Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 1 

NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION 

SPACE SHUTTLE 

MISSION 

STS-53 

PRESS KIT 

DECEMBER 1992 

NINTH DEDICATED DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE MISSION 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 2 

STS-53 INSIGNIA 

STS053-S-001 -- Designed by the crewmembers, the STS-53 insignia shows the space shuttle Discovery 

rising to new achievements as it trails the symbol of the Astronaut Office against a backdrop of the 

American flag. The five stars and three stripes also serve to symbolize the mission designation (STS-53) 

and America's continuing commitment to world leadership in space. The pentagonal shape of the insignia 

represents the Department of Defense and its support of the space shuttle program. The band delineating 

the flag from space includes the four colors of the military services of the crewmembers. 

The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other 

official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the 

form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we 

do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 3 

PUBLIC AFFAIRS CONTACTS 

NASA Headquarters 

Office of Space Flight/Office of Space Systems Development 

Mark Hess/Jim Cast/Ed Campion 

(Phone: 202/453-8536) 

Office of Space Science and Applications 

Paula Cleggett-Haleim/Mike Braukus/Brian Dunbar 

(Phone: 202/453-1547) 

Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology 

Drucella Andersen/Les Dorr 

(Phone: 202/453-2754) 

Office of Safety & Mission Quality/Office of Space Communications 

Dwayne Brown 

(Phone: 202/358-0547) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

Department of Defense 

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs 

Maj. Dave Thurston 

(Phone: 703/695-5766) 

USAF Space and Missile Systems Center Public Affairs 

Betty Ciotti Dave Hess 

(Phone: 310/363-6836) (Phone: 310/363-6836 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 

NASA Centers 

Ames Research Center Langley Research Center 

Jane Hutchison Jean Drummond Clough 

(Phone: 415/604-4968) (Phone: 804/864-6122) 

 

Ames-Dryden Flight Research Facility Lewis Research Center 

Nancy Lovato Mary Ann Peto 

(Phone: 805/258-3448) (Phone: 216/433-2899) 

 

Goddard Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center 

Dolores Beasley June Malone 

(Phone: 301/286-2806) (Phone: 205/544-0034) 

 

Jet Propulsion Laboratory Stennis Space Center 

James Wilson Myron Webb 

(Phone: 818/354-5011) (Phone: 601/688-3341) 

 

Johnson Space Center Wallops Flight Center 

James Hartsfield Keith Koehler 

(Phone: 713/483-5111) (Phone: 804/824-1579) 

Kennedy Space Center, FL 

George Diller 

(Phone: 407/867-2468) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 4 

CONTENTS 

GENERAL BACKGROUND 

 General Release 5 

 Media Services Information 6 

 Quick-Look-Facts 7 

 Summary Timeline 8 

 Vehicle and Payload Weights 9 

 Trajectory Sequence of Events 10 

 Space Shuttle Abort Modes 11 

 Prelaunch Processing 12 

CARGO BAY PAYLOADS 

 Primary Payload – DOD-1 13 

 Secondary Cargo Bay Payloads 13 

 Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP) 13 

 Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) 16 

SECONDARY INCABIN PAYLOADS AND EXPERIMENTS 

 Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST) 18 

 Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS) 18 

 Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM) 18 

 Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) 21 

 Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User -friendly, Location-targeting and 

 Environmental System (HERCULES) 24 

 Microcapsulation in Space-1 (MIS-1) 26 

 Radiation Monitoring Experiment-III (RME-III) 28 

 Space Tissue Loss (STL) 28 

 Visual Function Tester-2 (VFT-2) 29 

CREW BIOGRAPHIES & MISSION MANAGEMENT 

 STS-53 Crew Biographies 31 

 Mission Management for STS-53 34 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 5 

RELEASE: 92-185 December 1992 

DISCOVERY TO FLY CLASSIFIED DEFENSE PAYLOAD 

The newly-refurbished and modified Space Shuttle Discovery is scheduled to make its 15th orbital flight 

this month on a dedicated Department of Defense (DOD) mission. The STS-53 primary payload, 

designated DOD-1, is classified and represents the last major military payload currently planned for the 

Shuttle fleet. 

"Nine DOD primary payloads have been carried into space by the Shuttle since 1985," said NASA 

Administrator Daniel S. Goldin. "The fact that complex mutual objectives have been achieved by two 

federal organizations, chartered with often-divergent goals, is a wonderful and remarkable demonstration 

of interagency cooperation at its best." 

"STS-53 marks a milestone in our long and productive partnership with NASA. We have enjoyed 

outstanding support from the Shuttle program. Although this is the last dedicated Shuttle payload, we look 

forward to continued involvement with the program with DOD secondary payloads," added Martin C. 

Faga, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Space). 

STS-53 Payloads 

Although no public discussion of the identity and purpose of DOD-1 will take place due to national 

security concerns, a number of secondary experiments in the cargo bay and in Discovery's cabin will be 

openly conducted throughout the planned 7-day, 5-hour, 54- minute mission. 

Among many secondary experiments will be medical studies of the effects of microgravity on cells from 

bone tissue, muscles and blood and the release of 2-, 4- and 6-inch metal spheres into space to test groundbased capabilities of detecting potentially dangerous debris in low-Earth orbit. 

Military examination of a human's ability to observe ground- based phenomena from space will be carried 

out during the mission as will continuous measurements of the amount and types of radiation levels that 

accumulate in the crew cabin. Many of the STS-53 medical observations will apply directly to planning for 

human occupation of Space Station Freedom by the end of this decade. 

Experienced Flight Crew 

Four of Discovery's five crew members have flown in space before. Mission Commander David Walker 

will be making his third flight; Pilot Robert Cabana his second; Mission Specialists Guion Bluford and Jim 

Voss their fourth and second, respectively. Mission Specialist Michael Richard Clifford will be making his 

first flight. The Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Army (2) are represented by the all-military crew. 

Discovery Face Lift 

STS-53 will be Discovery's first mission since January 1992, when it successfully completed the 

International Microgravity Laboratory-1 flight, STS-42. 

In the intervening months, the vehicle, like other members of the fleet, has undergone extensive structural 

inspections, modifications and equipment upgrades to insure its flight worthiness and ability to 

technologically perform on a level equal to that of its spaceborne peers. 

(END OF GENERAL RELEASE; BACKGROUND INFORMATION FOLLOWS.) 
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MEDIA SERVICES INFORMATION 

SPECIAL NOTICE: Department of Defense-1 (DOD-1), the primary payload on mission STS-53, is 

classified. As a result, NASA's normal Space Shuttle public affairs activities will be altered, slightly, to 

accommodate the national security interests of the DOD. In particular, the primary payload and activities 

associated with it will not be identified or discussed before, during or after the flight in any public forum or 

medium, including briefings, printed materials or interviews. NASA Select television and mission 

commentary also will be affected -- but, again, only slightly. Specific information concerning changes in 

STS-53 public affairs activities and practices will be released in a separate document no later than one 

week before launch. 

NASA Select Television Transmission 

NASA Select television is available on Satcom F-2R, Transponder 13, located at 72 degrees west 

longitude, frequency 3960.0 MHz, audio 6.8 MHz. 

The schedule for television transmissions from the orbiter and for mission briefings will be available 

during the mission at Kennedy Space Center, FL; Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL; AmesDryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA; Johnson Space Center, Houston and NASA Headquarters, 

Washington, DC. The television schedule will be updated to reflect changes dictated by mission 

operations. 

Television schedules also may be obtained by calling COMSTOR 713/483-5817. COMSTOR is a 

computer database service requiring the use of a telephone modem. A voice recording of the television 

schedule is updated daily at noon Eastern Time. 

Status Reports 

Status reports on countdown and mission progress, on-orbit activities and landing operations will be 

produced by the appropriate NASA news center. 

Briefings 

A mission press briefing schedule will be issued prior to launch. During the mission, change-of-shift 

briefings by a flight director will occur at least once per day. The updated NASA Select television schedule 

will indicate when mission briefings are planned. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 7 

STS-53 QUICK LOOK 

Launch Date and Site: Dec. 2, 1992, Kennedy Space Center, FL -- Pad 39A 

Launch Window: 6:59 a.m. EST 

Orbiter: Discovery's 15th Flight 

Orbit/Inclination: 200 x 200 n.m. at 57 degrees (DOD-1) 

 175 x 176 n.m. / 57 degrees (ODERACS deploy) 

Landing Time/Date: 12:53 p.m. EST, Dec. 9 

Primary Landing Site: Kennedy Space Center, FL 

Abort Landing Sites: 

 Return To Launch Site Abort: - Kennedy Space Center 

 Transatlantic Abort -- Zaragoza, Spain -- Prime; 

 Ben Guerir, Morocco -- Alternate 

 Moron, Spain -- Alternate 

 Abort-Once-Around: - Edwards AFB, Calif. -- Prime 

 KSC/White Sands, NM -- Alternates 

 

Crew: David Walker - Commander 

 Robert Cabana - Pilot 

 Guion Bluford - MS1 

 Michael Clifford - MS2 

 James Voss - MS3 

 

Cargo Bay Payloads: Department of Defense-1 (DOD-1) 

 Glow Experiment/Cryogenic Heat Pipe (GCP) 

 Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) 

 

Middeck Payloads: Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST) 

 Clouds Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS-1A) 

 Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM) 

 Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) 

 Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time Cooperative, User-friendly, LocationTargeting and Environmental System (HERCULES) 

 Microcapsules in Space (MIS) 

 Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III) 

 Space Tissue Loss (STL) 

 Visual Function Tester-2 (VFT-2) 

 Ultraviolet Plume Instrument 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 8 

STS-53 SUMMARY TIMELINE 

Flight Day One 

Launch/Post Insertion 

Primary payload activities 

Flight Day Two 

GCP operations 

HERCULES operations 

VFT-2 operations 

FARE operations 

OMS-3 

OMS-4 

Flight Day Three 

ODERACS deploy 

GCP operations 

HERCULES operations 

BLAST operations 

FARE operations 

Flight Day Four 

HERCULES operations 

BLAST operations 

FARE operations 

Flight Day Five 

HERCULES operations 

GCP operations 

BLAST operations 

FARE operations 

Flight Day Six 

GCP Operations 

HERCULES operations 

BLAST operations 

Flight Day Seven 

GCP Operations 

Flight Control Systems checkout 

Cabin Stow 

Flight Day Eight 

Deorbit Preparation 

Deorbit Burn 

Entry, Landing 
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STS-53 VEHICLE AND PAYLOAD WEIGHTS 

 Pounds

 

Orbiter (Discovery) Empty and three SSMEs 173,596 

Department of Defense-1 and Support Equipment (DOD-1) 23,215 

Glow/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP) 1,542 

Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS) 747 

Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor (BLAST) 125 

HERCULES 135 

Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) 243 

Microcapsules in Space Experiment MIS) 140 

Total Vehicle at Solid Rocket Booster Ignition 4,506,246 

Orbiter Landing Weight 193,045 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 10 

STS-53 TRAJECTORY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS 

Event 

Elapsed 

Time 

(d/h:m:s) 

Velocity

(fps) Mach 

Altitude 

(feet) 

 

Launch 00/00:00:00 

Begin Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:10 188 0.17 799 

End Roll Maneuver 00/00:00:19 428 0.38 3,653 

SSME Throttle Down (67 Percent) 00/00:00:31 741 0.67 9,914 

Max. Dynamic Pressure (Max Q) 00/00:00:53 1,210 1.16 28,605 

SSME Throttle Up (104 Percent) 00/00:01:04 1,514 1.54 41,289 

SRB Separation 00/00:02:04 4,151 3.79 154,703 

Main Engine Cutoff (MECO) 00/00:08:36 25,032 22.0 373,332 

Zero Thrust 00/00:08:42 25,057 21.55 377,730 

Fuel Tank Separation 00/00:08:54 

OMS-2 Burn 00/00:36:57 

Deorbit Burn 07/04:51:00 

Landing at KSC 07/05:54:00 

Apogee, Perigee at MECO: 198 x 11 nautical miles 

Apogee, Perigee after OMS-2: 201 x 200 nautical miles 
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SPACE SHUTTLE ABORT MODES 

Space Shuttle launch abort philosophy aims toward safe and intact recovery of the flight crew, orbiter and 

its payload. Abort modes include: 

• Abort-To-Orbit (ATO) -- Partial loss of main engine thrust late enough to permit reaching a minimal 

105-nautical mile orbit with orbital maneuvering system engines. 

• Abort-Once-Around (AOA) -- Earlier main engine shutdown with the capability to allow one orbit 

around before landing at either Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., White Sands Space Harbor, NM, or 

the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF) at the Kennedy Space Center, FL. 

• Transatlantic Abort Landing (TAL) -- Loss of one or more main engines midway through powered 

flight would force a landing at either Zaragoza, Spain; Ben Guerir, Morocco; or Moron, Spain. 

• Return-To-Launch-Site (RTLS) -- Early shutdown of one or more engines, and without enough energy 

to reach Zaragoza, would result in a pitch around and thrust back toward KSC until within gliding 

distance of the Shuttle Landing Facility. 

STS-53 contingency landing sites are Edwards Air Force Base, the Kennedy Space Center, White Sands 

Space Harbor, Zaragoza, Ben Guerir and Moron. 
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STS-53 PRELAUNCH PROCESSING 

The orbiter Discovery spent much of the past year in the Orbiter Processing Facility (OPF) undergoing 

extensive improvements and modifications. 

Following its most recent mission, STS-42 in January 1992, Discovery was ferried from its landing site at 

Edwards Air Force Base to Kennedy Space Center on Feb. 16 and rolled into OPF bay 2. 

After the International Microgravity Laboratory was removed from the orbiter's payload bay on Feb. 23, 

work began to remove other significant pieces of flight hardware such as the Forward Reaction Control 

System, both Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) pods, the three main engines, and the body flap. 

During its 6-month modification period, 78 modifications were conducted on the vehicle. The most 

significant included the addition of a drag chute, the capability for redundant nose wheel steering, 

improved auxiliary power units and making improvements to the vehicle's avionics packages. Also, wing 

strut inspections were conducted and the Freon service loop was reserviced. 

In late July, the three main engines were installed on Discovery. Engine 2024 is in the number 1 position, 

engine 2012 is in the number 2 position and engine 2017 is in the number 3 position. 

A standard 43-hour launch countdown is scheduled to begin 3 days prior to liftoff. About 9 hours before 

launch, the external tank will be filled with a half million gallons of liquid oxygen and liquid hydrogen 

propellants. Approximately 3 hours before launch, the crew will depart their quarters at KSC, be driven to 

the pad and take their assigned seats in the crew compartment. 

Discovery's end-of-mission landing is planned at Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. 

Discovery's next mission, STS-56, is an 8-day flight featuring the ATLAS-2 payload. Launch is scheduled 

for early next year. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 13 

PRIMARY PAYLOAD 

Department of Defense-1 (DOD-1) is the primary cargo bay payload for mission STS-53. The identity and 

purpose of DOD-1 are classified. 

SECONDARY CARGO BAY PAYLOADS 

Shuttle Glow/Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (GCP) 

Shuttle Glow (GLO) 

The Shuttle Glow (GLO) experiment is sponsored by the Geophysics Directorate of the Air Force's Phillips 

Laboratory, Albuquerque, NM. GLO is being integrated and flown on STS-53 under the direction of the 

Department of Defense's Space Test Program. GLO will use the Arizona Imaging Spectrograph (AIS) to 

investigate Shuttle/environment interactions such as atomic oxygen surface glow on the orbiter's tail and 

other surfaces and wake phenomena. The AIS will observe the orbiter's orbital maneuvering system pods, 

OMS and reaction control system jet firings, waste water dumps and flash evaporative cooler system 

operations. 

The AIS has cameras and spectrographs to record in the ultraviolet, visible and infrared bands. The AIS is 

almost identical to the Infrared Background Signature Survey instrument which flew on STS-39. The AIS 

is mounted in the cargo bay to a hitchhiker small plate. 

In operation, the crew powers on the experiment. Johnson Space Center enables payload commanding from 

the "remote" payload operations control center (POCC) at Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), 

Greenbelt, MD. GSFC sends the "hitchhiker" configuration commands and enables the experimenters to 

send commands to configure the AIS (exposure time, number of detectors to use). The crew performs any 

required action (jet firing, water dump, etc.), and the observations are made. The data is downlinked to the 

POCC so viewing by the experimenters is near real-time. 

Cryogenic Heat Pipe Experiment (CRYOHP) 

The Cryogenic Heat Pipe (CRYOHP) experiment is a joint Department of Defense/NASA experiment to 

test advanced technology that will make it easier to reject excess heat from infrared sensors, instruments 

and space vehicles. 

Electronics, mechanical systems and people all generate heat aboard a spacecraft. Unless the heat is 

rejected into space, sensors, instruments and systems will overheat and fail or return bad data. 

A heat pipe is a simple, highly dependable way to reject heat. It is a closed vessel containing a fluid, with 

no moving mechanical parts. Instead, it uses the natural phenomena of liquids absorbing heat to evaporate 

and release that heat when they condense. 

In a typical system, waste heat from the sensor or instrument evaporates the liquid at one end of the heat 

pipe and the vapor condenses and releases heat to space at the other end. Capillary action moves the fluid 

back to the evaporator end. 

The prime goal of the Cryogenic Heat Pipe experiment is to prove that cryogenic (very low temperature) 

heat pipes can reliably start up and operate at -351 to minus 198 degrees F (minus 213 to minus 128 

degrees C). Supercold liquid oxygen serves as the working fluid in CRYOHP instead of the water, 

ammonia or Freon used by most heat pipe concepts. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 14 

CRYOHP flies in a Hitchhiker canister mounted on the right side wall of Discovery's payload bay. The 

canister houses two heat pipe designs, one made by TRW, Torrance, CA, and the other by Hughes Aircraft 

Co. Electron Dynamics Division, Huntington Beach, CA. It also contains five Stirling cryogenic coolers to 

maintain cold temperatures, power and electronic control boxes and an upper end plate that lets heat escape 

to space. 

Discovery's crew will turn CRYOHP on about 8.5 hours after liftoff. Eight sets of tests will be run 

alternating between the two heat pipes, starting with the TRW design. The runs will last from 7.5 and 27 

hours for each concept. The Payload Operations Control Center at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center 

will send all commands to CRYOHP and receive all telemetry during the STS-53 mission. 

Co-investigators for the Cryogenic Heat Pipe experiment are Roy McIntosh of Goddard Space Flight 

Center and Jerry Beam of the U.S. Air Force Wright Aeronautical Laboratories, Dayton, Ohio. 

NASA's Hitchhiker project was created in early 1984 to provide a quick reaction and low cost capability 

for flying small payloads in the Shuttle payload bay. This is done with a short turn-around time -- from 

manifest to flight takes an average of 18 months. Hitchhikers are intended for customers whose space 

activity requires power, data or command services. 

Hitchhiker payloads are entitled to special "handling" in the orbiter that other small payloads, like the Get 

Away Specials, do not receive. This special handling includes tapping into the Shuttle for power and 

astronaut services such as requiring specific Shuttle attitudes or maneuvers. The orbiter crew moves the 

Shuttle when necessary to the position needed for the Hitchhiker experiment, provided it does not interfere 

with the needs of the primary payloads. 

