 Spacelab Module LM2 inDiscovery's payload bay, serving as theInternational Microgravity Laboratory (IML). | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-42 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | International Microgravity Laboratory-1 |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1992-002A |
| SATCATno. | 21846 |
| Mission duration | 8 days, 1 hour, 14 minutes, 44 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 4,701,140 km (2,921,150 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 129 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch mass | 110,400 kg (243,400 lb) |
| Landing mass | 98,924 kg (218,090 lb)[1] |
| Payload mass | 13,066 kg (28,806 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7 |
| Members | |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | January 22, 1992, 14:52:33 (1992-01-22UTC14:52:33Z) UTC (9:52:33 am EDT) |
| Launch site | Kennedy,LC-39A |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | January 30, 1992, 16:07:17 (1992-01-30UTC16:07:18Z) UTC (8:07:17 am PDT) |
| Landing site | Edwards, Runway 22 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 291 km (181 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 307 km (191 mi) |
| Inclination | 57.00° |
| Period | 90.50 minutes |
 STS-42 mission patch  From left:Oswald,Bondar,Thagard,Grabe,Hilmers,Merbold andReaddy | |
STS-42 was aNASASpace ShuttleDiscovery mission with theSpacelab module. Liftoff was originally scheduled for 8:45EST (13:45UTC) on January 22, 1992, but the launch was delayed due to weather constraints.Discovery successfully lifted off an hour later at 9:52:33 EST (14:52:33 UTC) on her 14th flight.[1] The main goal of the mission was to study the effects ofmicrogravity on a variety oforganisms. The shuttle landed at 8:07:17PST (16:07:17 UTC) on January 30, 1992, on Runway 22,Edwards Air Force Base,California.[1] STS-42 was the first of two flights in 1992 ofDiscovery, the second of which occurred duringSTS-53, which launched on December 2, 1992. The mission was also the last mission of the Space ShuttleDiscovery to have a seven-member crew untilSTS-82, which was launched on February 11, 1997.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander |  Ronald J. Grabe Third spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Stephen S. Oswald First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Norman Thagard Fourth spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | William F. Readdy First spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | David C. Hilmers Fourth and last spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 1 |  Roberta Bondar,CSAOnly spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 2 |  Ulf Merbold,ESASecond spaceflight | |
| Member of Blue Team Member of Red Team | ||
The astronauts were divided into a red team and a blue team to allow around-the-clock monitoring of experiments.[2]
The crew of STS-42 included the first non-American astronauts on a shuttle mission since theChallenger disaster,Ulf D. Merbold andRoberta Bondar. Merbold wasWest Germany first astronaut and was making his second flight on the shuttle. Bondar wasCanada's first female astronaut.
Mary L. Cleave was originally selected to fly as Mission Specialist 3 for this mission but withdrew herself for personal reasons. She was replaced byManley Lanier "Sonny" Carter Jr., who died seven months prior to the launch in a plane crash. David Hilmers was then chosen to replace him.
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Payload Specialist 1 | Ken Money,CSA Would have been first spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 2 | Roger Crouch Would have been first spaceflight | |
| Crouch eventually flew onSTS-83 andSTS-94, both in 1997. | ||
| Seat[3] | Launch | Landing |  Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grabe | ||
| 2 | Oswald | ||
| 3 | Thagard | Hilmers | |
| 4 | Readdy | ||
| 5 | Hilmers | Thagard | |
| 6 | Bondar | ||
| 7 | Merbold | ||
STS-42 was launched on January 22, 1992, 9:52:33 a.m.EST. The launch was delayed by one hour due to weather constraints. The launch weight was 243,396 lb (110,403 kg).
Discovery carried into orbit theInternational Microgravity Laboratory-1 (IML-1), a pressurized crewedSpacelab module, to explore in depth the complex effects ofweightlessness onliving organisms and materials processing. The international crew, divided into Red and Blue teams, conducted experiments on the human nervous system's adaptation to low gravity and the effects ofmicrogravity on other life forms such asshrimpeggs,lentil seedlings,fruit fly eggs andbacteria. Low gravity materials processing experiments includedcrystal growth from a variety of substances such asenzymes,mercury,iodine and avirus. Otherpayloads included 10Get Away Special (GAS) canisters, a number of middeck payloads, two Shuttle Student Involvement Program (SSIP) experiments, and anAustralian developedultraviolet telescopeEndeavour.[4] Middeck payloads included Gelation of SOLS: Applied Microgravity Research (GOSAMR), Investigations intoPolymer Membrane Processing (IPMP) and the Radiation Monitoring Experiment (RME-III).
The mission landed on January 30, 1992, 8:07:17 a.m.PST, Runway 22,Edwards Air Force Base,California, after being extended by a day for continued scientific experimentation. The rollout distance was 9,811 ft (2,990 m). The orbiter returned toKennedy Space Center on February 16, 1992. The landing weight was 218,016 lb (98,890 kg).
The four stars in the lower blue field and two stars in the upper blue field of the insignia symbolize the flight's numerical designation in the Space Transportation System's mission sequence. The single gold star above the horizon on the right is in honor ofastronautManley Lanier "Sonny" Carter Jr., who was killed in the crash ofAtlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 inBrunswick, Georgia while on a commercial airplane traveling for NASA. Carter was originally assigned as a mission specialist on STS-42 at the time of his death.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
Space ShuttleDiscovery (OV-103) | ||
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| Completed flights | .jpg) | |
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| On display | ||
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