View source for STS-53

{{Short description|1992 American crewed spaceflight for the Department of Defense}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2022}}
{{Infobox spaceflight
| name               = STS-53
| names_list         = [[Space Transportation System]]-53
| image              = STS-053 shuttle.jpg
| image_caption      = Launch of ''Discovery'' for a [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]] (DoD) mission
| mission_type       = [[United States Department of Defense|DoD]] satellite deployment
| operator           = [[NASA]]
| mission_duration   = {{time interval|December 2, 1992, 13:24:00|December 9, 1992, 20:43:17|show=dhms|sep=,}}
| distance_travelled = {{cvt|3,034,680|mi|order=flip}}
| orbits_completed   = 116
| spacecraft         = {{OV|103}}
| launch_mass        = {{cvt|110655|kg}}
| landing_mass       = {{cvt|87565|kg}}
| payload_mass       = {{cvt|11860|kg}}
| crew_size          = 5
| crew_members       = {{Unbulleted list|[[David M. Walker (astronaut)|David M. Walker]]|[[Robert D. Cabana]]|[[Guion Bluford]]|[[Michael R. Clifford]]|[[James S. Voss]]}}
| launch_date        = {{Start date text|December 2, 1992, 13:24:00|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}[[Coordinated Universal Time|UTC]] (8:24{{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       = {{End date text|December 9, 1992, 20:43:17|timezone=yes}}{{nbsp}}UTC (12:43:47{{nbsp}}am{{nbsp}}[[Pacific Standard Time|PST]])
| landing_site       = [[Edwards Air Force Base|Edwards]], Runway{{nbsp}}22
| orbit_reference    = [[Geocentric orbit]]
| orbit_regime       = [[Low Earth orbit]]
| orbit_periapsis    = {{cvt|365|km}}
| orbit_apoapsis     = {{cvt|376|km}}
| orbit_inclination  = 57.00°
| orbit_period       = 92.00 minutes
| apsis              = gee
| instruments        = {{ubl|Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST)|Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS)|Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM)|Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE)|Get Away Special (GAS)|Shuttle Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP)|Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User-friendly, Location-targeting and Environmental System (HERCULES)|Microcapsules in Space (MIS-l)|Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME-III)|Space Tissue Loss (STL)|Visual Function Tester (VFT-2)}}
| insignia           = STS-53 patch.svg
| insignia_caption   = STS-53 mission patch
| crew_photo         = Sts-53_crew.jpg
| crew_photo_caption = Back: [[David M. Walker (astronaut)|Walker]], [[Robert D. Cabana|Cabana]] and [[Michael R. Clifford|Clifford]]<br/>Front: [[Guion Bluford|Bluford]] and [[James S. Voss|Voss]]
| programme          = [[Space Shuttle program]]
| previous_mission   = [[STS-52]]
| next_mission       = [[STS-54]]
}}

'''STS-53''' was a [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle]] [[Space Shuttle Discovery|''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 [[Christopher C. Kraft Jr. Mission Control Center|MCR-2]] in JSC. Afterwards the room was restored entirely to its Apollo era appearance.

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

| position1   = Commander
| crew1_up    = [[David M. Walker (astronaut)|David M. Walker]]
| flights1_up = Third

| position2   = Pilot
| crew2_up    = [[Robert D. Cabana]]
| flights2_up = Second

| position3   = Mission Specialist 1
| crew3_up    = [[Guion Bluford]]
| flights3_up = Fourth and last

| position4   = Mission Specialist 2<br>Flight Engineer
| crew4_up    = [[James S. Voss]]
| flights4_up = Second

| position5   = Mission Specialist 3
| crew5_up    = [[Michael R. Clifford]]
| flights5_up = First
}}

=== Crew seat assignments ===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
! Seat<ref>{{cite web|title=STS-53|url=http://spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-53.htm|publisher=Spacefacts|access-date=July 29, 2024}}</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| Walker 
|-
! 2
|colspan=2| Cabana
|-
! 3
|Bluford
|Clifford
|-
! 4
|colspan=2| Voss
|-
! 5
|Clifford
|Bluford
|-
! 6
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|-
! 7
|colspan=2 style="background-color:lightgray"| ''Unused''
|}

== Mission highlights ==
''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.<ref name="STS53KSC"/>

''Discovery''{{'}}s primary payload, [[List of USA satellites|USA-89]] (1992-086B) is also known as [https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/spacecraft/display.action?id=STSDOD1 "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 satellite|military communications satellite]], after [[List of USA satellites|USA-40]] on [[STS-28]] and [[STS-38]]'s deployment of [[List of USA satellites|USA-67]].<ref name="STS53KSC">{{cite web|url=https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-53/mission-sts-53.html|title=STS-53 (52)|publisher=NASA|date=June 29, 2001|access-date=February 11, 2022|archive-date=March 18, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318083302/https://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-53/mission-sts-53.html|url-status=dead}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>

Secondary payloads contained in or attached to [[Get Away Special]] (GAS) hardware in the cargo bay included the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres ([[ODERACS 2A|ODERACS]]) satellites and the combined Shuttle Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP).<ref name="STS53KSC"/>

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 ([[Nikon NASA F4|HERCULES]]); Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST); and the Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS).<ref name="STS53KSC"/>

== Mission insignia ==
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.

== See also ==
{{Portal|Spaceflight}}
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
* [[Militarization of space]]
* [[Nikon NASA F4]]
* [[Outline of space science]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* [http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-53/mission-sts-53.html NASA mission summary] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421130654/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/shuttle/missions/sts-53/mission-sts-53.html |date=April 21, 2012 }}
* [http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle52.htm STS-53 Video Highlights] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029192723/http://www.nss.org/resources/library/shuttlevideos/shuttle52.htm |date=October 29, 2013 }}

{{Space Shuttle Discovery}}
{{All U.S. Space Shuttle Missions}}
{{Orbital launches in 1992}}

[[Category:Space Shuttle missions]]
[[Category:Edwards Air Force Base]]
[[Category:Spacecraft launched in 1992]]
[[Category:Department of Defense Space Shuttle missions]]