Hitchhikers are manifested to fly with primary payloads that either have similar requirements or that will 

not be affected by the changes in Shuttle position necessary to the Hitchhiker experiments. 
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Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 16 

Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System (ODERACS) 

The Orbital Debris Radar Calibration System (ODERACS) experiment will release six calibration spheres 

from Discovery. The spheres -- two 6-inches in diameter, two 4-inches in diameter and two 2-inches in 

diameter -- will be placed in a 175 nautical- mile-high (377 kilometer) orbit when they are ejected from the 

Shuttle's cargo bay. 

The primary objective of the ODERACS experiment is to provide a source for fine-tuning of the Haystack 

Radar, located in Tyngsboro, MA, and operated by the Lincoln Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of 

Technology for the Air Force. NASA uses information from the radar as part of the inputs gathered to 

measure the amount of debris in Earth orbit. The Haystack radar can observe objects as small as 1 

centimeter in diameter at ranges greater than 620 nautical miles (1,000 kilometers). 

The six spheres are planned to be ejected from Discovery on its 31st orbit and will be tracked by a number 

of radar facilities, including the Haystack Radar as well as several telescopes. Facilities around the world 

that will track the spheres include Millstone Radar, Kwajalein Radar, the Eglin Radar in Florida and the 

FGAN radar in Germany. Optical facilities that will track the spheres include the worldwide GEODDS 

telescope network, the NASA/Johnson Space Center telescope in Houston and the Super-RADOT 

telescope facility in the South Pacific. 

The spheres will help these facilities and others to better characterize their instruments by allowing them to 

home in on objects whose size, composition, reflectivity and electromagnetic scattering properties are well 

known. 

The four-inch spheres' useful life is about 70 days and they will reenter the atmosphere after approximately 

120 days. The 2- inch and 6-inch spheres have a useful life of about 45 days and will reenter after 

approximately 65 days. When they reenter the atmosphere, the spheres will be destroyed before they reach 

the ground. 

STS-53 Mission Specialist Michael Clifford will control the operation of the ODERACS Ejection System 

using a hand-held encoder to send commands to the Shuttle's Autonomous Payload Control System. 

Clifford will verify the ejection of all six spheres. Video and radar coverage will determine the actual 

ejection time and velocity. The velocity data will be used to update the computers that will calculate the 

spheres' locations to assist the telescope and radar systems in initially locating them. 

ODERACS Hardware 

The ODERACS Ejection System is contained in a standard 5- cubic-foot cylindrical canister, called a GetAway Special container. The ejection system has four subsystem elements consisting of release pins, 

ejection springs, electrical batteries and motor and structural support. 

The calibration spheres themselves are made to precise specifications. The 2-inch spheres are made of solid 

stainless steel and weigh 1.17 lbs. (0.532 kg); the 4-inch spheres, also solid stainless steel, weigh 9.36 lbs. 

(4.256 kg); and the 6-inch spheres, made of solid aluminum, weigh 11 lbs. (5 kg). 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 17 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 18 

SECONDARY IN-CABIN PAYLOADS, EXPERIMENTS 

Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST) 

The Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST) is an Army space project jointly sponsored by the 

Army Space Command, Colorado Springs, the Army Space Technology Research Office, Adelphi, MD, 

and the Night Vision Electro Optics Directorate, Ft. Belvoir, VA. 

The experiment is designed to demonstrate the technology associated with using a spaceborne laser 

receiver to detect laser energy from ground-based test locations. BLAST is being integrated and flown on 

the Space Shuttle under the direction of the Department of Defense's Space Test Program. 

BLAST is making its first flight. It will demonstrate the Army's ability to uplink Global Positioning System 

data through a laser medium. The test primarily will involve the use of two fixed optical tracking facilities 

located at the Air Force Maui Optical Site in Hawaii and the Air Force Malabar Test Facility in Palm Bay, 

FL. Additionally, portable tracking sites will be set up at various DOD field locations. 

A low power visible laser mounted on a gimbaled tracking system will track the Shuttle, based on the most 

recent NASA orbiter location information. The optical signal from the tracking facilities is captured by an 

on-board laser receiver mounted in the Shuttle flight deck overhead window. The optical signal is 

processed and displayed to the flight crew real-time and recorded for post mission analysis. Data obtained 

will be used to develop DOD sensor technology. 

Cloud Logic to Optimize Use of Defense Systems (CLOUDS) 

The objective of CLOUDS, a Military-Man-In-Space experiment, is to quantify the variation in apparent 

cloud cover as a function of the angle at which clouds are viewed from orbit. 

The equipment used is a standard Nikon 35 mm camera. A crew member simply points the camera at 

scenes of interest and continually photographs the scene as the orbiter passes over and away from the 

scene. The scenes of interest are identified by meteorologists on the ground and relayed to the Shuttle 

crew. Each mission has a specific meteorological or cloud feature of interest which will be emphasized. 

This mission will emphasize severe weather, to include thunderstorms and tropical storms. 

Data from the CLOUDS experiment will be stored in a high resolution data base for use by the 

meteorological community and various Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) initiatives. The 

DMSP system program office will use the data in the development and evaluation of future electro-optical 

sensors through the generation of standard scenes for model evaluation and the study of high incidence 

angle effects. 

CLOUDS has flown on various Shuttle missions since 1984 and is being integrated and flown on the Space 

Shuttle under the direction of the Department of Defense's Space Test Program. 

Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM) 

The CREAM experiment is designed to collect data on cosmic ray energy loss spectra, neutron fluxes and 

induced radioactivity. 

The data will be collected by active and passive monitors placed at specific locations throughout the 

Orbiter's cabin. CREAM data will be obtained from the same locations used to gather data for the 

Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III experiment in an attempt to correlate data between the two. 

The active monitor to obtain real-time spectral data, while the passive monitors will obtain data during the 

entire mission to be analyzed after the flight. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 19 

The flight hardware has the active cosmic ray monitor, a passive sodium iodide detector and up to five 

passive detector packages. All hardware fits in one locker on Discovery's middeck. 

Once in orbit, the payload will be unstowed and operated by the crew. A crew member will be available at 

regular intervals to monitor the experiment and to relocate the active detector. The CREAM flight is 

sponsored by the Department of Defense, and the experiment is provided by the United Kingdom Defense 

Research Agency at Farnborough, England. CREAM is being integrated and flown on the Space Shuttle 

under the direction of the DOD's Space Test Program. 

The experiment has already flown successfully on Missions 44 and 48 and has given important results on 

the buildup of secondary radiation with increased shielding as well as identifying a new region of trapped 

radiation over the South Atlantic. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 20 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 21 

Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Equipment (FARE) 

The Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) will investigate the dynamics of fluid transfer in 

microgravity. 

