Engineering:STS-44
 Atlantis deploys a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite. | |
| 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.
Crew
| 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 | |
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 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.
Wake-up calls
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 |
See also
References
- ↑ "STS-44". Spacefacts. http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-44.htm.
- ↑ "Shuttle Flight to Be Cut Short as Unit Fails: Mission Control favors landing at Edwards today if winds subside. Crew not considered in danger due to backup navigational devices.". December 1, 1991. https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1991-12-01-mn-883-story.html.
- ↑ Fries, Colin. "Chronology of wakeup calls". https://history.nasa.gov/wakeup%20calls.pdf.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
External links
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