STS-53

David M. Walker

• Birthday: 05/20/1944
• Role: Commander
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 11/08/1984
• Last Flight: 09/07/1995

David Mathieson "Dave" Walker was an American naval officer and aviator, fighter pilot, test pilot, and a former NA...

Robert D. Cabana

• Birthday: 01/23/1949
• Role: Pilot
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 10/06/1990
• Last Flight: 12/04/1998

Robert Donald Cabana is the director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center, a former NASA astronaut, and a veteran of four S...

Michael R. Clifford

• Birthday: 10/13/1952
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 12/02/1992
• Last Flight: 03/22/1996

Michael Richard Uram "Rich" Clifford is a former United States Army officer and NASA astronaut. Clifford is conside...

Guion Bluford

• Birthday: 11/22/1942
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 08/30/1983
• Last Flight: 12/02/1992

Guion Stewart Bluford Jr., Ph.D. is an American aerospace engineer, retired U.S. Air Force officer and fighter pilot, and for...

James S. Voss

• Birthday: 03/03/1949
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: United States of America
• First Flight: 11/24/1991
• Last Flight: 03/08/2001

James Shelton Voss is a retired United States Army Colonel and NASA astronaut. During his time with NASA, Voss flew in space ...

Mission

STS-53

• Type: Government/Top Secret
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $450,000,000

STS-53 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission in support of the United States Department of Defense. The mission was launched on 2 December 1992 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida.

Location

Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Find the best place to watch the launch from Florida

Launch Complex 39A has witnessed the launch of 208 rockets, including 207 orbital launch attempts. While Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 266 rocket launches.

The John F. Kennedy Space Center, located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of NASA's ten field centers. Since 1968, KSC has been NASA's primary launch center of American spaceflight, research, and technology. Launch operations for the Apollo, Skylab and Space Shuttle programs were carried out from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39 and managed by KSC. Located on the east coast of Florida, KSC is adjacent to Cape Canaveral Space Force Station (CCSFS).

Rocket

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS). Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.

Learn more about the Space Shuttle