STS-44

Occurred 33 years ago

A dedicated Department of Defense mission. The unclassified payload included a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), which were deployed on flight day one.

orbiter

Atlantis

mission duration

6 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes

Launch

November 24, 1991

Landing

December 1, 1991

Six crew members in blue suits pose in front of an earth and satellite backdrop for crew photo.

These are the six crew members who slew onboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis for NASA’s STS 44 mission. Astronaut Frederick D. Gregory (center, front row) was mission commander. He is flanked by astronauts Terence T. (Tom) Henricks (left), pilot; and F. Story Musgrave, mission specialist. On the back row are astronaut James S. Voss, mission specialist; payload specialist Thomas J. Hennen of the U.S. Army; and astronaut Mario Runco Jr., mission specialist. The mission insignia is seen in the upper right corner, while the Defense Support System (DPS)/IUS payload is depicted in the upper left corner. (July 1991)

NASA

STS-44 Mission Facts

Mission: DOD; DSP
Space Shuttle: Atlantis
Launch Pad: 39A
Launch Weight: 259,629 pounds
Launched: November 24, 1991, 6:44:00 p.m. EST
Landing Site: Edwards Air Force Base, Calif.
Landing: December 1, 1991, 2:34:44 p.m. PST
Landing Weight: 193,825 pounds
Runway: 5
Rollout Distance: 11,191 feet
Rollout Time: 107 seconds
Revolution: 110
Mission Duration: 6 days, 22 hours, 50 minutes, 44 seconds
Returned to KSC: December 8, 1991
Orbit Altitude: 197 nautical miles
Orbit Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Miles Traveled: 2.9 million

Crew

Frederick D. Gregory, Commander
Terence T. (Tom) Henricks, Pilot
F. Story Musgrave, Mission Specialist
James S. Voss, Mission Specialist
Thomas J. Hennen, Mission Specialist
Mario Runco Jr., Mission Specialist

Launch Highlights

The launch set for November 19 was delayed due to a malfunctioning redundant inertial measurement unit on the Inertial Upper Stage booster attached to the Defense Support Program satellite. The unit was replaced and tested. The launch was reset for November 24, delayed 13 minutes to allow an orbiting spacecraft to pass and allow external tank liquid oxygen replenishment after minor repairs to the valve in the liquid oxygen replenishment system in the mobile launcher platform.

Mission Highlights

A dedicated Department of Defense mission. The unclassified payload included a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite and attached Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), which were 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.