
STS046-01-019 (1 Aug 1992) --- Claude Nicollier, representing the European Space Agency (ESA) onboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis for the mission, is seen on the flight deck during pre-deployment operations with the ESA's EURECA satellite. EURECA can be seen on the end of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). Nicollier was joined by five NASA astronauts and an Italian payload specialist for eight days aboard the Atlantis.

STS046-102-021 (1 Aug 1992) --- The European Space Agency's (ESA) EURECA satellite remains in the grasp of the Space Shuttle Atlantis' Remote Manipulator System (RMS) as the Space Shuttle passes over the Persian Gulf. Most of the theater of the recent war is visible in the frame. Parts of Kuwait, Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia can be delineated. The Tethered Satellite System (TSS) remains stowed in the aft cargo bay of Atlantis.

The European Retrievable Carrier 1L (EURECA-1L) spacecraft, with solar array panels extended, drifts above the Earth after deployment from the payload bay of Atlantis, Orbiter Vehicle (OV) 104, during STS-46. EURECA's onboard propulsion unit will boost it to an operational altitude of 270 nautical miles.

STS046-S-001 (May 1992) --- Designed by the crew members assigned to the flight, the crew patch depicts the space shuttle Atlantis in orbit around Earth, accompanied by major payloads: the European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) and the Tethered Satellite System (TSS-1). In the depiction, EURECA has been activated and released, its antennae and solar arrays deployed, and it is about to start its ten-month scientific mission. The tethered satellite is linked to the orbiter by a 20-kilometer tether. The purple beam emanating from an electron generator in the payload bay spirals around Earth's magnetic field. The TSS mission will study the dynamics and electrodynamics of tethered systems in space and the physics of Earth's ionosphere. Visible on Earth's surface are the United States of America and the thirteen-member countries of the European Space Agency (ESA), in particular, Italy - partner with the United States in the TSS program. The American and Italian flags, as well as the ESA logo, further serve to illustrate the international character of STS-46. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

STS057-S-001 (February 1993) --- Designed by the crew members, the STS-57 crew patch depicts the space shuttle Endeavour maneuvering to retrieve the European Space Agency's (ESA) microgravity experiment satellite EURECA. SpaceHab - the first commercial space laboratory - is depicted in the cargo bay, and its characteristic shape is represented by the inner red border of the patch. The three gold plumes surrounded by the five stars trailing EURECA are suggestive of the United States astronaut logo. The five gold stars together with the shape of the orbiter's mechanical arm form the mission's numerical designation. The six stars on the American flag represent the United States astronauts who comprise the crew. With detailed input from the crew members, the final artwork was accomplished by artist Tim Hall. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the form of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which we do not anticipate, it will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

STS057-93-052 (24 June 1993) --- The European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) is held in the grasp of the Space Shuttle Endeavour's Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The photo was taken after EURECA's "capture" from Earth-orbit but prior to its berthing in the Shuttle's cargo bay. The southern two-thirds of the state of Florida, part of the Gulf of Mexico and clouds over the Atlantic form the backdrop for the 70mm image.