 |
|
| Crew: 5 | CDR - David M. Walker |
| Plt - Robert D. Cabana | |
| MS 1 - Guion S. Bluford | |
| MS 2 - James S. Voss (EV 1) | |
| MS 3 - Mike R. U. Clifford (EV 2) | |
| Launch | 2 December 1992 @ 0823:59.957 |
| Orbital incl: | 57.00 |
| Max alt: | 379.8 km. |
| Orbits: | 116 |
| Dur: | 7:07:19:17 |
| Landing: | 9 December 1992 @ 1243:17 PST |
| Launch Window: | 3 hours, 6 minutes (6:59 - 10:05 am EST) Limited to 2 hr., 30 min. "Crew on back" constraint |
| TAL Sites: | Zaragoza, Spain (alternate: Ben Guerir, Morocco) |
| AOA site: | Edwards, AFB |
| Primary landing site: | KSC/SLF (Scheduled: 2:16 pm EST 9 December) |
| Landing Speed: | 209 knots (241 mph) |
| Landing rollout: | 10,165' from main gear touchdown |
| Vehicle weight @ liftoff: | 4,506,642 lbs |
| Orbiter weight @ liftoff: | 243,952 lbs |
| Orbiter weight @ landing: | 193,215 lbs |
| Cargo mass approx.: | 26,166 lbs |
| Landing Weight: | 5,194 lbs |
| Special mission kits: | EMU's, Galley, teleprinter, TAGS, MAR, Ku-antenna, Camcorders, laptops, drag chute and no RMS |
| DOD-1 - 1992-086B/USA-89 | Advanced KH-11. Deployed via the SPDS system (see STS-28R). Satellite mass -20,972 lbs., support cradle mass - 2,243 lbs. |
| ODERACS - Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres. Mass - 747 lbs. | 6 metal spheres weighing 43 lbs each, to be ejected from an MDS GAS can for NORAD tracking (failed to deploy due to GAS Electronics failure). |
| GCP - Glow Experiment/ Cryogenic Heat Pipe Expirement | In payload bay using Hitchicker mounts and electronics. Mass - 1,542 lbs |
| Mid-deck | AMOS (see STS-29R), STL (see STS-45), RME-III (see STS-51A), VFT-2 (see STS-44), UVPI (see STS-43), CLOUDS-1A (see STS-41D), CREAM (see STS-48), HERCULES (Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Realtime, Cooperative, User-friendly, Location-targeting, and Environmental System), BLAST (Battlefield Laser Acquisiton Sensor Test), MIS-1 (Microcapsules in Space), & FARE (Fluid Acquistion and Resupply Experiment) |
| SSME's: | 2024 (1) - 5th use, 2012 (2) - 14th use, 2017 (3) - 7th use. At Tower Clear 104% |
| OMS Pods/Engines: | LP-04/109 - Pod 12th use, Motor 9th use & RP-03/114 - Pod 16th use, Motor 9th use |
| ET: | ET-49 (LWT-42) |
| SRB's: | BI-055 (RSRM-28) - Set successfully recovered |
| Left - 360 LO 28A | Right - 360 LO 28B | |||
| 39 | ? | Fwd | ? | 40 |
| 36 | ? | Cyl | ? | ETM1 |
| 38 | ? | Cyl | ? | 40 |
| 38 | ? | Cyl | ? | 37 |
| 39 | ? | Cyl | ? | 39 |
| 37 | ? | Cyl | ? | 38 |
| New | ? | Cyl | ? | 39 |
| TEM7 | ? | Att | ? | 39 |
| 39 | ? | Stf | ? | New |
| 39 | ? | Stf | ? | New |
| 39 | ? | Aft | ? | 39 |
| 16 February 1992 | OV-103 returns to OPF-2 following Mission-45/STS-42 |
| 7 July 1992 | ET-49 arrives on dock KSC |
| 8 August 1992 | OV-103 is transferred from OPF-2 to VAB High Bay-2 for temporary storrage |
| 17 August 1992 | OV-103 is returned to OPF-3 to begin processing for STS-53 |
| 13 October 1992 | ET-49/SRB mate in VAB High Bay |
| 3 November 1992 | OV-103 rollover from OPF-3 to VAB High Bay for stacking the same day |
| 8 November 1992 | Stack rollout to Pad 39A |
| 13 November 1992 | TCDT countdown dress rehearsal conducted with crew aboard |
| 29 November 1992 | "Call to stations" 43 hr countdown started at 11 am EST & astronaut arrival at KSC |
| 2 December 1992 | Launch |
| 9 December 1992 | Landing at Edwards AFB |
| 16 December 1992 | OV-103 departs EAFB for Kelly AFB |
| 18 December 1992 | OV-103 departs Kelly AFB for Eglin AFB to KSC and return to OPF the same day |