Watch the Launch

STS-56

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Overview

Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Mission: Earth Science

Low Earth Orbit Launch Complex 39B Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

STS-56 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission to perform special experiments. The mission was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 8 April 1993.

Space Shuttle Discovery OV-103

Family: Space Shuttle
Configuration: OV-103

Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date.

Specifications
  • Minimum Stage
    1
  • Max Stage
    3
  • Length
    38.1 m
  • Diameter
    8.4 m
  • Fairing Diameter
  • Launch Mass
    2040 T
  • Thrust
    28200 kN
Family
  • Name
    Space Shuttle Discovery OV-103
  • Family
    Space Shuttle
  • Variant
    OV-103
  • Alias
    Discovery
  • Full Name
    Space Shuttle Discovery OV-103
Payload Capacity
  • Launch Cost
    $450000000
  • Low Earth Orbit
    24400 kg
  • Geostationary Transfer Orbit
  • Direct Geostationary
  • Sun-Synchronous Capacity

Space Shuttle Discovery


In-active Human Rated Crew On-board: 5 Crew Capacity: 7 Payload Capacity: 27500 kg
Destination: Low Earth Orbit
Serial Number: OV-103

Space Shuttle Discovery (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is one of the orbiters from NASA's Space Shuttle program and the third of five fully operational orbiters to be built. Its first mission, STS-41-D, flew from August 30 to September 5, 1984. Over 27 years of service it launched and landed 39 times, gathering more spaceflights than any other spacecraft to date. Discovery became the third operational orbiter to enter service, preceded by Columbia and Challenger. It embarked on its last mission, STS-133, on February 24, 2011 and touched down for the final time at Kennedy Space Center on March 9, having spent a cumulative total of almost a full year in space. Discovery performed both research and International Space Station (ISS) assembly missions. It also carried the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit. Discovery was the first operational shuttle to be retired, followed by Endeavour and then Atlantis.

Space Shuttle Details

Crew


Stephen S. Oswald

Pilot - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: June 30, 1951
Age: 71

Michael Foale

Mission Specialist - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: Jan. 6, 1957
Age: 66

Kenneth D. Cameron

Commander - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: Nov. 29, 1949
Age: 73

Kenneth Cockrell

Mission Specialist - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: April 9, 1950
Age: 72

Ellen Ochoa

Mission Specialist - American - ( NASA )

Status: Retired

Date of Birth: May 10, 1958
Age: 64

United Space Alliance

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Founded: 1995 Successes: 50 Failures: 1 Pending: 0

Agency Type: Commercial

United Space Alliance (USA) is a spaceflight operations company. USA is a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), equally owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.

INFO WIKI

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39B


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