In space, fluid in a container does not readily settle on the bottom or leave a pocket of gas on top as it does 

on Earth. The orientation of liquids in weightlessness is highly unpredictable because the fluid may locate 

in any area within the container and may encapsulate large bubbles of gas. To replenish on-board fluids 

and prolong the life of space vehicles such as Space Station Freedom, satellites and extended duration 

orbiters, methods for transferring vapor-free propellants and other liquids must be developed. 

Housed in four middeck lockers, FARE is designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a device to alleviate 

the problems associated with vapor-free liquid transfer. The device exploits the surface tension of the 

liquid to control its position within the tank. 

The basic flight hardware consists of a 12.5 inches (30.48 cm) spherical supply tank and a 12.5 inches 

(30.48 cm) spherical receiver tank made of transparent acrylic. Additional items include liquid transfer 

lines, two pressurized air bottles, a calibrated cylinder and associated valves, lines, fittings, pressure gauges 

and a flowmeter display unit. 

The experiment is essentially self-contained, with the exception of a water-fill port, air-fill port and an 

overboard vent connected to the orbiter waste management system. 

Mission specialists will conduct this experiment eight times during the flight, using a sequence of manual 

valve operations. Air from the pressurized bottles will force fluid from the supply tank to the receiver tank 

and back to the supply tank eight times during the 8-hour operation. The receiver tank contains baffles to 

control fluid motions during the transfer and a fine mesh screen to filter vapor out of the liquid. An 

overboard vent will remove the vapor from the receiver tank as the fluid level rises. 

The FARE control panel, containing four pressure gauges and one temperature control gauge, will be used 

by the crew to monitor and control the experiment. Camcorder video tapes and 35 mm photographs will be 

made during the transfer process. The crew also will have the option of using air-to-ground communication 

to consult with the principal investigator. 

The test fluid used for this experiment is water with iodine used as a disinfectant; blue food coloring 

allowing better visibility of the liquid movement; a wetting solution, known as Triton X-100, to give the 

fluid the consistency of a propellant and an anti-foaming emulsion agent to prevent bubbles from forming 

in the receiver tank. 

Post-mission analysis of FARE will include evaluation of the experiment equipment, as well as review of 

camcorder video tapes and 35 mm photographs. Because there will be no real-time data downlink during 

this experiment, study and analysis of test data will not be conducted until after the mission. 

Historically, problems dealing with fluid transfer have been dealt with by using collapsible supply tanks to 

move liquid without any pressurant gas or vapor surface. These systems are heavier, more complex, more 

expensive and more prone to leakage during the transfer process than conventional methods of liquid 

containment, such as the FARE equipment. 

During this mission, FARE, managed by NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL, will use 

basic equipment developed by Martin Marietta for a previous experiment called the Storable Fluid 

Management Demonstration (SFMD), which flew on STS-51C in 1985. SFMD tested a different 

configuration of the fluid management device in the receiver tank than what is being tested on FARE. At 

Marshall, Susan L. Driscoll is Principal Investigator for FARE. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 22 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 23 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 24 

Hand-held, Earth-oriented, Real-time, Cooperative, User- friendly, Location-targeting and 

Environmental System (HERCULES) 

Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), Wash., DC, scientists have developed a new system that will allow a 

Shuttle astronaut in space to point a camera at an interesting feature on Earth, record the image and 

determine the latitude and longitude of the feature. 

Called HERCULES, the system is attached to a modified Nikon camera and employs a geolocation process 

which determines in real- time the latitude and longitude of points on Earth within 2 nautical miles. 

HERCULES will provide a valuable Earth observation system for military, environmental, oceanographic 

and meteorological applications. STS-53 is the first flight of HERCULES. It is scheduled to fly again 

aboard STS-56 in April 1993. HERCULES is being integrated and flown on the Space Shuttle under the 

direction of the Department of Defense's Space Test Program. 

The project is a joint Navy, Army and NASA effort. Scientists at NRL's Naval Center for Space 

Technology developed the HERCULES Attitude Processor (HAP) and the alignment, geolocation and 

human interface software to perform the geolocation. The other components in the system are a NASAbuilt Electronic Still Camera (ESC), a modified Nikon F-4 and Honeywell ring-laser gyro. 

On board the Shuttle, the astronaut will start the system by pointing the camera, with the attached gyro, at 

two known stars to obtain a bearing. The astronaut then "shoots" images by pointing the camera at the 

Earth and snapping the shutter. 

The camera communicates with HAP, which processes the data from the gyro and determines its absolute 

orientation in space. Then, the HAP passes this pointing information to the NRL software running on a 

NASA-modified GRID portable computer. The computer then determines the longitude and latitude of the 

image. 

The geolocation information is sent back to the camera by the HAP, where it is appended to the image data. 

The astronaut can view the image on the Shuttle and downlink it to Earth. The image and geolocation data 

also are stored in the ESC system for post- mission analysis. 

The system is a significant improvement over its predecessor called L-cubed. Under the L-cubed system, 

the astronauts had to take multiple images of the same target while simultaneously keeping the edge of the 

Earth in view, which limited image magnification. 

With HERCULES, the astronaut only needs to look at the point of interest, allowing the use of many 

different camera lenses. In the daytime, the system uses any Nikon-compatible lens. At night, it operates 

with an image intensifier developed by the Army's Night Vision Laboratory. At any magnification, images 

with no distinguishing demographic features can be captured and geolocated. HERCULES captures images 

digitally, which allows computer analysis and data dissemination, an improvement over the film-based Lcubed system. 

NRL scientists already are exploring enhancements to HERCULES. Incorporating Global Positioning 

System (GPS) hardware into HERCULES would provide a geolocation accuracy better than 1 nautical 

mile, and adding a gimbal system would allow the system to automatically track points on Earth. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 25 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 26 

Microencapsulation In Space (MIS) 

Microencapsulation in Space (MIS) will make its maiden flight on board Space Shuttle Discovery. 

Recently completed by the Controlled Release Division at Southern Research Institute, it is the objective of 

this Army project to increase the knowledge of microencapsulated drug technology. Sponsored by the U.S. 

Army Institute of Dental Research (USAIDR), U.S. Army Medical Research and Development Command 

and partially funded by the U.S. Army Laboratory Command, the experiment will fly several times over 

the next few years. 

