STS-54 was a

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Space Transportation System The Space Transportation System (STS), also known internally to NASA as the Integrated Program Plan (IPP), was a proposed system of reusable crewed spacecraft, space vehicles envisioned in 1969 to support extended operations beyond the Apollo ...

'' (

Space Shuttle The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable launch system, reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. ...

) mission using Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''. This was the third flight for ''Endeavour'', and was launched on January 13, 1993 with Endeavour returning to the Kennedy Space Center on January 19, 1993.

Crew

Crew seat assignments

Mission highlights

The primary payload was the fifth TDRS satellite, TDRS-F, which was deployed on day one of the mission. It was later successfully transferred to its proper orbit by the

Inertial Upper Stage The Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), originally designated the Interim Upper Stage, was a Multistage rocket, two-stage, Solid-propellant rocket, solid-fueled space launch system developed by Boeing for the United States Air Force beginning in 1976 for ...

(IUS). Also carried into orbit in the payload bay was a Hitchhiker experiment called the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer (DXS). This instrument collected data on

X-ray An X-ray (also known in many languages as Röntgen radiation) is a form of high-energy electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than those of ultraviolet rays and longer than those of gamma rays. Roughly, X-rays have a wavelength ran ...

radiation from diffuse sources in deep space. Other middeck payloads to test the effects of

microgravity Weightlessness is the complete or near-complete absence of the sensation of weight, i.e., zero apparent weight. It is also termed zero g-force, or zero-g (named after the g-force) or, incorrectly, zero gravity. Weight is a measurement of the fo ...

included the Commercial General Bioprocessing Apparatus (CGPA) for-life sciences research; the Chromosome and Plant Cell Division in Space Experiment (CHROMEX) to-study plant growth; the Physiological and Anatomical Rodent Experiment (PARE) to examine the

skeletal system A skeleton is the structural frame that supports the body of most animals. There are several types of skeletons, including the exoskeleton, which is a rigid outer shell that holds up an organism's shape; the endoskeleton, a rigid internal fra ...

and the adaptation of

bone A bone is a rigid organ that constitutes part of the skeleton in most vertebrate animals. Bones protect the various other organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells, store minerals, provide structure and support for the body, ...

to space flight; the Space Acceleration Measurement Equipment (SAMS) to measure and record the microgravity

acceleration In mechanics, acceleration is the Rate (mathematics), rate of change of the velocity of an object with respect to time. Acceleration is one of several components of kinematics, the study of motion. Accelerations are Euclidean vector, vector ...

environment of middeck experiments; and the Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE) to measure the rate of

flame spread Flame spread, or surface burning characteristics rating, is a ranking derived by laboratory standard test methodology of a material's propensity to burn rapidly and spread flames. There are several standardized methods of determining flame spread, ...

and temperature of burning filter paper. Also, on day five, mission specialists Mario Runco Jr. and

Gregory J. Harbaugh Gregory Jordan "Greg" Harbaugh (born April 15, 1956) is an aeronautical/astronautical engineer and former NASA astronaut. He flew on four space shuttle missions as a mission specialist with responsibilities that included Remote Manipulator System ...

spent nearly 5 hours in the open cargo bay performing a series of space-walking tasks designed to increase

's knowledge of working in space. They tested their abilities to move about freely in the cargo bay, climb into foot restraints without using their hands and simulated carrying large objects in the microgravity environment. The EVA completed after 4 hours, 28 minutes. The EVA was a late addition to the mission plan as part of NASA's objectives to hone EVA skills required for hardware assembly anticipating the International Space Station. The mission completed on January 19, 1993, with a landing at Kennedy Space Center.

References

External links

NASA mission summary
{{Orbital launches in 1993 Space Shuttle missions Spacecraft launched in 1993

Crew

Crew seat assignments

Mission highlights

See also

References

External links