STS-53

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STS-53
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 (1992-12-02)
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: