STS-44

STS-44
	Atlantis deploys a DSP satellite
Mission type	Satellite deployment
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1991-080A
SATCAT no.	21795
Mission duration	6 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, 44 seconds
Distance travelled	4,651,112 kilometers (2,890,067 mi)
Orbits completed	110
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch mass	117,766 kilograms (259,630 lb)
Landing mass	87,919 kilograms (193,828 lb)
Payload mass	20,240 kilograms (44,620 lb)
Crew
Crew size	6
Members	Frederick D. Gregory; Terence T. Henricks; James S. Voss; F. Story Musgrave; Mario Runco, Jr.; Thomas J. Hennen
Start of mission
Launch date	24 November 1991, 23:44:00 UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39A
End of mission
Landing date	1 December 1991, 22:34:12 UTC
Landing site	Edwards Runway 5
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee altitude	363 kilometers (226 mi)
Apogee altitude	371 kilometers (231 mi)
Inclination	28.5 degrees
Period	91.9 minutes
	; Left to right - Seated: Hendricks, Gregory, Musgrave; Standing: Voss, Hennen, Runco Space Shuttle program ← STS-48 STS-42 →

STS-44 was a Space Shuttle mission using Atlantis that launched on 24 November 1991. It was a U.S. Department of Defense space mission.

Crew


Position	Astronaut
Commander	Frederick D. Gregory Third spaceflight
Pilot	Terence T. Henricks First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	James S. Voss First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	F. Story Musgrave Fourth spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Mario Runco, Jr. First spaceflight
Payload Specialist 1	Thomas J. Hennen First spaceflight

Backup crew


Position	Astronaut
Payload Specialist 1	Michael E. Belt First spaceflight

Crew seating arrangements

Seat^[1]	Launch	Landing	Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.
S1	Gregory	Gregory
S2	Henricks	Henricks
S3	Voss	Runco
S4	Musgrave	Musgrave
S5	Runco	Voss
S6	Hennen	Hennen

Mission highlights

The launch was on 24 November 1991 at 6:44:00 pm EST. A launch set for 19 November was delayed due to replacement and testing of a malfunctioning redundant inertial measurement unit on the Inertial Upper Stage booster attached to the Defense Support Program satellite. The launch was reset for 24 November and was delayed by 13 minutes to allow an orbiting spacecraft to pass and to allow external tank liquid oxygen replenishment after minor repairs to a valve in the liquid oxygen replenishment system in the mobile launcher platform. Launch weight was 117,766 kilograms (259,630 lb).

The mission was dedicated to the Department of Defense. The unclassified payload included a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), deployed on flight day one. Cargo bay and middeck payloads included the Interim Operational Contamination Monitor (IOCM), Terra Scout, Military Man in Space (M88-1), Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS), Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM), Shuttle Activation Monitor (SAM), Radiation Monitoring Equipment III (RME III), Visual Function Tester-1 (VFT-1), Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI), Bioreactor Flow, Particle Trajectory experiment, and Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project, a series of investigations in support of Extended Duration Orbiter.

The landing was on 1 December 1991 at 2:34:44 pm PST, Runway 5, Edwards Air Force Base, California. The rollout distance was 11,191 feet (3,411 m), and the rollout time was 107 seconds. The landing weight was 193,825 pounds (87,918 kg). The landing was originally scheduled for Kennedy Space Center on 4 December, but the ten-day mission was shortened and the landing rescheduled following the 30 November on-orbit failure of one of three orbiter inertial measurement units. The lengthy rollout was due to minimal braking for test. Atlantis returned to Kennedy on 8 December.

References

^ "STS-44". Spacefacts. Retrieved 26 February 2014.

External links

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

[1] "STS-44". Spacefacts. Retrieved 26 February 2014.

[1]

v t e Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104)
Completed flights	STS-51-J STS-61-B STS-27 STS-30 STS-34 STS-36 STS-38 STS-37 STS-43 STS-44 STS-45 STS-46 STS-66 STS-71 STS-74 STS-76 STS-79 STS-81 STS-84 STS-86 STS-101 STS-106 STS-98 STS-104 STS-110 STS-112 STS-115 STS-117 STS-122 STS-125 STS-129 STS-132 STS-135
Status	Retired
On display	Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, Merritt Island, Florida

v t e ← 1990 Orbital launches in 1991 1992 →
January	NATO 4A Progress M-6 Italsat 1, Eutelsat-2 F2 Kosmos 2121 Kosmos 2122 Informator No.1
February	Kosmos 2123 Kosmos 2124 Kosmos 2125, Kosmos 2126, Kosmos 2127, Kosmos 2128, Kosmos 2129, Kosmos 2130, Kosmos 2131, Kosmos 2132 Kosmos 2133 Kosmos 2134 Molniya 1-80 Kosmos 2135 Gran' No.38L
March	Astra 1B, Meteosat 5 Kosmos 2136 USA-69 Inmarsat-2 F2 Nadezhda No.409 Progress M-7 Kosmos 2137 Molniya-3 No.55 Kosmos 2138 Almaz 1
April	Kosmos 2139, Kosmos 2140, Kosmos 2141 Anik E2 STS-37 (Compton GRO) ASC-2 Kosmos 2142 BS-3h Meteor-3 No.6 STS-39 (IBSS/SPAS (CRO-A, CRO-B, CRO-C), USA-70)
May	NOAA-12 Kosmos 2143, Kosmos 2144, Kosmos 2145, Kosmos 2146, Kosmos 2147, Kosmos 2148 Soyuz TM-12 Resurs-F2 No.6 Kosmos 2149 Satcom C5 Progress M-8
June	Okean-O1 No.6 STS-40 Kosmos 2150 Kosmos 2151 Molniya 1-81 Unnamed Resurs-F1 No.52 REX
July	Gorizont No.34L USA-71, Losat-X Kosmos 2152 Kosmos 2153 ERS-1, Orbcomm-X, SARA , Tubsat-A, UoSAT-5 Microsat 1, Microsat 2, Microsat 3, Microsat 4, Microsat 5, Microsat 6, Microsat 7 Resurs-F1 No.53
August	Molniya 1-82 STS-43 (TDRS-5) Intelsat VI F5 Meteor-3 No.5 Progress M-9 Resurs-F2 No.7 Kosmos 2154 Yuri 3b IRS-1B Yohkoh Unnamed
September	STS-48 (UARS) Kosmos 2155 Molniya-3 No.48 Kosmos 2156 Anik E1 Kosmos 2157, Kosmos 2158, Kosmos 2159, Kosmos 2160, Kosmos 2161, Kosmos 2162
October	Soyuz TM-13 Foton No.7L Kosmos 2163 Kosmos 2164 Progress M-10 Gorizont No.35L Intelsat VI F1
November	USA-72, USA-74, USA-76, USA-77 Kosmos 2165, Kosmos 2166, Kosmos 2167, Kosmos 2168, Kosmos 2169, Kosmos 2170 Kosmos 2171 Kosmos 2172 STS-44 (USA-75) Kosmos 2173 USA-73
December	Eutelsat-2 F3 Telecom 2A, Inmarsat-2 F3 Kosmos 2174 Interkosmos 25, Magion 3 Gran' No.39L Zhongxing-4
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).