January 13 - 19, 1993.
Endeavour

Crew & Mission

Space Shuttle mission STS-54 began on January 13, 1993, 8:59.30 a.m. EST. Launch was delayed about 7 minutes due to concerns associated with upper atmospheric winds.

Crewmembers on board were; Commander: John H. Casper (COL, USAF), Pilot: Donald R. McMonagle (LTCOL, USAF), Mission Specialists: Mario Runco, Jr. (LCDR, USN), Gregory J. Harbaugh and Susan Helms (MAJ, USAF).

The primary payload was the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-F) which was deployed on day one of the mission. It was later successfully transferred to its proper orbit by the Inertial Upper Stage booster.

On day five, mission specialists Mario Runco and Greg Harbaugh spent nearly 5 hours in the open cargo bay performing a series of space-walking tasks designed to increase NASAs knowledge of working in space. They tested their abilities to move about freely in the cargo bay, climb into foot restraints without using their hands and simulated carrying large objects in the microgravity environment.

Landing came on January 19, 1993, 8:37.47 a.m. EST, KSC Runway 33, Orbit 96. Mission Elapsed time: 5 days, 23 hours, 38 minutes. Rollout distance: 8,723 feet. Landing delayed one orbit due to ground fog at KSC.

The Artwork

(STS054-S-001 -) --- The official insignia of the NASA STS-54 mission, depicts the American bald eagle soaring above Earth and is emblematic of Space Shuttle Endeavour in service to the United States and the world. The eagle is clutching an eight-pointed star in its talons and is placing this larger star among a constellation of four others, representing the placement of the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) into orbit to join the four already in service. The blackness of space -- with stars conspicuously absent -- represents the crew's other primary mission in carrying the Diffuse X-Ray Spectrometer to orbit to conduct astronomical observations of invisible x-ray sources within the Milky Way Galaxy. The depiction of the Earth showing North America is an expression of the crewmembers and NASA's intention that the medical and scientific experiments conducted onboard be for the benefit of mankind. The clouds and blue of the Earth represent the crew's part in NASA's Mission to Planet Earth in conducting Earth-observation photography. The names of the STS-54 flight crewmembers are located along the border of the patch.