| STS-53 | |
| Names List: | Space Transportation System-53 |
| Mission Type: | DoD satellite deployment |
| Operator: | NASA |
| Orbits Completed: | 116 |
| Crew Size: | 5 |
| Launch Date: | UTC (8:24amEST) |
| Launch Site: | Kennedy, LC-39A |
| Launch Contractor: | Rockwell International |
| Landing Date: | UTC (12:43:47amPST) |
| Landing Site: | Edwards, Runway22 |
| Orbit Reference: | Geocentric orbit |
| Orbit Regime: | Low Earth orbit |
| Orbit Inclination: | 57.00° |
| Orbit Period: | 92.00 minutes |
| Apsis: | gee |
| Insignia: | STS-53 patch.svg |
| Insignia Caption: | STS-53 mission patch |
| Crew Photo: | Sts-53_crew.jpg |
| Crew Photo Caption: | Back: Walker, Cabana and Clifford Front: Bluford and Voss |
| Programme: | Space Shuttle program |
| Previous Mission: | STS-52 |
| Next Mission: | STS-54 |
STS-53 was a NASA Space Shuttle Discovery mission in support of the United States Department of Defense (DoD). It was Discovery's 15th flight. The mission was launched on December 2, 1992, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. This was also the last mission to have been operated via MCR-2 in JSC. Afterwards the room was restored entirely to its Apollo era appearance.
| Seat[1] | Launch | Landing | Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Walker | ||
| 2 | Cabana | ||
| 3 | Bluford | Clifford | |
| 4 | Voss | ||
| 5 | Clifford | Bluford | |
| 6 | Unused | ||
| 7 | Unused | ||
Discovery carried a classified primary payload (DOD-1) for the United States Department of Defense (DoD), two unclassified secondary payloads and nine unclassified middeck experiments.
Discoverys primary payload, USA-89 (1992-086B) is also known as "DoD-1", and was the shuttle's last major payload for the Department of Defense. The satellite was the third launch of a Satellite Data System-2 (SDS 2-3) military communications satellite, after USA-40 on STS-28 and STS-38's deployment of USA-67.[2]
Secondary payloads contained in or attached to Get Away Special (GAS) hardware in the cargo bay included the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) satellites and the combined Shuttle Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP).[2]
Middeck experiments included Microcapsules in Space (MIS-l); Space Tissue Loss (STL); Visual Function Tester (VFT-2); Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM); Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME-III); Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE); Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User-friendly, Location-targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES); Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST); and the Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS).[2]
The five sides represent the Pentagon, the Department of Defense headquarters. The five stars and three stripes of the insignia symbolize the flight's numerical designation in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence.