This week in 1992, space shuttle Atlantis and STS-46 launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. One of the primary mission objectives was to deploy the Tethered Satellite System, a cooperative effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency. Managed at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the Tethered Satellite System was used to study tidal stabilization, tether propulsion and orbital plasma dynamics. Here, the TSS can be seen on its deployer boom in the orbiter’s cargo bay. Today, the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall serves as “science central” for the International Space Station, working 24/7, 365 days a year in support of the orbiting laboratory’s scientific experiments. The NASA History Program is responsible for generating, disseminating, and preserving NASA’s remarkable history and providing a comprehensive understanding of the institutional, cultural, social, political, economic, technological, and scientific aspects of NASA’s activities in aeronautics and space. For more pictures like this one and to connect to NASA’s history, visit the Marshall History Program’s webpage. (NASA)