1A; Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM); Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Equipment (FARE); Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User-friendly, Location-targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES); Microencapsulation in Space (MIS)-1; Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME) III; Spare Tissue Loss (STL); Visual Function Tester (VFT)2; and Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System (ODERACS). The ODERACS payload was unable to be deployed because of payload equipment malfunction.
Mission patch: 
