00:00 On this day in space.
00:03 On November 22nd, 1989, the space shuttle Discovery launched on mission STS-33.
00:09 It lifted off from Kennedy Space Center at night.
00:12 It was the third nighttime launch of the shuttle program and the 32nd shuttle mission overall.
00:17 Discovery had five astronauts on board.
00:20 Their mission was to deploy a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense.
00:24 NASA and the military launched several secretive shuttle missions to deploy military satellites.
00:29 The satellite that launched with STS-33 is believed to be a type of spy satellite called Magnum.
00:35 But exactly what Magnum was doing in orbit remains classified.
00:39 The astronauts also spent Thanksgiving in space during this mission.
00:42 But the holiday was off to a crappy start when the shuttle's toilet broke first thing in the morning.
00:47 After spending most of the day fixing it, they got to enjoy their Thanksgiving turkey together.
00:52 And that's what happened on this day in space.
00:55 (Music)
Comments