STS-49

Daniel Brandenstein

• Birthday: 01/17/1943
• Role: Commander
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 08/30/1983
• Last Flight: 05/07/1992

Daniel Charles Brandenstein is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of United Space Alliance. He is a former Naval Aviator, test pilot and NASA astronaut, who flew four Space Shuttle missions.

Kevin P. Chilton

• Birthday: 11/03/1954
• Role: Pilot
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 05/07/1992
• Last Flight: 03/22/1996

Kevin Patrick “Chilli” Chilton is an American mechanical engineer, and former United States Air Force four-star General and test pilot. His last assignment was as Commander, U.S. Strategic Command from October 3, 2007 to January 28, 2011. Prior to his appointment to general officer ranks, Chilton spent 11 years of his military career as a NASA astronaut. He retired from the Air Force on February 1, 2011, after having achieved the highest rank of any military astronaut. On January 30, 2012, General Chilton was named to the board of directors of Orbital Sciences Corporation.

Bruce E. Melnick

• Birthday: 12/05/1949
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 10/06/1990
• Last Flight: 05/07/1992

Bruce Edward Melnick is a former American astronaut and retired United States Coast Guard officer. Following retirement from NASA and the Coast Guard, he entered the aerospace industry. He served as a Vice President with the Boeing Co.’s Integrated Defense Systems group, in charge of Boeing’s Florida operations at the John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Melnick retired in 2008 and currently resides on Merritt Island, Florida.

Pierre J. Thuot

• Birthday: 05/19/1955
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 02/28/1990
• Last Flight: 03/04/1994

Pierre Joseph Thuot is a retired United States Navy Captain and NASA astronaut. He went into space three times, spending over 650 hours in space, including over 15 hours in three space walks. He is a former U.S. record holder for time spent on one space walk, and participated in the first three-person space walk.

Richard Hieb

• Birthday: 09/21/1955
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 04/28/1991
• Last Flight: 07/08/1994

Richard James Hieb is a former NASA astronaut and a veteran of three space shuttle missions. He was a mission specialist on STS-39 and STS-49, and was a payload commander on STS-65.

Kathryn C. Thornton

• Birthday: 08/17/1952
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 11/23/1989
• Last Flight: 10/20/1995

Kathryn Ryan Cordell Thornton is an American scientist and a former NASA astronaut with over 975 hours in space, including 21 hours of extravehicular activity. She was the associate dean for graduate programs at the University of Virginia School of Engineering and Applied Science, currently a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering.

Thomas Akers

• Birthday: 05/20/1951
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 10/06/1990
• Last Flight: 09/16/1996

Thomas Dale Akers is a former American astronaut in NASA’s Space Shuttle program.

STS-49

• Type: Communications
• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $450,000,000

STS-49 was the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour. 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 a three-person extra-vehicular activity (EVA).

Launch Complex 39B

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39B has witnessed the launch of 58 rockets, including 57 orbital launch attempts, while Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 244 rocket launches.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS). Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.