 Spacelab Module LM2 in Discovery's payload bay, serving as the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML). | |
| Names | Space Transportation System-42 |
|---|---|
| Mission type | International Microgravity Laboratory-1 |
| Operator | NASA |
| COSPAR ID | 1992-002A |
| SATCAT no. | 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 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 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 and Readdy | |
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.
- ^ a b c "STS-42" (PDF). NASA. September 2011. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