MIS is being integrated and flown on the Space Shuttle under the direction of the Department of Defense's 

Space Test Program. In the first flight, Shuttle astronauts will perform two experiments incorporated in 

MIS to produce time-release antibiotic microcapsules. The antibiotic, ampicillin, will be microencapsulated 

with a biodegradable polymer. Scientists at Southern Research Institute and the U.S. Army have reason to 

believe that microcapsules made in weightlessness will have properties vastly superior to microcapsules 

made on Earth. 

Southern Research Institute scientists Dr. Thomas R. Tice, Principal Investigator, and Dr. Richard J. Holl, 

Program Manager, were responsible for the conception, design and construction of MIS. Dr. Jean A. 

Setterstrom of USAIDR, who obtained sponsorship and funding by first proposing the experiment to the 

Army, is the technical representative/coordinator. 

Microcapsules are tiny spheres typically 50 to 100 micrometers in diameter. For comparison, human hair is 

about 100 micrometers thick, and human blood cells are about 7 micrometers in diameter. 

Although microencapsulation was initially used to develop products such as carbonless copy paper and 

scratch and sniff products, it is now used for innovative pharmaceutical products and high-performance 

chemical products (smart materials). The use of micro-encapsulated pharmaceutical products has touched 

us all, ranging from taste-masked pediatric formulations, once- or twice- a-day oral formulations and oncea-month injectable formulations. 

These microcapsule products greatly improve therapeutic success. There is no doubt that time-release, 

drug-delivery technology will provide new approaches for innovative pharmaceutical products of the 

future. 

Scientists expect that the basic and applied knowledge gained from MIS will lead to better pharmaceutical 

products made on Earth as well as in space. The results of the MIS experiment could lead to new and 

exciting pharmaceutical manufacturing opportunities on Space Station Freedom. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 27 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 28 

Radiation Monitoring Equipment-III (RME-III) 

RME-III is an instrument which measures the exposure to ionizing radiation on the Space Shuttle. It 

displays the dose rate and total accumulated radiation dose to the astronaut operator. Simultaneously the 

device registers the number of radiation interactions and dose accumulated at 10 second intervals and 

stores the data in an internal memory for follow-up analysis upon return to Earth. 

The radiation detector used in the instrument is a spatial ionization chamber called a tissue equivalent 

proportional counter (TEPC). The device effectively simulates a target size of a few microns of tissue, the 

dimensions of a typical human cell. For this reason, TEPC-based instruments such as the RME-III are 

called micro-dosimeter instruments. 

RME stands for Radiation Monitoring Equipment, the name given to prototype dosimeter instruments 

flown on the Space Shuttle prior to STS-26. The RME-III has successfully flown on 12 Space Shuttle 

missions since STS-26. 

RME is being integrated and flown on this mission under the direction of the Defense Department's Space 

Test Program. It has been flown in conjunction with other radiation experiments, such as the CREAM 

(Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor) and SAM (Shuttle Activation Monitor). It is 

anticipated that RME will be flown on several future Space Shuttle missions. 

The data obtained from the RME-III is archived and is being used to update and refine models of the space 

radiation environment in low Earth orbit. This will assist space mission planners to more accurately assess 

risk and safety factors in future long- term space missions, such as Space Station Freedom. 

Next generation instruments similar to the RME-III will be flown on Space Station Freedom and on future 

manned and unmanned missions to the Moon, Mars and beyond. RME-III also is being used to measure 

radiation exposure in high altitude aircraft such as the Concorde. 

Space Tissue Loss (STL) 

The Department of Space Biosciences at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research (WRAIR) in 

Washington, DC, will see the second flight of its Space Tissue Loss (STL) model hardware aboard Space 

Shuttle Discovery. STL is being integrated and flown on the Shuttle under the direction of the Defense 

Department's Space Test Program. 

The STL module was developed to help scientists and Army medical practitioners understand more about 

the effects of space flight on fragile life systems, including the immune system, muscle and bone. When 

gravity is removed or reduced as in space travel, life systems degrade at a remarkable rate, very much like 

a rapid aging process or what occurs after severe trauma or infection. 

WRAIR and NASA's Life Sciences Division have entered into a joint project to study these effects in 

space. As part of the project, researchers will place a cell culture device, designed by Army scientists at 

WRAIR in a middeck payload locker on the Shuttle. The device will allow Walter Reed and NASA 

researchers to study cells from bone tissue, skeletal muscle, cardiac muscle, endothelial and white blood 

cells under various conditions. Testing will include the effect of different stimulants, hormones and drugs 

on cells in the microgravity environment. 

The STL study will help scientists understand more about how white cells respond to antigens from 

infectious agents and tumors. It also will show how space flight can cause the tremendous loss of calcium 

and minerals from bones and find ways to prevent or minimize bone failure in space and on Earth. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 29 

Findings from tests of muscle disintegration could yield more information about similar muscle failure that 

occurs in forms of Muscular Dystrophy, the loss of muscle mass after severe injury, prolonged bed rest and 

aging. 

Dr. George Kearney, research scientist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research is the Principal 

Investigator. Colonel Bill Wiesmann, MD, Director of the Division of Surgery, WRAIR, is the Program 

Manager. Tom Cannon, Department of Space Biosciences, WRAIR, is the Project Manager. They are 

supported by collaborative partners at WRAIR, the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology, NASA's Ames 

Research Center, University of Louisville Medical School, and a Defense Department's Space Test 

Program team of personnel from the Air Force, The Aerospace Corporation and Rockwell International. 

Visual Function Tester - Model II (VFT-2) 

Since 1984, Air Force scientists of the Armstrong Laboratory at Wright- Patterson AFB, Ohio, have been 

conducting a series of vision performance experiments on the Space Shuttle to assess the effect of 

microgravity on visual function. 

The second test device now being used is the Visual Function Tester - Model II (VFT-2), which measures 

the sensitivity of the eye to image contrast at threshold. The device is small, hand- held, battery-powered 

and presents three types of image patterns to the eye. This is the sixth in a series of flights with this tester. 

Two of the astronauts on STS-53 will participate in the experiment. They receive training in the use of 

VFT-2 and will take the test twice prior to space flight to establish their baseline performance, use VFT-2 

daily while in orbit, at landing and two times post-flight. The primary purpose of these vision experiments 

is to determine if any change in vision occurs while in space and if so, are the changes clinically significant 

and how quickly the individual recovers. 

