The Astronaut Who Captured a Satellite . ... Credit Copyright: STS-51A , NASA Explanation: In 1984, high above the Earth's surface, an astronaut captured a satellite. ... Pictured above , astronaut Dale A. Gardner flies free using the Manned Maneuvering Unit and begins to attach a control device dubbed the Stinger to the rotating Westar 6 satellite. Communications satellite Westar 6 had suffered a rocket malfunction that left it unable to reach its intended high geosynchronous orbit. ...