STS-53
 Launch of Discovery; in-flight photography of this Department of Defense support mission is limited | |
| Mission type | Satellite deployment |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1992-086A |
| SATCAT no. | 22259 |
| Mission duration | 7 days, 07 hours, 19 minutes, 17 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 4,800,000 kilometres (3,000,000 mi) approx. |
| Orbits completed | 116 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Landing mass | 87,565 kilograms (193,048 lb) |
| Payload mass | 11,860 kilograms (26,150 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 December 1992, 13:24:00 UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 9 December 1992, 20:43:17 UTC |
| Landing site | Edwards Runway 22 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee altitude | 365 kilometres (227 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 376 kilometres (234 mi) |
| Inclination | 57.0 degrees |
| Period | 92.0 min |
 Left to right - Front: Bluford, Voss; Back: Walker, Cabana, Clifford | |
STS-53 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission in support of the United States Department of Defense. The mission was launched on 2 December 1992 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
Crew
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | David M. Walker Third spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Robert D. Cabana Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Guion S. Bluford Fourth and last spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 | Michael R. Clifford First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | James S. Voss Second spaceflight | |
Mission highlights
Discovery carried a classified primary payload for the United States Department of Defense, two unclassified secondary payloads and nine unclassified middeck experiments.
Discovery's primary payload, USA-89 NSSDC ID 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 military communications satellite, after USA-40 on STS-28 and STS-38's deployment of USA-67.
Secondary payloads contained in or attached to Get Away Special (GAS) hardware in the cargo bay included the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) and the combined Shuttle Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP).
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).
Mission insignia
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.
See also
- List of human spaceflights
- List of Space Shuttle missions
- Nikon NASA F4
- Outline of space science
- Space Shuttle
External links
This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Space Shuttle Discovery (OV-103) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Completed flights | .jpg) | |
| Status |
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| On display | ||
| Related |
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