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This Week in NASA History: The First Use of Transfer Orbit Stage – Sept. 25, 1992

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NASA

Sep 26, 2018
Image Article
The Mars Observer and TOS payload are ready for final integration in the Titan III nose fairing.
This week in 1992, the Transfer Orbit Stage, or TOS, a single-stage, solid propellant upper stage vehicle used to propel a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit on journeys to geostationary orbit or toward interplanetary destinations, was used for the first time with the launch of the Mars Observer aboard a Titan III launch vehicle.

This week in 1992, the Transfer Orbit Stage, or TOS, a single-stage, solid propellant upper stage vehicle used to propel a spacecraft from low-Earth orbit on journeys to geostationary orbit or toward interplanetary destinations, was used for the first time with the launch of the Mars Observer aboard a Titan III launch vehicle. Here, the Mars Observer and TOS payload are ready for final integration in the Titan III nose fairing. The TOS was managed by NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. 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)