Shannon Walker (born June 4, 1965) is an American physicist and a
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil space program, aeronautics research, and space research.
NASA was established in 1958, succeeding t ...
astronaut
An astronaut (from the Ancient Greek (), meaning 'star', and (), meaning 'sailor') is a person trained, equipped, and deployed by a human spaceflight program to serve as a commander or crew member aboard a spacecraft. Although generally r ...
selected in 2004. She launched on her first mission into space on June 25, 2010, onboard
Soyuz TMA-19 and spent over 163 days in space.
She returned to space for her second long duration mission on November 15, 2020, onboard
SpaceX Crew-1
SpaceX Crew-1 (was also known as USCV-1 or simply Crew-1) was the first operational crewed flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the maiden flight of the Crew Dragon ''Resilience'' spacecraft. It was also the second crewed orbital flight l ...
, the first operational flight of
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
's
Crew Dragon
Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has also launched private missions such as Ins ...
spacecraft.
Early life and education
Walker was born in Houston, where she graduated from
Westbury High School in 1983.
She studied
physics
Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...
at
Rice University
William Marsh Rice University (Rice University) is a Private university, private research university in Houston, Houston, Texas. It is on a 300-acre campus near the Houston Museum District and adjacent to the Texas Medical Center. Rice is ranke ...
in Texas, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Physics in 1987.
Walker began her professional career with the Rockwell Space Operations Company at the Johnson Space Center later that year as a robotics flight controller for the
Space Shuttle program
The Space Shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), which accomplished routine transportation for Earth-to-orbit crew and cargo from 1981 to 2011. Its ...
. She worked several Space Shuttle missions as a flight controller in the
Mission Control Center, including
STS-27,
STS-32
STS-32 was the 33rd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the ninth launch of . Launched on January 9, 1990, it marked the first use of the Launch Complex 39A of Kennedy Space Center at since 1986; it also marked the first use of Mobi ...
,
STS-51
STS-51 was a NASA Space Shuttle ''Discovery'' mission that launched the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS) in September 1993. The flight also featured the deployment and retrieval of the SPAS-ORFEUS satellite and its IMAX cam ...
,
STS-56,
STS-60
STS-60 was the first mission of the U.S./Russian Shuttle-Mir Program, which carried Sergei K. Krikalev, the first Russian cosmonaut to fly aboard a Space Shuttle. The mission used NASA Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', which lifted off from Launc ...
,
STS-61
STS-61 was the first NASA Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''. The mission launched on 2 December 1993 from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The mission restored the spacebor ...
, and
STS-66
STS-66 was a Space Shuttle program mission that was flown by the Space Shuttle ''Atlantis''. STS-66 launched on 3 November 1994 at 11:59:43.060 am EDT from Launch Pad 39-B at NASA's Kennedy Space Center. ''Atlantis'' landed at Edwards Air Force ...
.
From 1990 to 1993, Walker took a leave of absence from
Johnson Space Center
The Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (JSC) is NASA's center for human spaceflight (originally named the Manned Spacecraft Center), where human spaceflight training, research, and flight control are conducted. It was renamed in honor of the late U ...
to attend graduate school, where her area of study was the solar wind interaction with the
Venusian atmosphere
The atmosphere of Venus is the layer of gases surrounding Venus. It is composed primarily of Supercritical carbon dioxide, supercritical carbon dioxide and is much denser and hotter than atmosphere of Earth, that of Earth. The temperature at the ...
.
She received a Master of Science and a PhD in Space Physics from Rice University in 1992 and 1993.
In 1995, she joined the NASA civil service and began working in the International Space Station (ISS) Program at the Johnson Space Center.
Walker worked in robotics integration, working with the ISS International Partners to design and build the robotics hardware for the Space Station. In 1998, she joined the ISS Mission Evaluation Room (MER) as a manager for coordinating on-orbit problem resolution for the ISS.
In 1999, Walker moved to
Moscow
Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...
to work with the
Russian Space Agency
The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...
and its contractors in avionics integration and integrated problem solving for the ISS. She returned to Houston in 2000 and became the technical lead for the ISS MER and the Deputy Manager of the On-Orbit Engineering Office. Later, she became Acting Manager of the On-Orbit Engineering Office.
Astronaut career
In May 2004, Walker was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate as part of the 19th class of astronauts. In February 2006, she completed Astronaut Candidate Training, including scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training,
T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival training. Completion of this initial training qualified her for various technical assignments within the Astronaut Office and future flight assignment as a mission specialist.
On September 19, 2011, NASA announced that Walker would command the
NEEMO 15 undersea exploration mission aboard the
Aquarius
Aquarius may refer to:
Astrology
* Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign
* Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages
Astronomy
* Aquarius (constellation)
* Aquarius in Chinese astronomy
Arts and entertainme ...
underwater laboratory from October 17–30, 2011.
Delayed by stormy weather and high seas, the mission began on October 20, 2011.
