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STS-44

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STS-44 Credit: NASA

AKA: Atlantis. Launched: 1991-11-25. Returned: 1991-12-02. Number crew: 6 . Duration: 6.95 days.

Payloads: Defense Support Program satellite/ Inertial Upper Stage, Interim Operational Contamination Monitor, Terra Scout, Military Man in Space, Shuttle Activation Monitor, Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor, Radiation Monitoring Equipment Ill, Air Force Maui Optical Site Calibration Test, Ultraviolet Plume Instrument, Visual Function Tester 1.

Orbits of Earth: 109. Distance traveled: 4,651,111 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 117,765 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 87,915 kg. Payload to Orbit: 20,242 kg. Payload Returned: 3,179 kg. Landed at: Runway 05 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, . Landing Speed: 339 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 794 m. Landing Rollout: 3,411 m.

NASA Official Mission Narrative

Mission Name: STS-44 (44)
Atlantis (10)
Pad 39-A (43)
44th Shuttle mission
10th flight OV-104
Shortened mission
Diverted landing

Crew:
Frederick D. Gregory (3), Commander
Terence T. Henricks (1), Pilot
F. Story Musgrave (4), Mission Specialist
Mario Runco, Jr. (1), Mission Specialist
James S. Voss (1), Mission Specialist
Thomas J. Hennen (1), Payload Specialist

Milestones:
OPF - Aug. 12,1991
VAB - Oct. 18, 1991
PAD - Oct. 23,1991

Payload:
DSP,IOCM,MODE(2),AMOS(2),MMIS,CREAM,SAM,RME-III,VFT-1,UVPI,BFPT,EDOMP
Mission Objectives:

Launch:
November 24, 1991, 6:44:00 p.m. EST. Launch set for Nov. 19 delayed due to malfunctioning redundant inertial measurement unit on inertial Upper Stage booster attached to Defense Support Program satellite. Unit replaced and tested. Launch reset for Nov. 24, delayed 13 minutes to allow an orbiting spacecraft to pass and to allow external tank liquid oxygen replenishment after minor repairs to valve in the liquid oxygen replenishment system in the mobile launcher platform. Launch Weight: 259,629 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 197nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 110
Duration: 6 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, 44 seconds.
Distance: 2,890,067 miles

Hardware:
SRB: BI-047
SRM: 360L/W019
ET : 53/LWT-46
MLP : 1
SSME-1: SN-2015
SSME-2: SN-2030
SSME-3: SN-2029

Landing:
December 1, 1991, 2:34:12 p.m. PST, Runway 5. Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 11,191 feet. Rollout time: 107 seconds. Landing originally scheduled for KSC on Dec. 4, but ten-day mission shortened and landing rescheduled following Nov. 30 on-orbit failure of one of three orbiter inertial measurement units. Lengthy rollout due to minimal braking for test. Orbiter returned to KSC on Dec. 8. Landing Weight: 193,825 lbs.

Mission Highlights:
Dedicated Department of Defense mission. Unclassified payload included Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), deployed on flight day one. Cargo bay and middeck payloads: Interim Operational Contamination Monitor(IOCM); Terra Scout; Military Man in Space (M88-1); Air Force Maui Optical System (AMOS); Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM); Shuttle Activation Monitor (SAM); Radiation Monitoring Equipment III (RME III); Visual Function Tester-1 (VFT-1); Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI). Bioreactor Flow and Particle Trajectory experiment; and Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project, a series of investigations in support of Extended Duration Orbiter.

• STS-44 - . Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Gregory, Hennen, Henricks, Musgrave, Runco, Voss. Payload: Atlantis F10 / DSP 16 [IUS]. Mass: 20,242 kg (44,625 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Gregory, Hennen, Henricks, Musgrave, Runco, Voss. Agency: NASA Houston. Program: STS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: STS-44. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Duration: 6.95 days. Decay Date: 1991-11-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 21795 . COSPAR: 1991-080A. Apogee: 371 km (230 mi). Perigee: 363 km (225 mi). Inclination: 28.50 deg. Period: 91.90 min.

  Manned six crew. Deployed Defense Support Program satellite. Payloads: Defense Support Program satellite/ Inertial Upper Stage, Interim Operational Contamination Monitor, Terra Scout, Military Man in Space, Shuttle Activation Monitor, Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor, Radiation Monitoring Equipment Ill, Air Force Maui Optical Site Calibration Test, Ultraviolet Plume Instrument, Visual Function Tester 1.

• STS-44 - Wakeup Song: Space - the final frontier - . Flight: STS-44.

  "Space - the final frontier" .

  "This is the voyage of the Space Shuttle Atlantis - Its ten-day mission: To explore new methods of remote sensing and observation of the planet Earth - To seek out new data on radiation in space, and a new understanding of the effects of microgravity on the human body - To boldly go where two hundred and fifty-five men and women have gone before. Hello - Fred, Tom, Story, Jim, Tom, and especially Mario - This is Patrick Stewart, choosing not to outrank you as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, saying that we are confident of a productive and successful mission. Make it so". All this to the theme music of"Star Trek - the Next Generation" Capcom Marsha Ivins contacted actor Patrick Stewart to request the special wakeup call for Mario Runco, a big"Star Trek" fan.

• STS-44 - Wakeup Song: This is the Army, Mr. Jones - . Flight: STS-44. "This is the Army, Mr. Jones" by Irving Berlin from the movie,"This is the Army." preceded by Reveille (bugle call) followed by gunfire..

• STS-44 - Wakeup Song: Cheeseburger in Paradise - . Flight: STS-44. "Cheeseburger in Paradise" Jimmy Buffett preceded by recorded turkey gobbles.

• STS-44 - Wakeup Song: Twist and Shout - . Flight: STS-44. "Twist and Shout" from the movie"Ferris Bueller's Day Off".

• STS-44 - Wakeup Song: University of Alabama fight song - . Flight: STS-44. "University of Alabama fight song" and Auburn University fight song. For football game that day between the schools and Auburn graduates Jim Voss and Jan Davis. Voss was on Atlantis for his first spaceflight, Davis was the Capcom..

• STS-44 - Wakeup Song: In the Mood - . Flight: STS-44. "In the Mood" ..

• Landing of STS-44 - . Return Crew: Gregory, Hennen, Henricks, Musgrave, Runco, Voss. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Gregory, Hennen, Henricks, Musgrave, Runco, Voss. Program: STS. Flight: STS-44. STS-44 landed at 22:36 GMT. .