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
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.

Backup crew
Position	Astronaut
Payload Specialist 1	Umberto Guidoni, ASI

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

Mission's primary objectives were the deployment of ESA's European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) and the joint NASA/Italian Space Agency Tethered Satellite System (TSS). EURECA was deployed a day later than scheduled because of a problem with its data handling system. Seven and a half hours after deployment, the spacecraft's thrusters were fired to boost EURECA to its planned operating altitude of around 31O miles. However, thruster firing was cut to six minutes from 24 minutes because of unexpected attitude data from the spacecraft. The problem was resolved and EURECA was successfully boosted to its operational orbit on the mission's sixth day. TSS deployment also was delayed one day because of the problems with EURECA. During deployement, the satellite reached a maximum distance of only 86O feet from the orbiter instead of the planned 12.5 miles because of a jammed tether line. After numerous attempts over several days to free the tether, TSS operations were curtailed and the satellite was stowed for return to Earth. Seconday payloads included: Evaluation of Oxygen Integration with Materials/Thermal Management Processes (EOIM-III/TEMP 2A), Consortium for Materials Development in Space Complex Autonomous Payload (CONCAP II and CONCAP III), IMAX Cargo Bay Camera (ICBC), Limited Duration Space Environment Candidate Materials Exposure (LDCE), Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS), Pituitary Growth Hormone Cell Function (PHCF), and Ultraviolet Plume Instrument (UVPI). Mission extended extra day to complete scientific objectives.^{[citation needed]}

Gallery

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

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

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.

[1]

[2]

v t e Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104)
Completed flights	STS-51-J STS-61-B STS-27 STS-30 STS-34 STS-36 STS-38 STS-37 STS-43 STS-44 STS-45 STS-46 STS-66 STS-71 STS-74 STS-76 STS-79 STS-81 STS-84 STS-86 STS-101 STS-106 STS-98 STS-104 STS-110 STS-112 STS-115 STS-117 STS-122 STS-125 STS-129 STS-132 STS-135
Status	Retired
On display	Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex

v t e ← 1991 Orbital launches in 1992 1993 →
January	Kosmos 2175 STS-42 Kosmos 2176 Progress M-11 Kosmos 2177, Kosmos 2178, Kosmos 2179
February	Unnamed USA-78 Fuyo 1 Kosmos 2180 USA-79 Superbird B1, Arabsat 1C
March	Molniya 1-83 Kosmos 2181 Galaxy 5 Soyuz TM-14 STS-45
April	Kosmos 2182 Gorizont No.36L Kosmos 2183 USA-80 Kosmos 2184 Telecom 2B, Inmarsat-2 F4 Progress M-12 USA-81 Resurs-F2 No.8 Kosmos 2185
May	STS-49 Palapa B4 SROSS-C Kosmos 2186
June	Kosmos 2187, Kosmos 2188, Kosmos 2189, Kosmos 2190, Kosmos 2191, Kosmos 2192, Kosmos 2193, Kosmos 2194 EUVE Intelsat K Resurs-F1 No.55 STS-50 Progress M-13
July	Kosmos 2195 USA-82 SAMPEX USA-83 Kosmos 2196 INSAT-2A, Eutelsat-2 F4 Kosmos 2197, Kosmos 2198, Kosmos 2199, Kosmos 2200, Kosmos 2201, Kosmos 2202 Gorizont No.37L Geotail, DUVE Kosmos 2203 Soyuz TM-15 Kosmos 2204, Kosmos 2205, Kosmos 2206 Kosmos 2207 STS-46 (EURECA, TSS-1)
August	Molniya 1-84 FSW-13 TOPEX/Poseidon, Uribyol 1, S80/T Kosmos 2208 Optus B1 Progress M-14 Resurs-F1 No.54, Pion-Germes 1, Pion-Germes 2 Galaxy 1R Satcom C4
September	USA-84 Kosmos 2209 Hispasat 1A, Satcom C3 STS-47 Kosmos 2210 Mars Observer
October	FSW-14, Freja Foton No.8L DFS-Kopernikus 3 Molniya-3 No.50 Kosmos 2211, Kosmos 2212, Kosmos 2213, Kosmos 2214, Kosmos 2215, Kosmos 2216 Kosmos 2217 STS-52 (LAGEOS-2, CTA) Progress M-15 (Znamya-2) Galaxy 7 Kosmos 2218 Ekran-M No.15L
November	Resurs 500 Kosmos 2219 Kosmos 2220 MSTI-1 USA-85 Kosmos 2221 Kosmos 2222 Gorizont No.38L USA-86
December	Superbird A1 Molniya-3 No.56 STS-53 (USA-89, ODERACS) Kosmos 2223 Kosmos 2224 USA-87 Optus B2 Kosmos 2226 Kosmos 2225 Kosmos 2227 Kosmos 2228 Kosmos 2229
Launches are separated by dots ( • ), payloads by commas ( , ), multiple names for the same satellite by slashes ( / ). Crewed flights are underlined. Launch failures are marked with the † sign. Payloads deployed from other spacecraft are (enclosed in parentheses).

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