Dr. Lee Task, research physicist, and Dr. (Lt. Col.) Mel O'Neal, research optometrist, of the Human 

Engineering Division, are the principal investigators for the VFT-2. They are assisted by personnel from 

the Air Force and Rockwell International located at the Johnson Space Center, Houston. This payload is a 

Department of Defense Space Test Program secondary experiment. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 30 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 31 

STS-53 CREWMEMBERS 

STS053-S-001 -- STS-53 Discovery, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 103, crewmembers, wearing launch and entry 

suits (LESs), pose for official crew portrait in front of a display and space shuttle orbiter model at the 

Space Center Houston (SCH) facility. Pictured are, left to right (front) mission specialists Guion S. Bluford 

and James S. Voss and (back row) mission commander David M. Walker, pilot Robert D. Cabana, and 

mission specialist Michael R. U. Clifford. Portrait made by NASA JSC contract photographer Jack Jacob. 

No copyright is asserted for this photograph. If a recognizable person appears in the photo, use for 

commercial purposes may infringe a right of privacy or publicity. It may not be used to state or imply the 

endorsement by NASA or by any NASA employee of a commercial product, process or service, or used in 

any other manner that might mislead. Accordingly, it is requested that if this photograph is used in 

advertising and other commercial promotion, layout and copy be submitted to NASA prior to release. 

PHOTO CREDIT: NASA or National Aeronautics and Space Administration. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 32 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

DAVID M. WALKER, 48, Capt., USN, will command STS-53. Selected as an astronaut in January 1978, 

Walker considers Eustis, FL, his hometown and will be making his third space flight. 

Walker graduated from Eustis High School in 1962 and received a bachelor's degree from the Naval 

Academy in 1966. After being designated a naval aviator in 1967, he was assigned to the aircraft carriers 

USS Enterprise and USS America flying F-4 Phantom aircraft. In 1971, he graduated from the Air Force 

Aerospace Research Pilot school and was assigned as a test pilot at the Naval Air Test Center. Walker has 

logged more than 5,500 flying hours. 

His first Shuttle flight was as Pilot of STS-51A in November 1984. He next flew as Commander of STS-30 

in May 1989. He has logged a total of 289 hours in space. 

ROBERT D. CABANA, 43, Col., USMC, will be Pilot. Selected as an astronaut in June 1985, Cabana 

considers Minneapolis his hometown and will be making his second space flight. 

Cabana graduated from Washburn High School in Minneapolis in 1967 and received a bachelor's degree in 

mathematics from the Naval Academy in 1971. He completed Naval Flight Officer training in 1972 and 

served as an A-6 bombardier/navigator with the Marine Air Wings in Cherry Point, NC, and Iwakuni, 

Japan. In 1976, he was designated a naval aviator and was assigned as an A-6 Intruder pilot at Cherry 

Point. He graduated from the Naval Test Pilot School in 1981 and was assigned to the Naval Air Test 

Center. Cabana has logged more than 4,100 hours in 32 different aircraft. 

Cabana's first Shuttle flight was as Pilot of STS-41 in October 1990. He has logged 98 hours in space. 

GUION S. BLUFORD Jr., 50, Col., USAF, will be Mission Specialist 1 (MS1). Selected as an astronaut 

in August 1979, Bluford considers Philadelphia his hometown and will be making his fourth space flight. 

Bluford graduated from Overbrook Senior High School in Philadelphia in 1960; received a bachelor's 

degree in aerospace engineering from Penn State in 1964; received a master's in aerospace engineering 

from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1974; received a doctorate in aerospace engineering with a 

minor in laser physics from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1978 and received a master in 

business administration from the University of Houston in Clear Lake in 1987. 

Bluford first flew as a mission specialist on STS-8 in September 1983. His next flight was as a mission 

specialist on STS-61A in November 1985. His third flight was as a mission specialist on STS-39 in April 

1991. He has logged more than 513 hours in space. 

JAMES S. VOSS, 43, Lt. Col., USA, will be Mission Specialist 2 (MS2). Selected as an astronaut in June 

1987, Voss considers Opelika, AL, his hometown and will be making his second space flight. 

Voss graduated from Opelika High School; received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from 

Auburn University in 1972 and received a master's in aerospace engineering from the University of 

Colorado in 1974. 

Voss began working at the Johnson Space Center in 1984, supporting Shuttle and payload testing at the 

Kennedy Space Center as a Vehicle Integration Test Engineer until his selection as an astronaut. His first 

Shuttle flight was STS-44 in November 1991. Voss has logged 166 hours in space. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 33 

BIOGRAPHICAL DATA 

MICHAEL RICHARD URAM CLIFFORD, 40, Lt. Col., USA, will be Mission Specialist 3 (MS3). 

Selected as an astronaut in January 1990, Clifford considers Ogden, Utah, his hometown and will be 

making his first space flight. 

Clifford graduated from Ben Lomond High School in Ogden in 1970; received a bachelor's degree from 

U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1974 and received a master's degree in aerospace engineering 

from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982. 

After graduation from West Point, Clifford was commissioned in the U.S. Army and assigned with the 

10th Calvary in Fort Carson, CO, for 2 years before entering the Army Aviation School in 1976. He was 

designated an Army aviator in 1976 and assigned with the Attack Troop, 2nd Armored Calvary in 

Nuremberg, West Germany. After completing his master's, he was assigned as an instructor and assistant 

professor at West Point in 1982. In 1986, he graduated from the Naval Test Pilot School. Clifford has 

logged more than 2,700 flying hours in fixed and rotary-wing aircraft. 

He was assigned to NASA by the military in 1987 and worked at the Johnson Space Center as a Shuttle 

vehicle integration engineer until his selection as an astronaut. 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 34 

MISSION MANAGEMENT FOR STS-53 

NASA HEADQUARTERS, WASHINGTON, DC 

Office of Space Flight 

Jeremiah W. Pearson III Associate Administrator 

Bryan O'Connor Deputy Associate Administrator 

Tom Utsman Space Shuttle Program Director 

Leonard Nicholson Space Shuttle Program Manager (located at JSC) 

Brewster Shaw Deputy Space Shuttle Program Manager (Located at KSC) 

Office of Space Science and Applications 

Dr. Lennard Fisk Associate Administrator 

Al Diaz Deputy Associate Administrator 

Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology 

Richard H. Petersen Associate Administrator 

Gregory M. Reck Director for Space Technology 

Jack Levine Manager, Space Experiments Office 

Arthur R. Lee Program Manager, Cryogenic Heat Pipe 

Office of Safety and Mission Quality 

Col. Frederick Gregory Associate Administrator 

Dr. Charles Pellerin Jr. Deputy Associate Administrator 

Richard Perry Director, Programs Assurance 

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE PAYLOAD MANAGEMENT 

Key Management Participants 

Brigadier General Donald R. Walker, USAF 

Director, Office of Space Systems 

Office of the Secretary of the Air Force Mission Director 

Colonel Robert Ballard, USAF 

Program Manager, Space Test and Transportation Systems 

HQ, Space and Missile Systems Center 

Los Angeles AFB, CA Deputy Mission Director 

Lt. Colonel James McLeroy, USAF 

Executive Director, Operating Location AW 

HQ Space and Missile Systems Center 

Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX Assistant Deputy Mission Director 

