STS-36 (34)

Atlantis (6)

Pad 39-A (38)

34th Shuttle mission

6th Flight OV-104

4th Night launch

Crew:

John O. Creighton (2), Commander

John H. Casper (1), Pilot

Richard M. Mullane (3), Mission Specialist 1

David C. Hilmers (3), Mission Specialist 2

Pierre J. Thuot (1), Mission Specialist 3

Milestones:

OPF - Oct. 30, 1989

VAB - Jan. 19, 1990

PAD - Jan. 25, 1990

Payload:

DoD(6)

Mission Objectives:

Click here for Additional Info on STS-36

Launch:

February 28, 1990, 2:50:22 a.m. EST. Launch set for Feb. 22 postponed to Feb 23, Feb. 24, and Feb. 25 due to illness of the crew commander and weather conditions. First time since Apollo 13 in 1970 that manned space mission was affected by illness of crew member. Launch set for Feb. 25 scrubbed due to malfunction of range safety computer. Launch set for Feb. 26 scrubbed due to weather conditions. (Note: external tank loaded only for launch attempts on Feb. 25 and 26, and launch on Feb. 28.) Launch Feb. 28 set for classified window lying within launch period extending from 12 midnight to 4 a.m. EST. Launch Weight: Classified.

Orbit:

Altitude: 132

Inclination: 62.0 degrees

Orbits: 72

Duration: 4 days, 10 hours, 18 minutes, 22 seconds.

Distance: 1,920,000 miles (approx)

Hardware:

SRB: BI-036

SRM: 360L009

ET : 33/LWT-26

MLP : 1

SSME-1: SN-2019

SSME-2: SN-2030

SSME-3: SN-2027

Landing:

March 4, 1990, 10:08:44 a.m. PST, Runway 23, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 7,900 feet. Rollout time: 53 sec. Orbiter returned to KSC on March 13,1990. Landing Weight: 187,200 lbs.

Mission Highlights:

Sixth mission dedicated to Department of Defense.

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