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| STS-57 | |
|---|---|
| Name | STS-57 |
| Launch date | 1993-06-21 |
| Landing date | 1993-06-28 |
| Operator | NASA |
| Spacecraft | Endeavour |
| Mission duration | 7 days, 0 hours, 8 minutes, 19 seconds |
STS-57 was a 1993 NASA Space Shuttle mission flown by the orbiter Endeavour focused on extravehicular payload retrieval, biotechnology experiments, and microgravity research. The crew conducted operations with the European Retrievable Carrier and deployed and retrieved experiments involving international partners including ESA and several universities. The flight contributed to developments relevant to the International Space Station, biomedical science, and robotic manipulation.
The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center and landed back at Kennedy Space Center after seven days, supporting cooperation among NASA, the European Space Agency, the German Aerospace Center, and multiple research institutions. Objectives emphasized retrieval of the European Retrievable Carrier using the Canadarm robotic manipulator, conducting the first flight of several biotechnology payloads developed by entities such as GlaxoSmithKline, Eli Lilly and Company, and research groups at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of California, San Diego, and Harvard University. Secondary goals included testing procedures and hardware planned for future operations on the Russian Space Station Mir and the International Space Station program.
The six-person complement combined veteran astronauts and mission specialists drawn from organizations like United States Naval Academy graduates and personnel affiliated with Aviation Week & Space Technology-notable astronauts. Members included commanders and pilots with backgrounds from United States Air Force, flight test experience at Edwards Air Force Base, and scientific expertise connected to National Institutes of Health-funded research. Crew training involved facilities at Johnson Space Center, operations coordination with European Space Operations Centre, and contingency rehearsals at Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory.
Primary payload was the European Retrievable Carrier, delivered by DASA and managed through European Space Agency programs and integrating experiments from institutions such as Max Planck Society, CNES, CERN, and university laboratories. Life sciences payloads included crystallization experiments supported by commercial firms like Amgen and academic groups from Stanford University, University of Colorado Boulder, and University of Toronto. Materials science investigations originated from Bell Labs-affiliated researchers, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and teams at Imperial College London. Technology demonstrations featured hardware from Soviet Academy of Sciences collaborators intended to inform docking and logistics with Mir, with robotics components by Sprit Electronics and MDA Corporation partners for the Canadarm operation.
After liftoff from Launch Complex 39B at Kennedy Space Center, the orbiter inserted into a low Earth orbit consistent with rendezvous profiles used historically by missions staging for Mir and Skylab-era retrievals. Early days focused on checkout of avionics developed at Rockwell International and science racks supplied by JAXA-affiliated subcontractors. Mid-mission activities were dominated by grapple and retrieval of the European Retrievable Carrier with the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System operator coordinating with ground teams at Mission Control Center in Houston, Texas. Late mission days included stowage of return samples in conditioned facilities provided by United Technologies and final payload deactivation concurrent with preparations for deorbit burn conducted through guidance by Raytheon-derived navigation systems.
Endeavour was equipped with the Canadarm built by Sierra Nevada Corporation-partnered teams and flight systems upgraded by contractors such as Rockwell International and Boeing. Life support and environmental control systems incorporated elements designed by Hamilton Sundstrand and analytical instrumentation from Thermo Fisher Scientific-associated suppliers. The orbiter carried experiment racks produced with input from European Space Agency engineering offices and integration testing at Marshall Space Flight Center. Crew interfaces reflected software suites influenced by architectures used in Space Shuttle Challenger-era upgrades and ground-simulated operations at White Sands Test Facility.
During the mission, crews and ground teams managed on-orbit contingencies drawing on procedures developed after events involving STS-51-L and systems responses reviewed post-STS-26. Issues with payload stowage mechanisms required real-time troubleshooting with support from Johnson Space Center engineers and payload providers such as DASA technicians. Contingency planning referenced evacuation and safe-hold protocols tested during simulations at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and coordination with international partners including European Space Operations Centre. Post-anomaly reviews were coordinated with offices at Office of Manned Flight-style oversight bodies and contractor quality assurance teams from Rockwell International.
Returned samples and hardware were examined by researchers at institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Scripps Research, Max Planck Society, and commercial laboratories including Pfizer-associated facilities, informing pharmaceutical crystallography and protein growth methods. Lessons influenced procedures for the International Space Station assembly flights and operations with Mir leading into joint missions and exchange programs involving Roscosmos. Technology validations aided future robotic retrievals and influenced designs in programs at Canadian Space Agency and industrial partners such as MDA Corporation and Honeywell International. The mission remains cited in studies by National Aeronautics and Space Administration publications and academic articles archived at Smithsonian Institution and university libraries, contributing to the evolution of orbital research, international cooperation, and payload return capabilities.