View source for STS-36

{{Short description|1990 American crewed spaceflight for the Department of Defense}}
{{for|the fossil|STS 71}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = STS-36
| names_list         = [[Space Transportation System]]-36<br />STS-36
| image              = STS-36 Launch.jpg
| image_caption      = Launch of ''Atlantis'' late at night on February 28
| mission_type       = [[United States Department of Defense|DoD]] satellite deployment
| operator           = [[NASA]]
| mission_duration   = {{time interval|February 28, 1990, 07:50:22|March 4, 1990, 18:08:44|show=dhms|sep=,}}
| distance_travelled = {{cvt|2957913|km}}
| orbits_completed   = 72
| spacecraft         = {{OV|104}}
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|2,044,469|kg}}
| landing_mass       = {{cvt|84,912|kg}}
| payload_mass       = {{cvt|19600|kg}}
| crew_size          = 5
| crew_members       = {{Unbulleted list|[[John Oliver Creighton]]|[[John Casper]]|[[Pierre J. Thuot]]|[[David C. Hilmers]]|[[Mike Mullane]]}}
| launch_date        = February 28, 1990, 07:50:22{{nbsp}}UTC (2:50:22{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Eastern Standard Time|EST]])
| launch_site        = [[Kennedy Space Center|Kennedy]], [[Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A|LC-39A]]
| launch_contractor  = [[Rockwell International]]
| landing_date       = March 4, 1990, 18:08:44{{nbsp}}UTC (10:08:44{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Pacific Standard Time|PST]])
| landing_site       = [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards]], Runway{{nbsp}}23
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|198|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|204|km}}
| orbit_inclination  = 62°
| orbit_period       = 88.5 minutes
| apsis              = gee
| instruments        = In-flight Radiation Dose Distribution (IDRD)
| insignia           = Sts-36-patch.png
| insignia_caption   = STS-36 mission patch
| crew_photo         = STS-36 crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = From left: [[Pierre J. Thuot|Thuot]], [[John Casper|Casper]], [[John Oliver Creighton|Creighton]], [[Mike Mullane|Mullane]] and [[David C. Hilmers|Hilmers]]
| programme          = [[Space Shuttle program]]
| previous_mission   = [[STS-32]] (33)
| next_mission       = [[STS-31]] (35)
}}

'''STS-36''' was a [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle program|Space Shuttle]] mission, during which [[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'']] carried a classified payload for the [[U.S. Department of Defense]] (DoD) (believed to have been a [[Misty (satellite)|Misty]] [[reconnaissance satellite]]) into orbit. STS-36 was the 34th shuttle mission overall, the sixth flight for ''Atlantis'', and the fourth night launch of the shuttle program. It launched from [[Kennedy Space Center]], [[Florida]], on February 28, 1990, and landed on March 4, 1990.

== Crew ==
{{Spaceflight crew
| terminology = Astronaut

| position1   = Commander
| crew1_up    = [[John Oliver Creighton]]
| flights1_up = Second

| position2   = Pilot
| crew2_up    = [[John Casper]]
| flights2_up = First

| position3   = Mission Specialist 1
| crew3_up    = [[Pierre J. Thuot]]
| flights3_up = First

| position4   = Mission Specialist 2<br />Flight Engineer
| crew4_up    = [[David C. Hilmers]]
| flights4_up = Third

| position5   = Mission Specialist 3
| crew5_up    = [[Mike Mullane]]
| flights5_up = Third and last
}}

=== Crew seat assignments ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Seat<ref name="spacefacts-sts36">{{Cite web |title=STS-36 |url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-36.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240303201152/http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-36.htm |archive-date=March 3, 2024 |access-date=February 26, 2014 |website=spacefacts.de }}</ref> 
! Launch
! Landing
|rowspan=8| [[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg|150px]]<br />Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck.<br />Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
|-
! 1
|colspan=2| Creighton
|-
! 2
|colspan=2| Casper
|-
! 3
| Thuot
| Mullane
|-
! 4
|colspan=2| Hilmers
|-
! 5
| Mullane
| Thuot
|-
! 6
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|-
! 7
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|}

== Mission summary ==
[[Image:STS-36 Rollout - GPN-2000-000680.jpg|thumb|left|Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' is prepared for launch on January 25, 1990.]]

