Luis María Benítez space memorabilia collection

Item: STS-53 possibly flown Contingency Abort cue card

Artifact Category: cue card

Date of use: 1992

Manufacturer: NASA

Spacecraft/Launch Systems: Space Shuttle Discovery

Materials: carboard, Velcro.

Program: Space Transportation System

Dimensions: 20.3 x 15.2 cm.

Flown Status: possibly flown

Description: A very probably flown STS-53 Bermuda/ECAL Contingency Abort cue card marked FIN (Final) at the bottom. All Final cards were flown if it's not marked as a backup.

An ECAL/BDA abort was similar to RTLS (Return to Launch Site), but instead of landing at the Kennedy Space Center, the orbiter would attempt to land at another site along the east coast of North America (in the case of ECAL) or Bermuda (in the case of BDA). Various potential ECAL landing sites extended from South Carolina into Newfoundland, Canada. The designated landing site in Bermuda was Naval Air Station Bermuda (a United States Navy facility). ECAL/BDA was a contingency abort that was less desirable than an intact abort, primarily because there was so little time to choose the landing site and prepare for the orbiter's arrival. All of the pre-designated sites were either military airfields or joint civil/military facilities. ECAL emergency sites were not as well equipped to accommodate an orbiter landing as those prepared for RTLS and TAL aborts  (Transoceanic Abort Landing).

STS-53 was the 53rd mission of the United States Space Shuttle program and the 15th flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission was launched on December 2, 1992, from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a crew of five astronauts led by Commander David Walker.

The primary objective of the mission was to deploy a classified satellite for the United States Department of Defense. The details of the payload and its mission were kept secret, as it was a classified military operation. It was widely speculated that the satellite was a signals intelligence (SIGINT) satellite designed to monitor enemy communications.

In addition to the satellite deployment, the crew also performed a number of scientific experiments, including the collection of data on the Earth's upper atmosphere, the study of microgravity effects on protein crystal growth, and the testing of new materials for use in space.

The mission lasted for a total of 8 days, during which the crew performed several orbital maneuvers and made multiple passes over the Earth to complete their tasks. They also tested new technology and equipment, such as the Orbital Maneuvering System (OMS) engines and the Reaction Control System (RCS) thrusters.

STS-53 was a success, with the classified payload being successfully deployed and the crew returning safely to Earth on December 9, 1992, landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. The mission was notable for being the last shuttle mission of 1992 and the last shuttle mission commanded by David Walker.