STS-62-A
STS-62-A was a planned NASA Space Shuttle mission to deliver a reconnaissance payload (Teal Ruby) into polar orbit. It was expected to use Discovery. It would have been the first crewed launch from Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, and the first crewed mission to go into polar orbit. The mission designation, STS-62-A, meant: 6=fiscal year 1986, 2=Vandenberg (1=Kennedy Space Center), and A=first flight in that fiscal year.
| Names | Space Transportation System |
|---|---|
| Mission type | DoD satellite deployment (planned) |
| Operator | NASA |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Discovery (planned) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 7 |
| Members | Robert L. Crippen Guy S. Gardner Richard M. Mullane Jerry L. Ross Dale A. Gardner Edward C. Aldridge Jr. Brett Watterson |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 15 July 1986 (planned) Not launched |
| Rocket | Space Shuttle Discovery |
| Launch site | Vandenberg Air Force Base, SLC-6 |
| Contractor | Rockwell International |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 19 July 1986 (planned) |
| Landing site | Vandenberg Air Force Base, Runway 12 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric orbit (planned) |
| Regime | Low Earth orbit |
| Perigee altitude | 312 km (194 mi) |
| Apogee altitude | 320 km (200 mi) |
| Inclination | 48.45° |
| Period | 90.90 minutes |
Space Shuttle patch Front row: Guy S. Gardner, Richard M. Mullane, Jerry L. Ross, and Dale A. Gardner Back row: Edward C. Aldridge Jr., Robert L. Crippen, and Brett Watterson | |
Crew edit
| Position[1] | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Robert L. Crippen Would have been fifth spaceflight | |
| Pilot | Guy S. Gardner Would have been first spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 1 | Richard M. Mullane Would have been second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 2 | Jerry L. Ross Would have been second spaceflight | |
| Mission Specialist 3 | Dale A. Gardner Would have been third spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 1 | Edward C. Aldridge Jr. Would have been first spaceflight | |
| Payload Specialist 2 | Brett Watterson, Manned Spacecraft Engineer Would have been first spaceflight | |
Post-Challenger accident edit
The destruction of Challenger and subsequent halt of the Space Shuttle program led to the cancellation of the mission.
Guy Gardner, Jerry Ross, and Mike Mullane were members of the second post-Challenger mission STS-27 — a classified mission for the DoD — during which the Lacrosse-1 radar reconnaissance spacecraft was allegedly deployed.[2][3]
References edit
- ^ "Crews for First Vandenberg Mission, DoD Flight Named" (PDF) (Press release). NASA Johnson Space Center News. 15 February 1985. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
- ^ Jenkins, Dennis R. (2001). Space Shuttle: The History of the National Space Transportation System The First 100 Missions. Saint Paul, Minnesota: Voyageur Press. p. 329. ISBN 0-9633974-5-1..
- ^ "Display: Lacrosse 1 (1988-106B)". NASA. 7 January 2022. Retrieved 29 January 2022. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
External links edit
- STS-62-A mission patch draft designs
- Article on the Teal Ruby satellite that would have been STS-62-A's payload
- National Museum of the United States Air Force page on Teal Ruby