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NASA

A Game of Capture the Satellite
News story originally written on November 25, 1997

The SPARTAN satellite was sent up in the U.S. space shuttle last week. It was to be released into space for two full days. During this time it was going to make observations of the Sun. The satellite failed to activate when it was released. Columbia tried to catch the failed satellite, only to nudge it into a slow spin while attempting to capture it with the robotic arm.

NASA decided to send astronauts Scott and Doi on a spacewalk to capture the satellite. The two men caught the satellite around 9p.m. last night.

Doi, age 43, became the first Japanese spacewalker last night during the rescue mission.

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