On Nov. 22, 1989, the space shuttle Discovery launched on a classified mission: STS-33. It lifted off from Kennedy Space Center and up into the dark of night.
This was the third nighttime launch of the shuttle program and the 32nd shuttle mission overall. Discovery had five astronauts on board. The crew included commander Frederick D. Gregory, commander; pilot John E. Blaha; and mission specialists Kathryn C. Thornton, Manley L. (Sonny) Carter, and F. Story Musgrave.
Their mission was to deploy a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense. NASA and the military launched several secret shuttle missions to deploy military satellites. The satellite that launched with STS-33 is believed to be a type of spy satellite called Magnum. But exactly what Magnum was doing in orbit remains classified.
The astronauts also spent Thanksgiving in space during this mission. But the holiday was off to a "crappy" start when the shuttle's toilet broke first thing in the morning. After spending most of the day fixing it, they got to enjoy their Thanksgiving turkey together.
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