STS-42

STS-42
Spacelab Module LM2 in Discovery's payload bay, serving as the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML).
NamesSpace Transportation System-42
Mission typeInternational Microgravity Laboratory-1
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1992-002A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.21846Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration8 days, 1 hour, 14 minutes, 44 seconds
Distance travelled4,701,140 km (2,921,150 mi)
Orbits completed129
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Discovery
Launch mass110,400 kg (243,400 lb)
Landing mass98,924 kg (218,090 lb) [1]
Payload mass13,066 kg (28,806 lb)
Crew
Crew size7
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateJanuary 22, 1992, 14:52:33 (January 22, 1992, 14:52:33) UTC (9:52:33 am EDT)
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
ContractorRockwell International
End of mission
Landing dateJanuary 30, 1992, 16:07:17 (January 30, 1992, 16:07:17) UTC (8:07:17 am PDT)
Landing siteEdwards, Runway 22
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude291 km (181 mi)
Apogee altitude307 km (191 mi)
Inclination57.00°
Period90.50 minutes

STS-42 mission patch

From left: Oswald, Bondar, Thagard, Grabe, Hilmers, Merbold and Readdy
← STS-44 (44)
STS-45 (46) →

STS-42 was a NASA Space Shuttle Discovery mission with the Spacelab module. Liftoff was originally scheduled for 8:45 EST (13:45 UTC) 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 of microgravity on a variety of organisms. The shuttle landed at 8:07:17 PST (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 of Discovery, the second of which occurred during STS-53, which launched on December 2, 1992. The mission was also the last mission of the Space Shuttle Discovery to have a seven-member crew until STS-82, which was launched on February 11, 1997.

  1. ^ a b c "STS-42" (PDF). NASA. September 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.