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Lockheed Martin Space OperationsSpace ShuttleLaunch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
STS-78
Launched
June 20, 1996
Summary
STS-78 launched on a Lockheed Martin Space Operations Space Shuttle from Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA on June 20, 1996. It was Lockheed Martin Space Operations's 9th launch, 5th this year and humanity's 4,080th orbital launch attempt. It was the 78th Space Shuttle flight and the 5th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). It reached a 280 × 293 km orbit inclined 39.0°. 7 crew members flew: Jean-Jacques Favier, Susan Helms, Terence Henricks, Robert Thirsk, Kevin R. Kregel, Charles E. Brady Jr. and Richard M. Linnehan. The spacecraft was Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102). One object from this launch is catalogued.
- Watch
- STS-78 launch (6-20-96)3210andLiftoff
- Vehicle
- Space Shuttle · Lockheed Martin Space OperationsSpace Shuttle
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 78th Space Shuttle flight · 5th this yearLockheed Martin Space Operations's 9th launch5th this yearhumanity's 4,080th orbital launch attempt39th orbital launch attempt this year
Crew
Jean-Jacques FavierPayload Specialist · CNES · age 47 · first flight
Susan HelmsMission Specialist · NASA · age 38 · 3rd flight
Terence HenricksCommander · NASA · age 43 · 4th flight
Robert ThirskPayload Specialist · CSA · age 42 · first flight
Kevin R. KregelPilot · NASA · age 39 · 2nd flight
Charles E. Brady Jr.Mission Specialist · NASA · age 44 · first flight
Richard M. LinnehanMission Specialist · NASA · age 38 · first flight
Spacecraft
Space Shuttle Columbia (OV-102)
Space Shuttle Columbia (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-102) was the first space-rated orbiter in NASA's Space Shuttle fleet. It launched for the first time on mission STS-1 on April 12, 1981, the first flight of the Space Shuttle program. Over 22 years of service, it completed 27 missions before disintegrating during re-entry near the end of its 28th mission, STS-107 on February 1, 2003, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members.
- Destination: Low Earth Orbit
- Mission length: 16 days
Space Shuttle Columbia successfully landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility after this mission.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Columbia (STS-78) · NORAD 23931 · 1996-036 · Space-Track
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- STS 78
- Object ID
- 1996-036A
- Epoch
- 1996-06-20 15:32:29 UTC
- Mean motion
- 15.98327421 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.0009731
- Inclination
- 39.0142°
- Ascending node
- 9.7766°
- Arg. of perigee
- 338.961°
- Mean anomaly
- 225.2205°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 1
- B*
- 0.0000042118
Perigee, apogee and period are Kepler figures from the catalogued mean elements, not a propagated state. Published orbit: LEO. Ascent drawn from padside's representative profile.
Catalogued objects
1 catalogued: 1 payload; none still in orbit
- Columbia (STS-78) · NORAD 23931 · landed July 7, 1996
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
STS-78 was the fifth dedicated Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission for the Space Shuttle program, flown partly in preparation for the International Space Station project. The mission used the Space Shuttle Columbia, which lifted off successfully from Kennedy Space Center’s launch pad 39-B on 20 June 1996.
Pad
Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
38th launch from Launch Complex 39B, 5th this year · 95th from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
59 launches from this pad · 283 from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
32 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did STS-78 launch?
STS-78 launched on June 20, 1996. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch STS-78?
Coverage: STS-78 launch (6-20-96). Watch the replay
What rocket launched STS-78?
Space Shuttle, flown by Lockheed Martin Space Operations. Space Shuttle spec sheet
Where did STS-78 launch from?
Launch Complex 39B, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.
What orbit did STS-78 reach?
It reached a 280 × 293 km orbit inclined 39.0°.
Which program is STS-78 part of?
Space Shuttle. About Space Shuttle