STS-49 Mission Patch
47th Space Shuttle Mission
1st Flight of Endeavour
Crew:
Daniel Brandenstein, Commander
Kevin P. Chilton, Pilot
Richard Hieb, Mission Specialist
Bruce E. Melnick, Mission Specialist, Flight Engineer
Pierre J. Thuot, Mission Specialist
Kathryn C. Thornton, Mission Specialist
Thomas Akers, Mission Specialist
The primary goal of its nine-day mission was to retrieve an Intelsat VI satellite, Intelsat 603, which failed to leave Low Earth orbit two years before, attach it to a new upper stage, and relaunch it to its intended geosynchronous orbit. After several attempts, the capture was completed with the only three-person extravehicular activity (EVA) in space flight history.