| Year: | 1996 |
| First: | 11 January |
| Last: | 24 December |
| Total: | 77 |
| Success: | 69 |
| Failed: | 4 |
| Partial: | 4 |
| Catalogued: | 73 |
| Maidens: | Ariane 5G J-I Long March 3B |
| Orbital: | 9 |
| Totalcrew: | 49 |
This article outlines notable events occurring in 1996 in spaceflight, including major launches and EVAs.
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| Date (GMT) | Spacecraft | Event | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|
| 27 June | 1st flyby of Ganymede | ||
| 6 September | Galileo | 2nd flyby of Ganymede | |
| 4 November | Galileo | 1st flyby of Callisto | |
| 19 December | Galileo | 1st flyby of Europa |
| Start Date/Time | Duration | End Time | Spacecraft | Crew | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15 January 05:35 | 6 hours 9 minutes | 11:44 | STS-72 |  Leroy ChiaoDaniel T. Barry | Practiced construction techniques for the upcoming International Space Station. The activities included installing a cable tray, hooking up cables and fluid lines, handling small screws and bolts in the screw, and grappling large objects at the end of the robotic arm.[1] |
| 17 January 05:40 | 6 hours | 12:34 | STS-72 Endeavour | Leroy ChiaoWinston E. Scott | Continued testing of construction techniques with utility boxes, slidewires and a portable work stanchion attached to the robotic arm. Scott also tested the heating capabilities of his spacesuit by riding the robotic arm into a cold night zone while Endeavours payload bay was oriented toward space.[2] |
| 8 February 14:03 | 3 hours 5 minutes | 17:08 | Mir EO-20 Kvant-2 | Thomas Reiter Yuri Gidzenko | Moved a YMK maneuvering unit from the Kvant-2 airlock and secured it on the module exterior. Then collected experiments deployed earlier on the ESEF. The team was unable to remove an antenna from Kristall when they were unable to loosen some bolts on the antenna. |
| 15 March 01:04 | 5 hours 51 minutes | 06:55 | Mir EO-21 Kvant-2 | Yury OnufriyenkoYury Usachov | To improve access to the outside of the Kristall module, Onufriyenko and Usachev installed a second Strela boom on the Mir base block. Also prepared cables and connectors for the future installation of the Mir Cooperative Solar Array. |
| 27 March 06:34 | 6 hours 2 minutes | 12:36 | STS-76 Mir | Linda M. Godwin | Added four canisters of experiments, called the Mir Environmental Effects Payload (MEEP), to the outside of docking module. Also tested new tethers and foot restraints for future use on Mir and the upcoming ISS assembly. First Shuttle-Mir EVA and EVA performed from a Space Shuttle docked at a space station. |
| 20 May 22:50 | 6 hours 20 minutes | 21 May 04:10 | Mir EO-21 Kvant-2 | Yury OnufriyenkoYury Usachov | Moved the Mir Cooperative Solar Array (MCSA) from its stowage position on Kristal to a final location on Kvant-1, and prepared the array for complete deployment. Also released a balloon shaped like a large Pepsi can, and filmed it for a television commercial. |
| 24 May 20:47 | 6 hours 43 minutes | 25 May 02:30 | Mir EO-21 Kvant-2 | Yury OnufriyenkoYury Usachov | Completed deployment of the Mir Cooperative Solar Array (MCSA) on the Kvant-1 module. |
| 30 May 18:20 | 4 hours 20 minutes | 22:40 | Mir EO-21 Kvant-2 | Yury OnufriyenkoYury Usachov | Installed the German made Modular Optoelectronic Multispectral Scanner (MOMS) camera to the exterior of the Priroda module. Also installed a new handrail on the exterior of Kvant-2 to aid future spacewalks. |
| 6 June 16:56 | 3 hours 34 minutes | 20:30 | Mir EO-21 Kvant-2 | Yury OnufriyenkoYury Usachov | Installed two American micrometeoroid detector experiments to the exterior of Kvant-2. Also replaced a cassette for the Komza experiment of the surface of Spektr. |
| 13 June 12:45 | 5 hours 42 minutes | 18:27 | Mir EO-21 Kvant-2 | Yury OnufriyenkoYury Usachov | Installed the Rapana girder to the exterior of Kvant-1 in anticipation of mounting future experiments to the girder. Also manually deployed the Travers radar on the surface of Priroda. |
| 2 December 15:54 | 5 hours 58 minutes | 21:52 | Mir EO-22 Kvant-2 | Valery KorzunAleksandr Kaleri | Successfully connected electrical cables to the solar panels on surface installed on Kvant-1.[3] |
| 9 December 13:50 | 6 hours 38 minutes | 20:28 | Mir EO-22 Kvant-2 | Valery KorzunAleksandr Kaleri | Completed the construction of the Rapana truss structure and the installed the Kurs docking antenna. Also fixed an amateur radio antenna that had loosened.[4] |