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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-51-A https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-51-A brought two satellites back in the cargo bay that had not reached their proper orb

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-51-A https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-51-A brought two satellites back in the cargo bay that had not reached their proper orbit on a prior launch. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-32 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STS-32 brought back the Long Duration Exposure Facility experiment, a bigass science probe the size of a small school bus. There are still missions that are classified that could have done so as well. It was something the shuttle was designed to do, with the 60-foot cargo bay requirement and the ability to bring back the mass it flew with coming specifically from the military.

rdtsc 1y ago
> STS-51-A marked the first time a shuttle deployed two communications satellites, and retrieved from orbit two other communications satellites That's very interesting. First time I heard about it. Thanks for the reference!
alnwlsn 1y ago
I've heard that one of the things they wanted the shuttle to do was launch, capture a spacecraft in polar orbit, and land at the launch site within a single orbit. Some say it was so they could secretly grab a Soviet satellite right out of the sky when it was out of range of Russia, but I'm not sure how you would secure something like that in the payload bay.
- toast0 1y ago
  > I'm not sure how you would secure something like that in the payload bay. Tighten down some ratchet straps, wiggle it a bit and say, 'that'll hold it'
- ahazred8ta 1y ago
  That's an urban legend. There were never any plans to capture a satellite in a single orbit. It was supposed to be capable of making an emergency landing after one orbit, but not while releasing or capturing a satellite. The 1950s Air Force X-20 Dyna-Soar was intended to launch a recon satellite and land in one orbit, but not recover a foreign satellite in one orbit.
  - garaetjjte 1y ago
    "Mission 3B is designed as payload retrieval mission with both shuttle launch and orbiter landing to take place at the Western Test Range (WTR). The mission is designed for direct rendezvous with a passive satellite in a 100 NMI circular orbit with an inclination of 104 degress. Rendezvous and return to the WTR occurs one revolution after liftoff" https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19760020214/downloads/19760020214.pdf https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19760020214/downloads/19...

rdtsc 1y ago

> STS-51-A marked the first time a shuttle deployed two communications satellites, and retrieved from orbit two other communications satellites That's very interesting. First time I heard about it. Thanks for the reference!

alnwlsn 1y ago

I've heard that one of the things they wanted the shuttle to do was launch, capture a spacecraft in polar orbit, and land at the launch site within a single orbit. Some say it was so they could secretly grab a Soviet satellite right out of the sky when it was out of range of Russia, but I'm not sure how you would secure something like that in the payload bay.

toast0 1y ago
> I'm not sure how you would secure something like that in the payload bay. Tighten down some ratchet straps, wiggle it a bit and say, 'that'll hold it'
ahazred8ta 1y ago
That's an urban legend. There were never any plans to capture a satellite in a single orbit. It was supposed to be capable of making an emergency landing after one orbit, but not while releasing or capturing a satellite. The 1950s Air Force X-20 Dyna-Soar was intended to launch a recon satellite and land in one orbit, but not recover a foreign satellite in one orbit.
- garaetjjte 1y ago
  "Mission 3B is designed as payload retrieval mission with both shuttle launch and orbiter landing to take place at the Western Test Range (WTR). The mission is designed for direct rendezvous with a passive satellite in a 100 NMI circular orbit with an inclination of 104 degress. Rendezvous and return to the WTR occurs one revolution after liftoff" https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19760020214/downloads/19760020214.pdf https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19760020214/downloads/19...