{{LaunchAttempt
| date1           = 1990-02-22 01:15
| result1         = Scrubbed
| reason1         = Medical
| decision_date1  = 1990-02-21
| weathergo1      = 50
| notes1          = Commander Creighton was experiencing a minor respiratory infection. Due to the secretive nature of the mission, NASA did not give the exact launch time until nine minutes before liftoff.<ref name="BGDN 2/22/1990">{{Cite news |date=1990-02-22 |title=Shuttle launch delayed until health, weather better |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=bxbQgRQgr4sC&dat=19900222&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=2024-08-31 |work=Bowling Green Daily News |page=8B |via=Google News |volume=136 |issue=46}}</ref> A NASA magazine reported the launch time as 1:15 AM.<ref name="Countdown April 1990 6–7">{{Cite magazine |date=April 1990 |title=Atlantis completes its STS-36 tour of duty despite a hydraulic leak |url=https://www.parrygamepreserve.com/images/media/magazines/countdown/1990/04_April/countdown_1990_April_5_L.jpg |magazine=Countdown |publisher=NASA |page=7 |via=Parry Game Preserve |volume=8 |issue=4}}</ref>
| date2           = 1990-02-23
| result2         = Scrubbed
| reason2         = Weather
| weathergo2      = 20
| notes2          = The weather conditions were unacceptable for launch. In addition, Commander Creighton was still unwell.
| date3           = 1990-02-24
| result3         = Scrubbed
| reason3         = Weather
| notes3          = Creighton had recovered at this time, however, a storm front had moved into the KSC area.<ref name="Recer 2/24/1990">{{Cite news |last=Recer |first=Paul |date=1990-02-24 |title=Weather keeps shuttle on ground |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=9fRKRCJz75UC&dat=19900224&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=2024-09-20 |work=The Free Lance-Star |page=16 |via=Google News |volume=106 |issue=47}}</ref>
| date4           = 1990-02-25 00:55
| result4         = Scrubbed
| reason4         = Technical
| decision_date4  = 1990-02-25 01:05
| decision_clock4 = −00:00:31
| weathergo4      = 80<ref name="Countdown April 1990 6–7" />
| notes4          = A range safety backup computer malfunctioned at T−00:01:55. The countdown clock was held at T−31 seconds to assess the situation, however, the Liquid Oxygen temperature inside the main engines exceeded launch commit criteria. A general purpose computer also malfunctioned.<ref name="sts-36-mr" />{{Reference page|pages=1–2}}
| date5           = 1990-02-26 00:54
| result5         = Scrubbed
| reason5         = Weather
| decision_date5  = 1990-02-26 2:32
| decision_clock5 = −00:09:00 hold
| weathergo5      = 40<ref name="Countdown April 1990 8–9">{{Cite magazine |date=April 1990 |title=Atlantis completes its STS-36 tour of duty despite a hydraulic leak |url=https://www.parrygamepreserve.com/images/media/magazines/countdown/1990/04_April/countdown_1990_April_6_L.jpg |access-date=2025-05-05 |magazine=Countdown |publisher=NASA |pages=8–9 |via=Parry Game Preserve |volume=8 |issue=4}}</ref>
| notes5          = Clouds were present at the Shuttle Landing Facility. A 48-hour turnaround was issued to allow the crew to rest.<ref name="sts-36-mr" />{{Reference page|page=2}}<ref name="fifth scrub">{{Cite news |last=Recer |first=Paul |date=1990-02-26 |title=Shuttle launch postponed for the fifth time |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=9fRKRCJz75UC&dat=19900226&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=2024-09-20 |work=The Free Lance-Star |page=6 |via=Google News |volume=106 |issue=48 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref>
| date6           = 1990-02-28 2:50:22 AM
| result6         = Success
| weathergo6      = 40–60<ref name="Countdown April 1990 8–9" />
| notes6          = Countdown was held at T−5 minutes to assess RTLS and TAL weather.<ref name="sts-36-mr" />{{Reference page|page=2}}
}}

