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United Space AllianceSpace ShuttleLaunch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
STS-79
Launched
September 16, 1996
Summary
STS-79 launched on an United Space Alliance Space Shuttle from Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA on September 16, 1996. It was United Space Alliance's 1st launch, 1st this year and humanity's 4,102nd orbital launch attempt. It was the 79th Space Shuttle flight and the 6th this year. The payload was bound for low Earth orbit (LEO). It reached a 165 × 300 km orbit inclined 51.7°. 6 crew members flew: John E. Blaha, William F. Readdy, Thomas Akers, Terrence W. Wilcutt, Carl E. Walz and Jerome Apt. The spacecraft was Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104). One object from this launch is catalogued.
- Watch
- STS-79 launch (9-16-96)3210andLiftoff
- Vehicle
- Space Shuttle · United Space AllianceMir, Shuttle–Mir, Space Shuttle
- Booster
- No booster details on record.
- Mission
- Human Exploration · Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
- Milestone
- 79th Space Shuttle flight · 6th this yearUnited Space Alliance's 1st launch1st this yearhumanity's 4,102nd orbital launch attempt61st orbital launch attempt this year
Launch crew
John E. BlahaMission Specialist · NASA · age 54 · 5th flight
William F. ReaddyCommander · NASA · age 44 · 3rd flight
Thomas AkersMission Specialist · NASA · age 45 · 4th flight
Terrence W. WilcuttPilot · NASA · age 46 · 2nd flight
Carl E. WalzMission Specialist · NASA · age 41 · 3rd flight
Jerome AptMission Specialist · NASA · age 47 · 4th flight
Landing crew
Shannon LucidMission Specialist · NASA- William F. ReaddyCommander · NASA
- Thomas AkersMission Specialist · NASA
- Terrence W. WilcuttPilot · NASA
- Carl E. WalzMission Specialist · NASA
- Jerome AptMission Specialist · NASA
Spacecraft
Space Shuttle Atlantis (OV-104)
Space Shuttle Atlantis (Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV‑104) is a Space Shuttle orbiter vehicle belonging to the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the spaceflight and space exploration agency of the United States. Constructed by the Rockwell International company in Southern California and delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Eastern Florida in April 1985, Atlantis is the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built. Its maiden flight was STS-51-J from 3 to 7 October 1985. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on 8 July 2011. STS-134 by Endeavour was expected to be the final flight before STS-135 was authorized in October 2010. STS-135 took advantage of the processing for the STS-335 Launch On Need mission that would have been necessary if STS-134's crew became stranded in orbit. Atlantis landed for the final time at the Kennedy Space Center on 21 July 2011. By the end of its final mission, Atlantis had orbited the Earth a total of 4,848 times, traveling nearly 126,000,000 mi (203,000,000 km) or more than 525 times the distance from the Earth to the Moon.
- Destination: Mir
- Mission length: 10 days
- Docked September 19, 1996 at Mir SO starboard
Space Shuttle Atlantis successfully landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility after this mission.
Flight preview
Orbit: as tracked
Atlantis (STS-79) · NORAD 24324 · 1996-057 · Space-Track
Show the numbers for orbit elements
- Object
- STS 79
- Object ID
- 1996-057A
- Epoch
- 1996-09-16 09:42:28 UTC
- Mean motion
- 16.17862218 rev/day
- Eccentricity
- 0.010254
- Inclination
- 51.6537°
- Ascending node
- 25.1617°
- Arg. of perigee
- 2.1489°
- Mean anomaly
- 206.1964°
- Element set
- 999
- Rev at epoch
- 0
- B*
- 0.0000079435
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
- Atlantis (STS-79) · NORAD 24324 · docked September 19, 1996
Data from J. McDowell, planet4589.org
About this launch
STS-79 was the 17th flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, and the 79th mission of the Space Shuttle program. The flight saw Atlantis dock with the Russian space station Mir to deliver equipment, supplies and relief personnel. A variety of scientific experiments were also conducted aboard Atlantis by her crew. It was the first shuttle mission to rendezvous with a fully assembled Mir, and the fourth rendezvous of a shuttle to the space station.
Pad
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
58th launch from Launch Complex 39A, 1st this year · 96th from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
224 launches from this pad · 283 from Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA
308 days after the previous launch from this pad
Questions
When did STS-79 launch?
STS-79 launched on September 16, 1996. The time is known to the hour, not the minute.
Where can I watch STS-79?
Coverage: STS-79 launch (9-16-96). Watch the replay
What rocket launched STS-79?
Space Shuttle, flown by United Space Alliance. Space Shuttle spec sheet
Where did STS-79 launch from?
Launch Complex 39A, Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA.
What orbit did STS-79 reach?
It reached a 165 × 300 km orbit inclined 51.7°.
Which program is STS-79 part of?
Mir and Shuttle–Mir and Space Shuttle. About Mir