Bidspirit auction | Space Shuttle Crew STS68 six

Space Shuttle Crew STS68 six Astronauts signed NASA Viking Orbiter 1978 US FDC. Autographed by Commander Michael A. Baker, Pilot Terrence W. Wilcutt, Payload Commander Thomas D. Jones, and Mission Specialists Steven L. Smith, Daniel W. Bursch, and Peter J.K. Wisoff. STS-68 was a human spaceflight mission using Space Shuttle Endeavour that launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on September 30, 1994. STS-68 marked second flight in 1994 of Space Radar Laboratory (first flight was STS-59 in April), part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. Flying SRL during different seasons allowed comparison of changes between first and second flights. SRL-2 was activated on flight day one, and around-the-clock observations conducted by astronauts split into two teams. Besides repeating data takes over same locations as on first flight, unusual events also imaged, including erupting volcano in Russia and islands of Japan after earthquake there. Also tested was ability of SRL-2 imaging radars, Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C (SIR-C) and X- band Synthetic Aperture Radar (X-SAR), to discern difference between such human-induced phenomena as an oil spill in the ocean and naturally occurring film. Good Condition Est.