STS-36

STS-36

The launch of STS-36 on 28 February 1990
Mission type	Satellite deployment
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1990-019A
SATCAT №	20512
Mission duration	4 days, 10 hours, 18 minutes, 22 seconds
Distance travelled	2,957,913 kilometres (1,837,962 mi)
Orbits completed	72
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Payload mass	19,600 kilograms (43,200 lb)
Crew
Crew size	5
Members	John O. Creighton John H. Casper Pierre J. Thuot David C. Hilmers Richard M. Mullane
Start of mission
Launch date	28 February 1990, 07:50:22 UTC
Launch site	Kennedy LC-39A
End of mission
Landing date	4 March 1990, 18:08:44 UTC
Landing site	Edwards Runway 23
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric
Regime	Low Earth
Perigee	198 kilometres (123 mi)
Apogee	204 kilometres (127 mi)
Inclination	62.0 degrees
Period	88.5 min
Left to right: Thuot, Casper, Creighton, Mullane, Hilmers Space Shuttle program ← STS-32 STS-31 →

STS-36 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (believed to have been a 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 28 February 1990, and landed on 4 March.

Crew

Position	Astronaut
Commander	John O. Creighton Second spaceflight
Pilot	John H. Casper First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Pierre J. Thuot First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2	David C. Hilmers Third spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Richard M. Mullane Third spaceflight

Crew seating arrangements

Seat[1]	Launch	Landing	Seats 1–4 are on the Flight Deck. Seats 5–7 are on the Middeck.
S1	Creighton	Creighton
S2	Casper	Casper
S3	Thuot	Mullane
S4	Hilmers	Hilmers
S5	Mullane	Thuot

Mission summary

Space Shuttle Atlantis is prepared for launch on 25 January 1990.

Atlantis launched on the STS-36 mission on 28 February 1990 at 2:50:22 EST. The launch was originally set for 22 February 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 manned space mission was affected by the illness of a crew member. The first rescheduled launch attempt, set for 25 February 1990, was scrubbed due to a range safety computer malfunction. Another attempt, set for 26 February 1990, was scrubbed due to weather conditions. The successful launch on 28 February 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.

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 "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 facilities there were mothballed in 1989). Flight rules that prohibited overflight of land were suspended, with the trajectory taking the vehicle over or near Cape Hatteras, Cape Cod, and parts of Canada. The payload was considered to be of importance to national security, hence the suspension of normal flight rules.

As a Department of Defense operation, STS-36's payload remains officially classified. STS-36 launched a single satellite, 1990-019B (USA-53), also described as AFP-731. Other objects (1990-019C-G) reportedly appeared in orbit following its deployment.

It was reported that USA-53 was an 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.^[2] USA-53, nicknamed "Misty", was tracked briefly by amateur satellite observers in October and November 1990.^[3]

Atlantis landed at 10:08 PST on 4 March 1990 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on runway 23 ending the STS-36. The orbiter's rollout distance was 7,900 feet (2.41 kilometres (1.50 mi)).^[4] Atlantis was towed to the Mate Demate Device by around 15:00 PST.

About 62 dents in the shuttle's Thermal Protection System 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 17-inch (430 mm) disconnect cavity and possibly around two of the main engines.

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 American flag, forming the background to an image of a bald eagle, the American national bird.

See also

• List of human spaceflights
• List of Space Shuttle missions

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

1. "STS-36". Spacefacts. Retrieved 26 February 2014.
2. Chapter XII – The Hubble Space Telescope Chapter 12, p. 483
3. "The Saga of USA 53 - Found, Lost, Found Again and Lost Again". FASorg. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
4. NASA. "STS-36 (34)". NASA. Retrieved 3 July 2011.

External links

• STS-36 Video Highlights – NSS.org
• STS-36 Mission Summary – NASA.gov