STS-54

STS-54 was Endeavour's January 1993 Space Shuttle mission to deploy Tracking and Data Relay Satellite F and operate the Diffuse X-ray Spectrometer. John Casper commanded the mission, Donald McMonagle served as pilot, and Mario Runco Jr., Gregory Harbaugh, and Susan Helms were mission specialists. Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39B on January 13 and landed on Runway 33 at the Shuttle Landing Facility on January 19. TDRS-F was deployed on the first flight day and transferred to its proper orbit by an Inertial Upper Stage. DXS collected low-energy X-ray data from diffuse sources, and Harbaugh and Runco performed a nearly five-hour spacewalk to test crew movement, restraint entry, and large-object handling for later orbital assembly work.