STS-46
1992 American crewed spaceflight to deploy EURECA and TSS-1
title: "STS-46" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["space-shuttle-missions", "spacecraft-launched-in-1992"] description: "1992 American crewed spaceflight to deploy EURECA and TSS-1" topic_path: "general/space-shuttle-missions" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-46" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary 1992 American crewed spaceflight to deploy EURECA and TSS-1 ::
::data[format=table title="Infobox spaceflight"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | STS-46 |
| names_list | Space Transportation System-46 |
| image | STS-46 EURECA deployment.jpg |
| image_caption | Atlantiss Canadarm grapples the European Space Agency's EURECA satellite, prior to its deployment. |
| mission_type | EURECA satellite deployment |
| TSS-1 operation | |
| Technology research | |
| operator | NASA |
| mission_duration | |
| distance_travelled | 5344643 km |
| orbits_completed | 127 |
| spacecraft | |
| launch_mass | 116134 kg |
| landing_mass | 94676 kg |
| payload_mass | 12164 kg |
| crew_size | 7 |
| crew_members | |
| launch_date | UTC (9:56:48amEDT) |
| launch_site | Kennedy, LC-39B |
| launch_contractor | Rockwell International |
| landing_date | UTC (9:11:50amEDT) |
| landing_site | Kennedy, SLF Runway 33 |
| orbit_reference | Geocentric orbit |
| orbit_regime | Low Earth orbit |
| orbit_periapsis | 425 km |
| orbit_apoapsis | 437 km |
| orbit_inclination | 28.46° |
| orbit_period | 93.2 minutes |
| apsis | gee |
| instruments | |
| insignia | Sts-46-patch.png |
| insignia_caption | STS-46 mission patch |
| crew_photo | Sts-46_crew.jpg |
| crew_photo_caption | Standing: Ivins, Nicollier, Hoffman, Chang-Díaz and Malerba |
| Seated: Allen and Shriver | |
| programme | Space Shuttle program |
| previous_mission | STS-50 (48) |
| next_mission | STS-47 (50) |
| :: |
| name = STS-46 | names_list = Space Transportation System-46 | image = STS-46 EURECA deployment.jpg | image_caption = Atlantiss Canadarm grapples the European Space Agency's EURECA satellite, prior to its deployment. | mission_type = EURECA satellite deployment TSS-1 operation Technology research | operator = NASA | mission_duration = | distance_travelled = 5344643 km | orbits_completed = 127 | spacecraft = | launch_mass = 116134 kg | landing_mass = 94676 kg | payload_mass = 12164 kg | crew_size = 7 | crew_members = | launch_date = UTC (9:56:48amEDT) | launch_site = Kennedy, LC-39B | launch_contractor = Rockwell International | landing_date = UTC (9:11:50amEDT) | landing_site = Kennedy, SLF Runway 33 | orbit_reference = Geocentric orbit | orbit_regime = Low Earth orbit | orbit_periapsis = 425 km | orbit_apoapsis = 437 km | orbit_inclination = 28.46° | orbit_period = 93.2 minutes | apsis = gee | instruments = | insignia = Sts-46-patch.png | insignia_caption = STS-46 mission patch | crew_photo = Sts-46_crew.jpg | crew_photo_caption = Standing: Ivins, Nicollier, Hoffman, Chang-Díaz and Malerba Seated: Allen and Shriver | programme = Space Shuttle program | previous_mission = STS-50 (48) | next_mission = STS-47 (50)
STS-46 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using and was launched on July 31, 1992, and landed on August 8, 1992.
Crew
| terminology = Astronaut
| position1 = Commander | crew1_up = USA Loren Shriver | flights1_up = Third and last
| position2 = Pilot | crew2_up = USA Andrew M. Allen | flights2_up = First
| position3 = Mission Specialist 1 | crew3_up = CHE Claude Nicollier | flights3_up = First | agency3_up = ESA
| position4 = Mission Specialist 2 Flight Engineer | crew4_up = USA Marsha Ivins | flights4_up = Second
| position5 = Mission Specialist 3 | crew5_up = USA Jeffrey A. Hoffman | flights5_up = Third
| position6 = Mission Specialist 4 | crew6_up = USA/CRC Franklin Chang-Díaz | flights6_up = Third
| position7 = Payload Specialist 1 | crew7_up = ITA Franco Malerba | flights7_up = Only | agency7_up = ASI |notes=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. Gibson would fly again on STS-47.}} | terminology = Astronaut | crew = backup
| position7 = Payload Specialist 1 | crew7_up = ITA Umberto Guidoni | agency7_up = ASI
Crew seat assignments
::data[format=table]
| Seat | Launch | Landing | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [[File:Space Shuttle seating plan.svg | 150px]] | ||||||||
| Seats 1–4 are on the flight deck. | |||||||||
| Seats 5–7 are on the mid-deck. | |||||||||
| Shriver | |||||||||
| Allen | |||||||||
| Nicollier | Hoffman | ||||||||
| Ivins | |||||||||
| Hoffman | Nicollier | ||||||||
| Chang-Díaz | |||||||||
| Malerba | |||||||||
| :: |
Mission highlights
Gallery
File:Sts046-99-039 - cropped.jpg|EURECA after deployment File:STS-46 TSS-1.jpg|TSS-1 satellite File:STS-46 TSS-1 tether close-up.jpg|TSS-1 tether close-up deployment File:STS-46 TSS-1 fully extended.jpg|TSS-1 fully extended deployment
References
References
- Harwood, William. (July 9, 1990). "Two shuttle commanders disciplined, grounded". UPI Archive.
- "STS-46". Spacefacts.
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::