STS-52
| File:Sts052-80-030 lrg.jpg Columbia's payload bay, with the LAGEOS 2 satellite being deployed. | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-52 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | LAGEOS 2 satellite deployment Microgravity research |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | {{#property:P247}}Lua error in Module:EditAtWikidata at line 29: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). |
| Mission duration | 9 days, 20 hours, 56 minutes, 13 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 6,645,026 km (4,129,028 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 159 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Columbia |
| Launch mass | 113,460 kg (250,140 lb) |
| Landing mass | 97,574 kg (215,114 lb)[1] |
| Payload mass | 8,078 kg (17,809 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 6 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | October 22, 1992, 17:09:39 UTC (1:09:39 pm EDT)[2] |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39B |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | November 1, 1992, 14:05:53 UTC (9:05:53 am EST) |
| Landing site | Kennedy, SLF Runway 33 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit[2] |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 300 km (190 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 302 km (188 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.45° |
| Period | 90.60 minutes |
| Instruments | |
| |
| File:Sts-52-patch.png STS-52 mission patch File:Sts-52 crew.jpg Back: Baker, Wetherbee and MacLean Front: Veach, Jernigan and Shepherd | |
STS-52 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using Space Shuttle Columbia, launched on October 22, 1992.[3]
Crew
[edit | edit source]| Position | Astronaut[4] | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Error creating thumbnail: Jim Wetherbee Second spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Error creating thumbnail: Michael A. Baker Second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Error creating thumbnail: Charles L. Veach Second and last spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer |
Error creating thumbnail: William Shepherd Third spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Error creating thumbnail: Tamara E. Jernigan Second spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 1 | Canada Steve MacLean, CSA First spaceflight | |
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| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Payload Specialist 1 | Canada Bjarni Tryggvason, CSA | |
Crew seat assignments
[edit | edit source]| Seat[5] | Launch | Landing | File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wetherbee | ||
| 2 | Baker | ||
| 3 | Veach | Jernigan | |
| 4 | Shepherd | ||
| 5 | Jernigan | Veach | |
| 6 | MacLean | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
Mission highlights
[edit | edit source]
Primary mission objectives were deployment of the Laser Geodynamics Satellite 2 (LAGEOS-2) and operation of the U.S. Microgravity Payload-1 (USMP-1). LAGEOS 2, a joint effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ASI), was deployed on day 2 and boosted into an initial elliptical orbit by ASI's Italian Research Interim Stage (IRIS). The spacecraft's apogee kick motor later circularized LAGEOS 2 orbit at its operational altitude of 5,900 km (3,700 mi). The USMP-1, activated on day one, included three experiments mounted on two connected Mission Peculiar Equipment Support Structures (MPESS) mounted in the orbiter's cargo bay. USMP-1 experiments were: Lambda Point Experiment; Matériel pour l'Étude des Phénomènes Intéressant la Solidification sur eT en Orbite (MEPHISTO),[6] sponsored by the French agency Centre National d'Études Spatiales (CNES); and Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS).[3]
Secondary payloads: (1) Canadian experiment (CANEX-2), located in both the orbiter's cargo bay and middeck and which consisted of Space Vision System (SVS); Materials Exposure in Low-Earth Orbit (MELEO); Queen's University Experiment in Liquid-Metal Diffusion (QUELD); Phase Partitioning in Liquids (PARLIQ); Sun Photospectrometre Earth Atmosphere Measurement-2 (SPEAM-2); Orbiter Glow-2 (OGLOW-2); and Space Adaptation Tests and Observations (SATO).[7] A small, specially marked satellite, the Canadian Target Assembly (CTA), was deployed on day nine, to support SVS experiments. (2) ASP, featuring three independent sensors mounted on a Hitchhiker plate in the cargo bay – Modular Star Sensor (MOSS), Yaw Earth Sensor (YES) and Low Altitude Conical Earth Sensor (LACES), all provided by the European Space Agency (ESA).[8]
Other middeck payloads: Commercial Materials Dispersion Apparatus Instrument Technology Associates Experiments; Commercial Protein Crystal Growth experiment; Chemical Vapor Transport Experiment Heat Pipe Performance Experiment (CVTEHPPE); Physiological Systems Experiment (PSE) (involving 12 rodents); and Shuttle Plume Impingement Experiment (SPIE). The orbiter also was used as a reference point for calibrating an Ultraviolet Plume Instrument on an orbiting Strategic Defense Initiative Organization (SDIO) satellite.[9]
The Tank Pressure Control Experiment/Thermal Phenomena (TPCE/TP) was contained in a Getaway Special (GAS) canister in the orbiter's cargo bay.[10]
Some of the ashes of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry were also carried aboard the orbiter for the duration of the mission.[11]
Wake-up calls
[edit | edit source]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. A special musical track is chosen for each day in space, often by the astronauts' families, to have a special meaning to an individual member of the crew, or in reference to the day's planned activities.[12]
| Day | Song | Artist/Composer | Played For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 2 | Wake Up Columbia | Crow Carroll | |
| Day 3 | Shake, Rattle and Roll | Big Joe Turner | Deployment of LAGEOS-II |
| Day 5 | The World is Waiting for the Sunrise | Les Paul and Mary Ford | |
| Day 6 | Birthday | The Beatles | Mike Baker's 39th Birthday |
| Day 7 | "Hawaiian music" | ||
| Day 8 | Mack the Knife | Bobby Darin | |
| Day 9 | Bang the Drum | Todd Rundgren | |
| Day 10 | Monster Mash | Bobby "Boris" Picket | To celebrate Halloween |
| Day 11 | Notre Dame Victory March | JSC employees & Notre Dame grads | James Wetherbee |
See also
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References
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External links
[edit | edit source]- NASA mission summary Archived April 22, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- STS-52 Video Highlights Archived September 5, 2015, at the Wayback Machine
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