STS-43 (42)

Atlantis (9)

Pad 39-A (41)

42nd Shuttle mission

9th Flight OV-104

Scheduled KSC landing

8th KSC landing

Crew:

John E. Blaha (3), Commander

Michael A. Baker (1), Pilot

Shannon W. Lucid (3), Mission Specialist 1

James C. Adamson (2), Mission Specialist2

G. David Low (2), Mission Specialist 3

Milestones:

OPF - April 19,1991

VAB - June 19,1991

PAD - June 25,1991

Payload:

TRDS-E,SSBUV-03,SHARE-II,OCTW-01,TPCE

Mission Objectives:

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Launch:

August 2,1991, 11:01:59 a.m. EDT. Launch originally set for July 23, but was moved to July 24 to allow time to replace a faulty integrated electronics assembly that controls orbiter/external tank separation. Mission postponed again about five hours before liftoff on July 24 due to a faulty main engine controller on number three main engine. Controller replaced and retested; launch reset for Aug. 1. Liftoff set for 11:01 a.m. delayed due to cabin pressure vent valve reading and postponed at 12:28 p.m. due to unacceptable return-to-launch site weather conditions. Launch reset for Aug. 2. Launch Weight: 259,374 lbs.

Orbit:

Altitude: 174nm

Inclination: 28.45 degrees

Orbits: 142

Duration: 8 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds.

Distance: 3,700,400 miles

Hardware:

SRB: BI-045

SRM: 360L017

ET : 47/LWT-40

MLP : 1

SSME-1: SN-2024

SSME-2: SN-2012

SSME-3: SN-2028

Landing:

August 11, 1991, 8:23:25 a.m. EDT, Runway 15, Kennedy Space Center, Fla. Rollout distance: 9,890 feet. Rollout time: 60 seconds. First landing scheduled at KSC since 61-C in January 1986 (which was diverted to Edwards). Landing Weight: 196,088 lbs.

Mission Highlights:

Primary payload, Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-5 (TDRS-5) attached to an inertial Upper Stage (I US), deployed about six hours into flight, and IUS propelled satellite into geosynchronous orbit; TDRS-5 becomes fourth member of orbiting TDRS cluster. Secondary payloads were Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element II (SHARE II); Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultra-Violet (SSBUV) instrument; Tank Pressure Control Equipment (TPCE) and Optical Communications Through Windows (OCTW). Other experiments included Auroral Photography Experiment (APE-E) Protein Crystal Growth Ill (PCG Ill); Bioserve / Instrumentation Technology Associates Materials Dispersion Apparatus (BIMDA); Investigations Into Polymer Membrane Processing (IPMP); Space Acceleration Measurement System (SAMS); Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE); Ultraviolet Plume imager (UVPI); and the Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment.

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