''Atlantis'' launched on the STS-36 mission on February 28, 1990, at 07:50:22{{nbsp}}[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (2:50:22{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Eastern Time Zone|EST]], local time at the launch site).<ref name="Recer 2/28/1990">{{Cite news |last=Recer |first=Paul |date=1990-02-28 |title=At last, shuttle goes up |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=9fRKRCJz75UC&dat=19900228&printsec=frontpage&hl=en |access-date=2024-10-12 |work=The Free Lance-Star |pages=1, 16 |via=Google News |volume=106 |issue=50 |agency=Associated Press}}</ref> The launch was originally set for February 22, 1990, but was postponed repeatedly due to the illness of the crew commander and poor weather conditions. This was the first time since [[Apollo 13]] in 1970 that a crewed space mission was affected by the illness of a crew member.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1990-02-21 |title=Astronaut's Sore Throat Delays Atlantis' Blastoff |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-21-mn-1253-story.html |access-date=2025-05-05 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> The first rescheduled launch attempt, set for February 25, 1990, was scrubbed at T−31 seconds due to a range safety computer malfunction.<ref name="sts-36-mr">{{Cite tech report|last=Mechelay|first=Joseph E.|last2=Germany|first2=D. M.|last3=Nicholson|first3=Leonard S.|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19920007756/downloads/19920007756.pdf|title=STS-36 Space Shuttle mission report|date=April 1, 1990|publisher=[[NASA]]|access-date=August 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240831172450/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19920007756/downloads/19920007756.pdf|archive-date=August 31, 2024|hdl-access=free|hdl=2060/19920007756|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Reference page|pages=1–2}}<ref name="Sawyer">{{Cite news |last=Sawyer |first=Kathy |date=2024-02-25 |title=COMPUTER GLITCH SCRUBS SHUTTLE LAUNCH SECONDS FROM LIFTOFF |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/02/25/computer-glitch-scrubs-shuttle-launch-seconds-from-liftoff/a2327a46-73bb-442c-a580-11c1576d0cfc/ |access-date=2024-10-12 |work=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref name="Healy">{{Cite news |last=Healy |first=Melissa |date=1990-02-25 |title=Shuttle Flight Called Off Just Before Launch |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1990-02-25-mn-2234-story.html |access-date=2024-10-12 |work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref><ref name="Mullane 2006">{{cite book |last1=Mullane |first1=Mike |author-link=Mike Mullane |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fvWZsjorXJIC |title=Riding Rockets: The Outrageous Tales of a Space Shuttle Astronaut |publisher=Charles Scribner's Sons |year=2006 |isbn=978-0743296762 |location=New York City, New York}}</ref>{{Page needed|date=October 2024}} Another attempt, set for February 26, 1990, was scrubbed during the T−9 minute hold due to weather conditions.<ref name="sts-36-mr" />{{Reference page|page=2}}<ref>{{Cite news |last=Sawyer |first=Kathy |date=1990-02-26 |title=WINDS, CLOUDS SCRUB LIFTOFF OF SPACE SHUTTLE AGAIN |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1990/02/26/winds-clouds-scrub-liftoff-of-space-shuttle-again/6ec9fa51-aac2-4a47-934a-1f43833102ac/ |access-date=2024-11-16 |work=The Washington Post |issn=0190-8286}}</ref> The successful launch on February 28, 1990, was set for a classified launch window, lying within a launch period extending from 00:00 to 04:00 EST. The launch weight for this mission was classified.<ref name="STIsummary">{{cite web |last1=Legler |first1=Robert D. |last2=Bennett |first2=Floyd V. |date=September 1, 2011 |title=Space Shuttle Missions Summary |url=https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/assets/space-shuttle-missions-summary.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021052010/https://sma.nasa.gov/SignificantIncidents/assets/space-shuttle-missions-summary.pdf |archive-date=October 21, 2020 |access-date=January 6, 2021 |website=Scientific and Technical Information (STI) Program Office |publisher=NASA |id=NASA/TM–2011–216142}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>{{Reference page|page=A-3}}

The launch trajectory was unique to this flight and allowed the mission to reach an [[orbital inclination]] of 62°, the deployment orbit of its payload — the normal maximum inclination for a shuttle flight was 57°. This so-called "[[Dogleg maneuver|dog-leg]]" trajectory saw ''Atlantis'' fly downrange on a normal launch [[azimuth]] and then maneuver to a higher launch azimuth once out over the water. Although the maneuver resulted in a reduction of vehicle performance, it was the only way to reach the required deployment orbit from [[Kennedy Space Center]] (originally, the flight had been slated to launch from [[Vandenberg Air Force Base]] in [[California]], until the shuttle launch program there was cancelled). Due to the payload's importance to national defense, the normal Range Safety rules were waived, allowing the shuttle to fly over or near [[Cape Hatteras]], [[Cape Cod]], and parts of [[Canada]].

As a Department of Defense operation, STS-36's payload remains officially [[classified information in the United States|classified]] and not many photos from it were released. STS-36 launched a single satellite,<ref name="Misty">{{Cite web |date=January 7, 2022 |title=AFP-675 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1990-019B |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240523013903/https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=1990-019B |archive-date=May 23, 2024 |access-date=February 6, 2022 |website=NSSDCA Master Catalog |publisher=[[NASA]] |id=1990-019B }} {{PD-notice}}</ref> also described as [[Misty (satellite program)|AFP-731]]. Other objects (1990-019C-G) reportedly appeared in orbit following its deployment.

