Names | Space Transportation System-44 |
---|---|
Mission type | DSP 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 km (2,890,067 mi) |
Orbits completed | 110 |
Spacecraft properties | |
Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
Launch mass | 117,766 kg (259,630 lb) |
Landing mass | 87,919 kg (193,828 lb) |
Payload mass | 20,240 kg (44,620 lb) |
Crew | |
Crew size | 6 |
Members | |
Start of mission | |
Launch date | November 24, 1991, 23:44:00 UTC |
Rocket | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
Launch site | Kennedy Space Center, LC-39A |
Contractor | Rockwell International |
End of mission | |
Landing date | December 1, 1991, 22:34:12 UTC |
Landing site | Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 5 |
Orbital parameters | |
Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
Regime | Low Earth orbit |
Perigee altitude | 363 km (226 mi) |
Apogee altitude | 371 km (231 mi) |
Inclination | 28.45° |
Period | 91.90 minutes |
Instruments | |
| |
STS-44 mission patch Standing: James S. Voss, Thomas J. Hennen, Mario Runco Jr. Seated: Terence T. Henricks, Frederick D. Gregory, Story Musgrave |
STS-44 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using Atlantis that launched on November 24, 1991. It was a U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) space mission.
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Commander | Frederick D. Gregory Third and last spaceflight | |
Pilot | Terence T. Henricks First spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 1 | James S. Voss First spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 2 | Story Musgrave Fourth spaceflight | |
Mission Specialist 3 | Mario Runco Jr. First spaceflight | |
Payload Specialist 1 | Thomas J. Hennen Only spaceflight |
Position | Astronaut | |
---|---|---|
Payload Specialist 1 | Michael E. Belt First spaceflight |
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 |
The launch was on November 24, 1991, at 23:44:00 UTC. A launch set for November 19, 1991, was delayed due to replacement and testing of a malfunctioning redundant inertial measurement unit on the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) booster attached to the Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite. The launch was reset for November 24 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, DSP-16 attached to Inertial Upper Stage (IUS-14), 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 Site (AMOS), Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM), Shuttle Activation Monitor (SAM), Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME III), Visual Function Tester (VFT-1), Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI), Bioreactor Flow, and Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project, a series of investigations in support of Extended Duration Orbiter.
The landing was on December 1, 1991, at 22:34:44 UTC, Runway 5, Edwards Air Force Base, California. The rollout distance was 3,411 m (11,191 ft), and the rollout time was 107 seconds. The landing weight was 87,918 kg (193,826 lb). The landing was originally scheduled for Kennedy Space Center on December 4, 1991, but the ten-day mission was shortened and the landing rescheduled following the November 30, 1991, on-orbit failure of one of three orbiter inertial measurement units. [2] The lengthy rollout was due to minimal braking for test. Atlantis returned to Kennedy on December 8, 1991. This was also the final shuttle landing on a dry lake bed runway.
NASA began a tradition of playing music to astronauts during the Project Gemini, and first used music to wake up a flight crew during Apollo 15. [3] Each track is specially chosen, often by the astronauts' families, and usually has a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or is applicable to their daily activities.
+ | Day | Song | Artist | Played/For |
---|---|---|---|---|
Day 2 | Recorded message from Patrick Stewart | Mario Runco | ||
Day 3 | This is the Army, Mr Jones | Irving Berlin | ||
Day 4 | It's Time to Love (Put a little love in your heart) | James Brown | ||
Day 5 | Cheesburger in Paradise | Jimmy Buffett | ||
Day 6 | Twist and Shout from Ferris Bueller's Day Off | |||
Day 7 | University of Alabama and Auburn University fight songs | Jim Voss and Jan Davis | ||
Day 8 | In the Mood |
Jerry Lynn Ross is a retired United States Air Force officer, engineer, and a former NASA astronaut. Ross is a veteran of 7 Space Shuttle missions, making him the joint record holder for most spaceflights.
STS-51-C was the 15th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the third flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. It launched on January 24, 1985, and made the fourth shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 27, 1985. STS-51-C was the first shuttle mission to deploy a dedicated United States Department of Defense (DoD) payload, and consequently many mission details remain classified.
STS-51-J was NASA's 21st Space Shuttle mission and the first flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 3, 1985, carrying a payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 7, 1985.
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STS-30 was the 29th NASA Space Shuttle mission and the fourth mission for Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the fourth shuttle launch since the Challenger disaster and the first shuttle mission since the disaster to have a female astronaut on board. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on May 4, 1989, and landed four days later on May 8, 1989. During the mission, Atlantis deployed the Venus-bound Magellan probe into orbit.
STS-34 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using Atlantis. It was the 31st shuttle mission overall, and the fifth flight for Atlantis. STS-34 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 18, 1989, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on October 23, 1989. During the mission, the Jupiter-bound Galileo probe was deployed into space.
STS-36 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) into orbit. STS-36 was the 34th shuttle mission overall, the sixth flight for Atlantis, and the fourth night launch of the shuttle program. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 28, 1990, and landed on March 4, 1990.
STS-41 was the 36th Space Shuttle mission and the eleventh mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The four-day mission had a primary objective of launching the Ulysses probe as part of the "International Solar Polar Mission" (ISPM).
STS-38 was a Space Shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the 37th shuttle mission, and carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). It was the seventh flight for Atlantis and the seventh flight dedicated to the Department of Defense. The mission was a 4-day mission that traveled 3,291,199 km (2,045,056 mi) and completed 79 revolutions. Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility's runway 33. The launch was originally scheduled for July 1990, but was rescheduled due to a hydrogen leak found on Space ShuttleColumbia during the STS-35 countdown. During a rollback to the Orbiter Processing Facility Atlantis was damaged during a hail storm. The eventual launch date of November 15, 1990, was set due to a payload problem. The launch window was between 18:30 and 22:30 EST. The launch occurred at 18:48:13 EST.
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STS-45 was a 1992 NASA Space Shuttle mission using the Space ShuttleAtlantis. Its almost nine-day scientific mission was with a non-deployable payload of instruments. It was the 46th Space Shuttle mission and the 11th for Atlantis.
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Michael Allen Baker is a retired captain in the United States Navy, former NASA astronaut, and the International Space Station Program Manager for International and Crew Operations, at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He is responsible for the coordination of program operations, integration and flight crew training and support activities with the International Partners.
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