STS-77

Mission Profile

Overview

STS-77 was a technology- and microgravity-research flight that set a record for the number of rendezvous a Shuttle performed in a single mission. Canadian Space Agency astronaut Marc Garneau, on his second spaceflight, served as a mission specialist and used the Canadarm to deploy and later retrieve the Spartan-207 free-flyer, which carried the Inflatable Antenna Experiment, a 14-metre antenna that ballooned to full size in orbit to test large, lightweight deployable structures. The crew also flew the commercial SPACEHAB module packed with microgravity experiments and conducted multiple proximity operations with the PAMS satellite to study aerodynamic attitude stabilisation. Commanded by John Casper, the ten-day flight demonstrated technologies for future spacecraft and antennas while deepening Canada's record of contributions to the Shuttle programme through Garneau and the Canadarm.

Crew

Key Milestones

1. 1996-05-19

   Endeavour launches from KSC LC-39B with the SPACEHAB module and Spartan-207

2. 1996-05-20

   Garneau deploys Spartan-207, which inflates the 14-metre Inflatable Antenna Experiment

3. 1996-05-21

   Spartan-207 retrieved with the Canadarm after the antenna test

4. 1996-05-22

   PAMS satellite deployed for aerodynamic attitude-stabilisation experiments

5. 1996-05-29

   Endeavour lands at Kennedy Space Center, Runway 33

Key Achievements

• Marc Garneau's second spaceflight, representing the Canadian Space Agency

• Successful in-orbit test of the 14-metre Inflatable Antenna Experiment

• Record number of Shuttle rendezvous operations in one mission

• Flew the commercial SPACEHAB microgravity research module

Related Missions

Sources

1. Canadian Space Agency – Mission STS-077
2. NASA KSC – STS-77 mission highlights
3. Wikipedia – STS-77