STS-46

STS-46
	Atlantis's Canadarm grapples the European Space Agency's EURECA satellite, prior to its deployment.
Names	Space Transportation System-46
Mission type	EURECA satellite deployment; TSS-1 operation; Technology research
Operator	NASA
COSPAR ID	1992-049A
SATCAT no.	22064
Mission duration	7 days, 23 hours, 15 minutes, 2 seconds
Distance travelled	5,344,643 km (3,321,007 mi)
Orbits completed	127
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft	Space Shuttle Atlantis
Launch mass	116,134 kg (256,032 lb)
Landing mass	94,676 kg (208,725 lb)
Payload mass	12,164 kg (26,817 lb)
Crew
Crew size	7
Members	Loren Shriver; Andrew M. Allen; Claude Nicollier; Marsha Ivins; Jeffrey A. Hoffman; Franklin Chang Díaz; Franco Malerba;
Start of mission
Launch date	July 31, 1992, 13:56:48 UTC (9:56:48 am EDT)
Launch site	Kennedy, LC-39B
Contractor	Rockwell International
End of mission
Landing date	August 8, 1992, 13:11:50 UTC (9:11:50 am EDT)
Landing site	Kennedy, SLF Runway 33
Orbital parameters
Reference system	Geocentric orbit
Regime	Low Earth orbit
Perigee altitude	425 km (264 mi)
Apogee altitude	437 km (272 mi)
Inclination	28.46°
Period	93.2 minutes
Instruments
	Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload (CONCAP II and CONCAP III); Evaluation of Oxygen Integration with Materials/Thermal Management Processes (EOIM-III/TEMP 2A); IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC); Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Materials Exposure (LDCE); Pituitary Growth Hormone Cell Function (PHCF); Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI);
	; STS-46 mission patch; ; Standing: Ivins, Nicollier, Hoffman, Chang-Díaz and Malerba; Seated: Allen and Shriver Space Shuttle program ← STS-50 (48) STS-47 (50) →

STS-46 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using Atlantis and was launched on July 31, 1992, and landed on August 8, 1992.

Crew


Position	Astronaut
Commander	Loren Shriver Third and last spaceflight
Pilot	Andrew M. Allen First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 1	Claude Nicollier, ESA First spaceflight
Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer	Marsha Ivins Second spaceflight
Mission Specialist 3	Jeffrey A. Hoffman Third spaceflight
Mission Specialist 4	/ Franklin Chang-Díaz Third spaceflight
Payload Specialist 1	Franco Malerba, ASI Only spaceflight

Backup crew
Position	Astronaut
Payload Specialist 1	Umberto Guidoni, ASI

Robert L. Gibson had originally been selected to command STS-46, however, after he was involved in an air race collision, he was suspended from training for this mission.^[1] Gibson would fly again on STS-47.

Crew seat assignments

Seat^[2]	Launch	Landing	Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck.
1	Shriver
2	Allen
3	Nicollier	Hoffman
4	Ivins
5	Hoffman	Nicollier
6	Chang-Díaz
7	Malerba

Mission highlights

Gallery

EURECA after deployment
TSS-1 satellite
TSS-1 tether close-up deployment
TSS-1 fully extended deployment

Notelist

References

This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

^ Harwood, William (July 9, 1990). "Two shuttle commanders disciplined, grounded". UPI Archive. Retrieved January 18, 2022. Gibson also was barred from T-38 jet trainer flights for one year while Walker was grounded for 60 days. Neither pilot will be eligible for reassignment to a shuttle mission until they are back on T-38 flight status.
^ "STS-46". Spacefacts. Retrieved March 4, 2014.

External links

NASA mission summary Archived May 27, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
STS-46 Post Flight Presentation

[1] Harwood, William (July 9, 1990). "Two shuttle commanders disciplined, grounded". UPI Archive. Retrieved January 18, 2022. Gibson also was barred from T-38 jet trainer flights for one year while Walker was grounded for 60 days. Neither pilot will be eligible for reassignment to a shuttle mission until they are back on T-38 flight status.

[2] "STS-46". Spacefacts. Retrieved March 4, 2014.

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