Manned five crew. Deployed Leasat 5, retrieved LDEF. Night landing. Payloads: Deployment of Syncom IV-5, retrieval of Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA)-3, Protein Crystal Growth (PCG) III-2, Latitude/Longitude Locator (L3), American Flight Echocardiograph (AFE), Characterization of Neurospora Circadian Rhythms in Space (CNCR)-01, Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS)-4, Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE), IMAX, Interim Operational Contamination Monitor (lOCM).

Orbits of Earth: 171. Distance traveled: 7,258,096 km. Orbiter Liftoff Mass: 116,116 kg. Orbiter Mass at Landing: 103,569 kg. Payload to Orbit: 12,014 kg. Payload Returned: 9,703 kg. Landed at: Concrete runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, Cali. Landing Speed: 383 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 569 m. Landing Rollout: 3,270 m.

Mission Name: STS-32 (33)
COLUMBIA (9)
Pad 39-A (37)
33rd Shuttle mission
9th Flight OV-102
3rd Night landing
1st use MLP-3 for Shuttle

Crew:
Daniel C. Brandenstein (3), Commander
James D. Wetherbee (1), Pilot
Bonnie J. Dunbar (2), Mission Specialist 1
G. David Low (1), Mission Specialist 2
Marsha S. Ivins (1), Mission Specialist 3

Milestones:
OPF - Aug. 22, 1989
VAB - Oct. 16,1989
PAD - Nov. 28,1989

Payload:
SYNCOM IV-5,IMAX-03,LDEF
Mission Objectives:

Launch:
January 9,1990,7:35:00 a.m. EST. Launch scheduled for Dec. 18, 1989, postponed to complete and verify modifications to Pad A, being used for first time since January 1986. Launch Jan. 8, 1990 scrubbed due to weather conditions. Launch Weight: 255,994 lbs.
Orbit:
Altitude: 178nm
Inclination: 28.5 degrees
Orbits: 172
Duration: 10 days, 21 hours, 0 minutes, 36 seconds.
Distance: 4,509,972 miles

Hardware:
SRB: BI-035
SRM:360L008
ET : 32/LWT-25
MLP : 3
SSME-1: SN-2024
SSME-2: SN-2022
SSME-3: SN-2028

Landing:
January 20, 1990, 1:35:37 a.m. PST, Runway 22, Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. Rollout distance: 10,731 feet. Rollout time: 62 seconds. Longest Space Shuttle flight to date. Orbiter returned to KSC Jan. 26, 1990. Landing Weight: 228,335 lbs.

Mission Highlights:
Objectives were deployment of SYNCOM IV-F5 defense communications satellite and retrieval of NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). SYNCOM IV-F5 (also known as LEASAT 5) deployed first, and third stage Minuteman solid perigee kick motor propelled satellite to geosynchronous orbit. LDEF retrieved on flight day four using remote manipulator system. Middeck payloads: Characterization of Neurospora Circadian Rhythms (CNCR); Protein Crystal Growth (PCG); Fluid Experiment Apparatus (FEA); American Flight Echocardiograph (AFE); Latitude /Longitude Locator (L3); Mesoscale Lightning Experiment(MLE); IMAX camera; and Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) experiment. References: 1 , 2 , 5 , 6 , 7 .