STS-79Space Shuttle Atlantis / OV-104 United Space Alliance Launch Status Success Thu ยท Sep 26th, 1996 8:13 AM EDT Watch Online https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TV-ufc9sI94 Crew Thomas Akers Mission Specialist Status: Retired 5/20/1951 - Nationality: American Type: Government Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Thomas Dale Akers is a former American astronaut in NASA's Space Shuttle program. Jerome Apt Mission Specialist Status: Retired 4/28/1949 - Nationality: American Type: Government Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Jerome "Jay" Apt III, Ph.D. (born April 28, 1949 in Massachusetts) is an American astronaut and professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Before he became an astronaut, Apt was a physicist who worked on the Pioneer Venus 1978 space probe project, and used visible light and infrared techniques to study the planets and moons of the solar system from ground-based observatories. Carl E. Walz Mission Specialist Status: Retired 9/6/1955 - Nationality: American Type: Government Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Carl Erwin Walz is a former NASA astronaut currently working for Orbital Sciences Corporation's Advanced Programs Group as Vice President for Human Space Flight Operations. Walz was formerly assigned to the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He was the Acting Director for the Advanced Capabilities Division in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, and was responsible for a broad range of activities to include Human Research, Technology Development, Nuclear Power and Propulsion and the Lunar Robotic Exploration Programs to support the Vision for Space Exploration. Terrence W. Wilcutt Pilot Status: Active 10/31/1949 - Nationality: American Type: Government Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Terrence Wade Wilcutt is a United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. Wilcutt is currently the Director of Safety and Mission Assurance, Johnson Space Center. William F. Readdy Commander Status: Retired 1/24/1952 - Nationality: American Type: Government Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration William Francis Readdy is a former Associate Administrator of the Office of Space Flight, at NASA Headquarters. He graduated from McLean High School, McLean, Virginia, in 1970 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering (with honors) from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1974. He's a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School 1980. Readdy is a Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Explorers Club, and the Royal Astronautical Society and is an Associate Fellow of the AIAA. He also belongs to the Association of Space Explorers. John E. Blaha Mission Specialist Status: Retired 8/26/1942 - Nationality: American Type: Government Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration John Elmer Blaha is a retired United States Air Force colonel and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five space missions aboard the Space Shuttle and Mir. Blaha is married to the former Brenda I. Walters of St. Louis, Missouri. They have three grown children and four grandchildren. Mission STS-79 Type: Human Exploration 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. Location Launch Complex 39A Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA 182 launches have been at this location. Rocket Space Shuttle Atlantis OV-104 Length: 38.1 meters Diameter: 8.4 meters First Launched: October 3, 1985 Constructed in 1985, Atlantis was the fourth operational and the second-to-last Space Shuttle built. Its maiden flight was STS-51-J in October of 1985. Atlantis embarked on its 33rd and final mission, also the final mission of a space shuttle, STS-135, on 8 July 2011. The Space Shuttle Atlantis OV-104 rocket has been launched a total of 32 times with 32 successful and 0 failed launches. Agency United Space Alliance Type: Commercial Abbreviation: USA Administration: Founded: 1995 Launchers: Space Shuttle Spacecraft: Country: USA United Space Alliance (USA) is a spaceflight operations company. USA is a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), equally owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin. View Rocket Launch Schedule