It was reported that USA-53 was an [[KH-11 KENNEN|Advanced KH-11]] photo-reconnaissance satellite, using an all-digital imaging system to return pictures. KH-11 satellites are believed to resemble the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] in size and shape, as the satellites were shipped in similar containers and had comparable primary mirror diameters.<ref name="Hubble">{{cite web |url=http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/book/chpttwelve.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030612023409/http://history.msfc.nasa.gov/book/chpttwelve.pdf |archive-date=June 12, 2003 |title=Chapter XII – The Hubble Space Telescope|page=483|date=June 12, 2003|access-date=February 6, 2022}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> USA-53, nicknamed [[Misty (satellite program)|"Misty"]], was tracked briefly by [[Satellite watching|amateur satellite observer]]s in October and November 1990.<ref name="FAS">{{cite web|url=http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/imint/tm_usa53.html|title=The Saga of USA 53 - Found, Lost, Found Again and Lost Again|publisher=FAS.org|access-date=July 3, 2011|archive-date=October 19, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121019235727/http://www.fas.org/spp/military/program/imint/tm_usa53.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The mission marked another flight of an {{Convert|5|kg|lb|abbr=on}} [[human skull]], which served as the primary element of "Detailed Secondary Objective 469", also known as the "In-flight Radiation Dose Distribution Experiment" (IDRD). This joint NASA/DoD experiment was designed to examine the penetration of [[radiation]] into the human cranium during spaceflight. The female skull was seated in a plastic matrix, representative of tissue, and sliced into ten layers. Hundreds of thermo-luminescent [[dosimeters]] were mounted in the skull's layers to record radiation levels at multiple depths. This experiment, which also flew on [[STS-28]] and [[STS-31]], was located in the shuttle's mid-deck lockers on all three flights, recording radiation levels at different orbital inclinations.<ref name="macknight-1990">{{Cite book |editor-last=Macknight |editor-first=Nigel |url=https://archive.org/details/spaceyear199100nige |title=Space year 1991: the complete record of the year's space events |year=1990 |isbn=0-87938-482-4 |location=Osceola, Wis. |oclc=23658738 |ol=11177264M |publisher=Motorbooks International }}</ref>

''Atlantis'' landed at 18:08:44{{nbsp}}UTC (10:08:44{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Pacific Time Zone|PST]], local time at the landing site) on March 4, 1990, at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]], on runway 23 ending the STS-36. The orbiter's rollout distance was {{Convert|2.41|km|mi nmi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Dumoulin">{{cite web|url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-36/mission-sts-36.html|title=STS-36|last=Dumoulin|first=Jim|publisher=NASA|access-date=July 3, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210515151602/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-36/mission-sts-36.html|archive-date=May 15, 2021|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref> ''Atlantis'' was towed to the 
[[Mate-Demate Device]] by around 15:00 PST.

About 62 impacts in the shuttle's [[Space Shuttle thermal protection system|Thermal Protection System]] (TPS) tiles were counted by the debris team after the mission. Tile engineers reported that only one tile required replacement. The brakes and tires performed nominally. Drops of hydraulic fluid were observed in the right main landing gear wheel well, the [[liquid hydrogen]] {{Convert|43|cm|in|abbr=on}} disconnect cavity and possibly around two of the main engines.<ref name="sts36-analysis">{{Cite tech report |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19900013267/downloads/19900013267.pdf |title=Debris/ice/TPS assessment and photographic analysis for Shuttle Mission STS-36 |last=Stevenson |first=Charles G. |last2=Katnik |first2=Gregory N. |last3=Higginbotham |first3=Scott A. |date=April 1, 1990 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240827232902/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19900013267/downloads/19900013267.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=August 27, 2024 |access-date=August 27, 2024 |publisher=[[NASA]] |hdl-access=free |hdl=2060/19900013267}}</ref><ref name="mser-sts36">{{Cite tech report |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19920014001/downloads/19920014001.pdf |title=Mission Safety Evaluation Report for STS-36, Postflight Edition |last=Hill |first=William C. |last2=Finkel |first2=Seymour I. |date=June 15, 1990 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240831172453/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19920014001/downloads/19920014001.pdf |url-status=live |archive-date=August 31, 2024 |access-date=August 31, 2024 |publisher=[[NASA]] |hdl-access=free |hdl=2060/19920014001}}</ref>

== Mission insignia ==
The thirty-six stars on the insignia symbolize the flight's numerical designation in the [[Space Transportation System]]'s mission sequence; the stars also form part of a stylized [[Flag of the United States|American flag]], forming the background to an image of a [[bald eagle]], the American [[List of national birds|national bird]].

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
* [[Militarization of space]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|30em}}

== External links ==
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle34.htm STS-36 Video Highlights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021143018/http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle34.htm |date=October 21, 2013 }} – NSS.org
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-36/mission-sts-36.html STS-36 Mission Summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100527215959/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-36/mission-sts-36.html |date=May 27, 2010 }} – NASA.gov

{{Space Shuttle Atlantis}}
{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions}}
{{Orbital launches in 1990}}

[[Category:Space Shuttle missions]]
[[Category:Edwards Air Force Base]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1990]]
[[Category:Department of Defense Space Shuttle missions]]