STS-43

STS-43
Atlantis deploying TDRS-E.
NamesSpace Transportation System-43
Mission typeTDRS-E satellite deployment
Technology
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1991-054A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.21638Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration8 days, 21 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds
Distance travelled5,955,217 km (3,700,400 mi)
Orbits completed142
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Atlantis
Launch mass117,650 kg (259,370 lb)
Landing mass89,239 kg (196,738 lb)
Payload mass21,067 kg (46,445 lb)
Crew
Crew size5
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateAugust 2, 1991, 15:02:00 (August 2, 1991, 15:02:00) UTC (11:02 am EDT)
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
ContractorRockwell International
End of mission
Landing dateAugust 11, 1991, 12:23:25 (August 11, 1991, 12:23:25) UTC (8:23:25 am EDT)
Landing siteKennedy, SLF Runway 15
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude301 km (187 mi)
Apogee altitude306 km (190 mi)
Inclination28.46°
Period90.60 minutes
Instruments
  • Optical Communications Through Windows (OCTW)
  • Solid Surface Combustion Experiment (SSCE)
  • Space Station Heat Pipe Advanced Radiator Element (SHARE II)
  • Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultra-Violet (SSBUV)
  • Tank Pressure Control Equipment (TPCE)

STS-43 mission patch

From left: Lucid, Adamson, Blaha, Low and Baker
← STS-40 (41)
STS-48 (43) →

STS-43, the ninth mission for Space Shuttle Atlantis, was a nine-day mission whose primary goal was launching the TDRS-E satellite (TDRS-5). 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.