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1996 in spaceflight

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FieldValue
year1996
imageIntelsat708 3cropped.jpg
captionThe first Long March 3B, carrying Intelsat 708, goes off-course immediately after launch.
first11 January
last24 December
total77
success69
failed4
partial4
catalogued73
firstsat
maidensAriane 5G
J-I
Long March 3B
orbital9
totalcrew49

J-I Long March 3B

This article outlines notable events occurring in 1996 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.

Intelsat 708 launch failure

Orbital launches

January

|- Retrieved Space Flyer Unit |o-span=2 |d-date=20 January |d-time=07:41 |d-span=2 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit Operational: Geosynchronous

February

|- |D-Date=2011 Loss of control at T+2 seconds, exploded 20 seconds later; Six to hundred fatalities on the ground |d-time=+22 seconds Final contact received on 28 February 2001, and unsuccessfully attempted on 10 December 2002 via Heliocentric |d-date=12 February 2001 |d-time=20:01 Actual: Geosynchronous transfer |d-date=2 September |d-time=07:41 TSS-1R tether snapped during deployment; Intended to be returned to Earth by Columbia, but could not be recovered |d-date=9 March |d-time=13:58 |d-date=19 March |d-date=9 March |d-time=13:58

March

|- |d-date=11 June |o-span=2 |d-date=31 March |d-time=13:28 |d-span=2 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit

April

|- |d-date=23 March 2001 |d-time=05:50 |d-date=28 January 2005 |d-date=30 April 2003

May

|- |d-date=1 August |d-time=20:33 |d-time=+ 49 seconds |d-date=11 December 1997 SPARTAN used to deploy the IAE satellite on 20 May; PAMS deployed on 22 May |o-span=3 |d-date=29 May |d-time=11:10 |d-span=3 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |d-date=22 May |d-date=26 October

June

|- Programming error led to rocket going off course |o-span=4 |d-time=+37 seconds |d-span=4 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |o-span=3 |d-date=7 July |d-time=12:36 |d-span=3 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |d-time=+50 seconds

July

|- |d-date=20 November |d-time=22:42

August

|- |d-date = 7 April 2012 |d-date=2 March 1997 |d-time=06:44 Actual: High Earth (elliptical) |d-date=12 November 1999

September

|- |o-span=2 |d-date=26 September |d-time=12:13 |d-span=2 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit

October

|- |d-date=4 November |d-date=18 October 2007 |d-time=03:51

November

|- |o-span=2 |d-date=7 April 2002 |d-span=2 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit Actual: Low Earth |d-date=17 November Story Musgrave becomes the only American astronaut to fly on all five Space Shuttle orbiters ORFEUS-SPAS deployed on 20 November and retrieved on 4 December; WSF deployed on 22 November and retrieved on 26 November |o-span=4 |d-date=7 December |d-time=11:49 |d-span=4 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |d-date=12 March 1997 |d-time=03:23

December

|- Final contact with Sojourner received on 27 September 1997 and the mission was terminated on 10 March 1998 |o-span=2 |d-date=4 July 1997 |d-time=16:57 |d-span=2 |o-span=inherit |d-span=inherit |d-date=1 January 1999 |d-date=7 January 1997 |}

Suborbital launches

January-March

|- |d-date=10 January |d-date=27 January

|d-date=11 February |d-date=11 February |d-date=23 February |d-date=23 February

|d-date=2 March |d-date=6 March |d-date=6 March |d-date=22 March |d-date=22 March

April-June

|- |d-date=3 April |d-date=17 April |d-date=21 April |d-date=21 April

|d-date=3 May |d-date=8 May |d-date=16 May |d-date=16 May |d-date=16 May |d-date=16 May |d-date=30 May

|d-date=4 June |d-date=6 June |d-date=6 June |d-date=17 June |d-date=20 June |d-date=26 June |d-date=26 June |d-date=26 June |d-date=28 June |d-date=28 June |d-date=28 June

July-September

|- |d-date=9 July |d-date=14 July |d-date=15 July |d-date=15 July |d-date=15 July |d-date=15 July |d-date=15 July |d-date=19 July |d-date=19 July |d-date=25 July |d-date=26 July

|d-date=12 August |d-date=20 August |d-date=20 August |d-date=26 August |d-date=29 August |d-date=31 August

|d-date=11 September |d-date=24 September |d-date=27 September

October-December

|- |d-date=2 October |d-date=3 October |d-date=3 October |d-date=9 October |d-date=9 October |d-date=16 October |d-date=16 October |d-date=21 October |d-date=28 October |d-date=28 October |d-date=29 October

|d-date=6 November |d-date=9 November |d-date=13 November |d-date=17 November |d-date=24 November |d-date=29 November

|d-date=28 December

|}

Deep-space rendezvous

Date (GMT)SpacecraftEventRemarks
27 JuneGalileo1st flyby of Ganymede
6 SeptemberGalileo2nd flyby of Ganymede
4 NovemberGalileo1st flyby of Callisto
19 DecemberGalileo1st flyby of Europa

