Launch from Cape Canaveral (
KSC);
landing on Cape Canaveral (
KSC).
Mission's primary objectives were the
deployment of
ESAs
EURECA (European Retrievable Carrier) with 70
experiments onboard and the joint
NASA/Italian Space Agency Tethered Satellite System
(
TSS).
EURECA was deployed a day later than scheduled because
of a problem with its data handling system. Seven and a half hours after
deployment, the spacecraft's thrusters were fired to boost
EURECA to its planned operating altitude of around 310
miles. However, thruster firing was cut to six minutes from 24 minutes by
Mission Control in Darmstadt because of unexpected attitude data from the
spacecraft. The problem was resolved and
EURECA was successfully boosted to its operational
orbit on the mission's sixth day. A year later
EURECA was retrieved by the
STS-57 mission.
The
TSS
deployment also was delayed one day because of the problems with
EURECA. During deployment, the satellite reached a
maximum distance of only 860 feet from the orbiter instead of the planned 12.5
miles because of a jammed tether line. After numerous attempts over several
days to free the tether,
TSS
operations were curtailed and the satellite was stowed for return to Earth.
Secondary payloads included: Evaluation of Oxygen Integration with
Materials/Thermal Management Processes (EOIM-III/TEMP 2A), Consortium for
Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload (CONCAP II and CONCAP
III),
IMAX
Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC), Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Materials
Exposure (LDCE), Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS), Pituitary Growth Hormone
Cell Function (PHCF), and Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI). Mission extended
extra day to complete scientific objectives.