May 20 1996
From The Space Library
Endeavour's crew successfully tested a giant inflatable antenna, deploying the structure and gathering data during its orbit. Project Manager Steven Bard, a NASA scientist at JPL, called the successful test a giant step toward developing lightweight, cost-effective equipment for space research. The silver, inflatable antenna, about the size of a tennis court, cost US$14 million to develop. The Shuttle astronauts used the Shuttle's robotic arm to launch the small satellite carrying the antenna. The crew situated Endeavour about 400 feet (122 meters) immediately above the antenna, to observe its behavior after deployment, but when the antenna made some unexpected tumbling rotations, the astronauts moved the Shuttle to a safer distance. After completing the test, the astronauts set off a series of small explosions to cut loose the antenna. Before the mission began, NASA officials had determined that deflating and recapturing the antenna would be too risky and costly to attempt.
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