EVAs

Start date/timeDurationEnd timeSpacecraftCrewRemarks
15 January
05:356 hours
9 minutes11:44STS-72
USALeroy Chiao
USADaniel T. BarryPracticed construction techniques for the upcoming International Space Station. The activities included installing a cable tray, hooking up cables and fluid lines, handling small screws and bolts in the screw, and grappling large objects at the end of the robotic arm.
17 January
05:406 hours
54 minutes12:34STS-72
EndeavourUSALeroy Chiao
USAWinston E. ScottContinued testing of construction techniques with utility boxes, slidewires and a portable work stanchion attached to the robotic arm. Scott also tested the heating capabilities of his spacesuit by riding the robotic arm into a cold night zone while Endeavours payload bay was oriented toward space.
8 February
14:033 hours
5 minutes17:08Mir EO-20
Kvant-2GERThomas Reiter
RUSYuri GidzenkoMoved a YMK maneuvering unit from the Kvant-2 airlock and secured it on the module exterior. Then collected experiments deployed earlier on the ESEF. The team was unable to remove an antenna from Kristall when they were unable to loosen some bolts on the antenna.
15 March
01:045 hours
51 minutes06:55Mir EO-21
Kvant-2RUSYury Onufriyenko
RUSYury UsachovTo improve access to the outside of the Kristall module, Onufriyenko and Usachev installed a second Strela boom on the Mir base block. Also prepared cables and connectors for the future installation of the Mir Cooperative Solar Array.
27 March
06:346 hours
2 minutes12:36STS-76
MirUSAMichael R. Clifford
USALinda M. GodwinAdded four canisters of experiments, called the Mir Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP), to the outside of docking module. Also tested new tethers and foot restraints for future use on Mir and the upcoming ISS assembly. First Shuttle-Mir EVA and EVA performed from a Space Shuttle docked at a space station.
20 May
22:506 hours
20 minutes21 May
04:10Mir EO-21
Kvant-2RUSYury Onufriyenko
RUSYury UsachovMoved the Mir Cooperative Solar Array (MCSA) from its stowage position on Kristal to a final location on Kvant-1, and prepared the array for complete deployment. Also released a balloon shaped like a large Pepsi can, and filmed it for a television commercial.
24 May
20:476 hours
43 minutes25 May
02:30Mir EO-21
Kvant-2RUSYury Onufriyenko
RUSYury UsachovCompleted deployment of the Mir Cooperative Solar Array (MCSA) on the Kvant-1 module.
30 May
18:204 hours
20 minutes22:40Mir EO-21
Kvant-2RUSYury Onufriyenko
RUSYury UsachovInstalled the German made Modular Optoelectronic Multispectral Scanner (MOMS) camera to the exterior of the Priroda module. Also installed a new handrail on the exterior of Kvant-2 to aid future spacewalks.
6 June
16:563 hours
34 minutes20:30Mir EO-21
Kvant-2RUSYury Onufriyenko
RUSYury UsachovInstalled two American micrometeoroid detector experiments to the exterior of Kvant-2. Also replaced a cassette for the Komza experiment of the surface of Spektr.
13 June
12:455 hours
42 minutes18:27Mir EO-21
Kvant-2RUSYury Onufriyenko
RUSYury UsachovInstalled the Rapana girder to the exterior of Kvant-1 in anticipation of mounting future experiments to the girder. Also manually deployed the Travers radar on the surface of Priroda.
2 December
15:545 hours
58 minutes21:52Mir EO-22
Kvant-2RUSValery Korzun
RUSAleksandr KaleriSuccessfully connected electrical cables to the solar panels on surface installed on Kvant-1.
9 December
13:506 hours
38 minutes20:28Mir EO-22
Kvant-2RUSValery Korzun
RUSAleksandr KaleriCompleted the construction of the Rapana truss structure and the installed the Kurs docking antenna. Also fixed an amateur radio antenna that had loosened.

References

References

  1. Bergin, Chris. (16 July 2008). "Sea Launch lofts EchoStar 11 – EchoStar 2 dies on orbit". NASASpaceflight.com.
  2. (11 March 2008). "CNN Student News One-Sheet: Space Shuttle Facts". CNN.
  3. [http://www.spacestory.com/storyf.htm Story Musgrave 6-time Space Shuttle Astronaut simulates Space Flight. Hubble Space Telescope. Space Exploration. Space Story] {{webarchive. link. (30 September 2011)
  4. Sims, Brent A.. (1997). "STARS MDT-II Targets Mission". Sandia National Laboratories.
  5. Dumoulin, Jim. (2001). "STS-72 Day 5 Highlights". NASA.
  6. Dumoulin, Jim. (2001). "STS-72 Day 7 Highlights". NASA.
  7. van der Berg, Chris. (3 December 1996). "MIRNEWS 3 DECEMBER 1996 (337)". SpaceOnLine.
  8. van der Berg, Chris. (10 December 1996). "MIRNEWS 10 DECEMBER 1996 (338)". SpaceOnLine.
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