Archivo: STS-44 DSP deployment

Description: STS-44 Defense Support Program (DSP) / Inertial Upper Stage (IUS) spacecraft, with forward airborne support equipment (ASE) payload retention latch actuator released (foreground), is raised to a 29 degree predeployment position by the ASE aft frame tilt actuator (AFTA) table in the payload bay (PLB) of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104. Underneath the DSP / IUS combination, the umbilical boom is connected to the IUS. DSP components include Infrared (IR) sensor (top), AR I, SHF Antenna, EHF Antenna, Link 2 High-Gain Antenna, star sensor, and stowed solar paddles (box-like structure around the base). The Earth's limb and the blackness of space create the backdrop for this deployment scene.
Title: STS-44 DSP deployment
Credit: http://nix2.larc.nasa.gov/info?id=STS044-71-011&orgid=8
Author: NASA Johnson Space Center (NASA-JSC)
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No