STS-43
Atlantis deploying TDRS-E
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| Mission type | Satellite deployment Technology |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1991-054A |
| SATCAT no. | 21638 |
| Mission duration | 8 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds |
| Distance travelled | 5,955,217 kilometers (3,700,400 mi) |
| Orbits completed | 142 |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Space Shuttle Atlantis |
| Landing mass | 89,239 kilograms (196,738 lb) |
| Payload mass | 21,067 kilograms (46,445 lb) |
| Crew | |
| Crew size | 5 |
| Members |
John E. Blaha Michael A. Baker Shannon W. Lucid G. David Low James C. Adamson |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 2 August 1991, 15:01:59 UTC |
| Launch site | Kennedy LC-39A |
| End of mission | |
| Landing date | 11 August 1991, 12:23:25 UTC |
| Landing site | Kennedy SLF Runway 15 |
| Orbital parameters | |
| Reference system | Geocentric |
| Regime | Low Earth |
| Perigee | 301 kilometres (187 mi) |
| Apogee | 306 kilometres (190 mi) |
| Inclination | 28.45 degrees |
| Period | 90.6 min |
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 Left to right: Lucid, Adamson, Blaha, Low, Baker |
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STS-43, the ninth mission for Space Shuttle Atlantis, was a nine-day mission whose primary goal was launching the fourth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-E. The flight also tested an advanced heatpipe radiator for potential use on the then-future space station and conducted a variety of medical and materials science investigations.
The launch took place on 2 August 1991, 11:01:59 am EDT. Launch was originally set for 23 July but was moved to 24 July to allow time to replace a faulty integrated electronics assembly that controls orbiter/external tank separation. The mission was postponed again about five hours before liftoff on 24 July due to a faulty main engine controller on the number three main engine. The controller was replaced and retested; launch was reset for 1 August. Liftoff set for 11:01 am delayed due to cabin pressure vent valve reading and postponed at 12:28 pm due to unacceptable return-to-launch site weather conditions. Launch finally occurred on 2 August 1991 without further delays. Launch weight: 117,650 kilograms (259,370 lb).
The primary payload, Tracking and Data Relay Satellite-5 (TDRS-5 or TDRS-E), attached to an Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), was deployed about six hours into flight, and the IUS propelled the satellite into geosynchronous orbit. TDRS-5 became the fourth member of the 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-B) 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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