Major Butch Domino, USAF Mission Director Action Officer (JSC/OL-AW) 

Captain John Hennessey, USAF 

Captain Richard Martinez, USAF 

Captain Reid Maier, USAF 

Captain David Goldstein, USAF Secondary Payload Managers (JSC/OL-AW) 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 35 

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, FL 

Robert L. Crippen Director 

James A. "Gene" Thomas Deputy Director 

Jay F. Honeycutt Director, Shuttle Management and Operations 

Robert B. Sieck Launch Director 

David A. King Discovery Flow Director 

J. Robert Lang Director, Vehicle Engineering 

Al J. Parrish Director of Safety Reliability and Quality Assurance 

John T. Conway Director, Payload Management and Operations 

P. Thomas Breakfield Director, Shuttle Payload Operations 

Joanne H. Morgan Director, Payload Project Management 

Ralph Schuiling STS-53 Payload Processing Manager 

MARSHALL SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, HUNTSVILLE, AL 

Thomas J. Lee Director 

Dr. J. Wayne Littles Deputy Director 

Harry G. Craft Manager, Payload Projects Office 

Alexander A. McCool Manager, Shuttle Projects Office 

Dr. George McDonough Director, Science and Engineering 

James H. Ehl Director, Safety and Mission Assurance 

Otto Goetz Manager, Space Shuttle Main Engine Project 

Victor Keith Henson Manager, Redesigned Solid Rocket Motor Project 

Cary H. Rutland Manager, Solid Rocket Booster Project 

Parker Counts Manager, External Tank Project 

JOHNSON SPACE CENTER, HOUSTON, TX 

Aaron Cohen Director 

Paul J. Weitz Acting Director 

Daniel Germany Manager, Orbiter and GFE Projects 

Dr. Steven Hawley Acting Director, Flight Crew Operations 

Eugene F. Kranz Director, Mission Operations 

Henry O. Pohl Director, Engineering 

Charles S. Harlan Director, Safety, Reliability and Quality Assurance 

STENNIS SPACE CENTER, BAY ST. LOUIS, MS 

Roy S. Estess Director 

Gerald Smith Deputy Director 

J. Harry Guin Director, Propulsion Test Operations 

AMES RESEARCH CENTER, MOUNTAIN VIEW, CA 

Dr. Dale L. Compton Director 

Victor L. Peterson Deputy Director 

Dr. Joseph C. Sharp Director, Space Research 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 36 

AMES-DRYDEN FLIGHT RESEARCH FACILITY, EDWARDS, CA 

Kenneth J. Szalai Director 

T. G. Ayers Deputy Director 

James R. Phelps Chief, Shuttle Support Office 

GODDARD SPACE FLIGHT CENTER, GREENBELT, MD 

Dr. John M. Klineberg Director 

Peter T. Burr Deputy Director 

Vernon J. Weyers Director, Flight Projects Directorate 
Edited by Richard W. Orloff, 01/2001/Page 37 

SHUTTLE FLIGHTS AS OF DECEMBER 1992 

51 TOTAL FLIGHTS OF THE SHUTTLE SYSTEM -- 26 SINCE RETURN TO FLIGHT 

STS-42 

01/22/92 - 01/30/92 

STS-52 

10/22/92 - 11/01/92 

STS-48 

09/12/91 - 09/18/91 

STS-50 

06/25/92 - 07/09/92 

STS-39 

04/28/91 - 05/06/91 

STS-46 

07/31/92 - 08/08/92 

STS-40 

06/05/91 - 06/14/91 

 STS-41 

10/06/90 - 10/10/90 

STS-45 

03/24/92 - 04/02/92 

STS-35 

12/02/90 - 12/10/90 

STS-51L 

01/28/86 

STS-31 

04/24/90 - 04/29/90 

STS-44 

11/24/91 - 12/01/91 

STS-32 

01/09/90 - 01/20/90 

STS-61A 

10/30/85 - 11/06/85 

STS-33 

11/22/89 - 11/27/89 

STS-43 

08/02/91 - 08/11/91 

STS-28 

08/08/89 - 08/13/89 

STS-51F 

07/29/85 - 08/06/85 

STS-29 

03/13/89 - 03/18/89 

STS-37 

04/05/91 - 04/11/91 

STS-61C 

01/12/86 - 01/18/86 

STS-51B 

04/29/85 - 05/06/85 

STS-26 

09/29/88 - 10/03/88 

STS-38 

11/15/90 - 11/20/90 

STS-9 

11/28/83 - 12/08/83 

STS-41G 

10/05/84 - 10/13/84 

STS-51-I 

08/27/85 - 09/03/85 

STS-36 

02/28/90 - 03/04/90 

STS-5 

11/11/82 - 11/16/82 

STS-41C 

04/06/84 - 04/13/84 

STS-51G 

06/17/85 - 06/24/85 

STS-34 

10/18/89 - 10/23/89 

STS-4 

06/27/82 - 07/04/82 

STS-41B 

02/03/84 - 02/11/84 

STS-51D 

04/12/85 - 04/19/85 

STS-30 

05/04/89 - 05/08/89 

STS-3 

03/22/82 - 03/30/82 

STS-8 

08/30/83 - 09/05/83 

STS-51C 

01/24/85 - 01/27/85 

STS-27 

12/02/88 - 12/06/88 

STS-2 

11/12/81 - 11/14/81 

STS-7 

06/18/83 - 06/24/83 

STS-51A 

11/08/84 - 11/16/84 

STS-61B 

11/26/85 - 12/03/85 

STS-47 

09/12/92 - 09/20/92 

STS-1 

04/12/81 - 04/14/81 

STS-6 

04/04/83 - 04/09/83 

STS-41D 

08/30/84 - 09/05/84 

STS-51J 

10/03/85 - 10/07/85 

STS-49 

05/07/92 - 05/16/92 

 

OV-102 

Columbia 

(13 flights) 

OV-099 

Challenger 

(10 flights) 

OV-103 

Discovery 

(14 flights) 

OV-104 

Atlantis 

(12 flights) 

OV-105 

Endeavour 

(2 flights)