Model, Satellite, Solar Max

The Solar Maximum Mission satellite (Solar Max), launched in 1980, was an orbital observatory equipped with various instruments for studying the sun. The observatory operated well for nine months until a failure in its attitude control system left it unable to point precisely at observation targets on the sun. On Space Shuttle mission STS 41-C in 1984, astronauts retrieved Solar Max, repaired it in the Shuttle payload bay, and then redeployed it for continued scientific research. This mission demonstrated new capabilities of the Space Shuttle and astronauts; it was the first to rendezvous with, capture, and repair a satellite in orbit, and it was the first operational use of the Manned Maneuvering Unit.