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.