Space Shuttle Endeavor, IAE - Inflatable Antenna Experiment

STS077-150-010 (20 May 1996) --- Soon after leaving the cargo bay of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, the Spartan 207/Inflatable Antenna Experiment (IAE) payload goes through its inflation process, backdropped over clouds. The view was photographed with a large format still camera on the first full day of in-space operations by the six-member crew. Managed by Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC), Spartan is designed to provide short-duration, free-flight opportunities for a variety of scientific studies. The Spartan configuration on this flight is unique in that the IAE is part of an additional separate unit which is ejected once the experiment is completed. The IAE experiment will lay the groundwork for future technology development in inflatable space structures, which will be launched and then inflated like a balloon on-orbit.

johnson space center iae inflatable antenna experiment high resolution inflatable antenna experiment spartan iae experiment inflatable space structures goddard space flight center inflation process space shuttle endeavour spartan configuration future technology development cargo bay in space operations six member crew flight free flight opportunities balloon on orbit nasa

20/05/1996

NASA

https://images.nasa.gov/

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