Daniel Charles Brandenstein (born January 17, 1943) is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of United Space Alliance.

Brandenstein carried out a nine-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean on board USS Ranger while attached to VA-145, flying A-6 Intruders during the period March 1975 to September 1977.

During the mission, crew members deployed the Indian National Satellite (INSAT-1B); operated the Canadian-built Remote Manipulator System (RMS) with the Payload Flight Test Article (PFTA); operated the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) with live cell samples; conducted medical measurements to understand biophysiological effects on space flight and activated various Earth resources and space science experiments along with four "Getaway Special" canisters.

During this seven-day mission, crew members deployed communications satellites for Mexico (Morelos), the Arab League (Arabsat) and the United States (AT&T Telstar).

They used the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to deploy and later retrieve the SPARTAN satellite, which performed 17 hours of X-ray astronomy experiments while separated from the Space Shuttle.

In the longest Shuttle mission to date, crew members aboard the Orbiter Columbia successfully deployed the Syncom IV-F5 satellite, and retrieved the 9,724 kg (21,393 lb) Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) using the RMS.

During this mission, the crew conducted the initial test flight of Endeavour, performed a record four EVAs (space walks) to retrieve, repair and re-deploy the International Telecommunications Satellite (Intelsat) and to demonstrate and evaluate numerous EVA tasks to be used for the assembly of the Space Station 'Freedom'.

STS-49 logged 213 hours in space and 141 Earth orbits before landing at Edwards AFB, where the crew conducted the first test of the Endeavour's drag chute.