On the afternoon of October 21, Walker and her crew officially became
aquanaut
An aquanaut is any person who remains underwater, breathing at the ambient pressure for long enough for the concentration of the inert components of the breathing gas dissolved in the body tissues to reach equilibrium, in a state known as satura ...
s, having spent over 24 hours underwater. NEEMO 15 ended early on October 26 due to the approach of
Hurricane Rina
Hurricane Rina was a powerful and slow-moving tropical cyclone that caused minor impacts in the northwestern Caribbean Sea in late October 2011. The seventeenth named storm, seventh hurricane, and fourth major hurricane of the annual hurr ...
.
In 2017 Walker served as backup for NASA astronaut
Joe Acaba
Joseph Michael "Joe" Acabá (born May 17, 1967) is a Puerto Rican educator, hydrogeologist, and NASA astronaut. In May 2004 he became the first person of Puerto Rican heritage to be named as a NASA astronaut candidate, when he was selected as ...
for
Expedition 53/
54, and she herself was scheduled to launch onboard
Soyuz MS-12 in early 2019 and serve on
Expedition 59/
60. She was removed from the flight and replaced with
Christina Koch well before launch.
Expedition 24/25
Walker was assigned as backup to NASA Astronaut
Jeff Williams for ISS
Expedition 21
Expedition 21 was the 21st long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The expedition began on 11 October 2009, with Frank de Winne becoming the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission.
The handover between Expeditio ...
/
22, directly serving as backup Commander for Expedition 22. Following the launch of Expedition 21/22 on
Soyuz TMA-16 in September 2009, Walker was assigned to the prime crew of
Expedition 24
Expedition 24 was the 24th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 24 initially had two planned spacewalks, one Russian and one American Extra-vehicular Activity (EVA). The U.S. EVA was re-planned and a second ...
/
25.
On June 15, 2010, Walker launched onboard
Soyuz TMA-19, alongside fellow NASA astronaut
Douglas Wheelock and
Roscosmos
The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...
cosmonaut
Fyodor Yurchikhin
Fyodor Nikolayevich Yurchikhin (russian: Фёдор Николаевич Юрчихин, Greek: Θεόδωρος Γιουρτσίχιν του Νικόλαου; born 3 January 1959) is a Russian cosmonaut of Greek descent, engineer and RSC Ene ...
. Two days later the trio rendezvoused with the ISS and docked to the
Zvezda module, officially becoming part
Expedition 24
Expedition 24 was the 24th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 24 initially had two planned spacewalks, one Russian and one American Extra-vehicular Activity (EVA). The U.S. EVA was re-planned and a second ...
crew. During Expedition 24, Walker and her two Soyuz TMA-19 counterparts made a 30-minute excursion inside of their Soyuz to move from the Zvezda module to the new
''Rassvet'' module, which had been delivered onboard
STS-132
STS-132 ( ISS assembly flight ULF4) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' docked with the International Space Station on 16 May 2010. STS-132 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center on 14 May 2010. The prima ...
during
the previous Expedition. The three became the first crewmembers to dock with the new module.
Upon the departure of the crew of
Soyuz TMA-18
Soyuz TMA-18 was a 2010 Soyuz flight to the International Space Station (ISS). TMA-18 was the 105th crewed flight of a Soyuz spacecraft since the first crewed flight in 1967.
Crew
Backup crew
Launch
After a successful launch on 2 Ap ...
on September 25, 2010, Walker and her two crewmates became part of Expedition 25. They were soon joined by the three crew members onboard
Soyuz TMA-01M. On November 26, 2010, Walker, Wheelock and Yurchikin departed the ISS onboard Soyuz TMA-19 and began their return home. The three returned to Earth at 04:46 UTC on November 26, 2010, 78 kilometers from
Arkalyk
Arkalyk ( kz, Arqalyq; cyrl, Арқалық, russian: Аркалык) is a city in Kostanay Region, northern Kazakhstan. Earlier, it was the centre of Torgay Region, which was abolished in 1997. Today, it is the administrative centre of Torgay D ...
,
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
.
Expedition 64/65
On March 31, 2020, NASA announced Walker would be returning to space for her second spaceflight onboard
USCV-1
SpaceX Crew-1 (was also known as USCV-1 or simply Crew-1) was the first operational crewed flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the maiden flight of the Crew Dragon ''Resilience'' spacecraft. It was also the second crewed orbital flight l ...
, the first operational flight of
SpaceX
Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) is an American spacecraft manufacturer, launcher, and a satellite communications corporation headquartered in Hawthorne, California. It was founded in 2002 by Elon Musk with the stated goal of ...
's
Crew Dragon
Dragon 2 is a class of partially reusable spacecraft developed and manufactured by American aerospace manufacturer SpaceX, primarily for flights to the International Space Station (ISS). SpaceX has also launched private missions such as Ins ...
spacecraft and the first operational flight of the
Commercial Crew Program
The Commercial Crew Program (CCP) provides commercially-operated crew transportation service to and from the International Space Station (ISS) under contract to NASA, conducting crew rotations between the expeditions of the International Sp ...
. Walker launched on November 15, 2020. She and her three crew mates spent 167 days aboard the ISS as part of
Expedition 64
Expedition 64 was the 64th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station (ISS), that began on 21 October 2020 with the undocking and departure of Soyuz MS-16. The Expedition started with the three crew members launched onboard So ...
/
65.
The crew, including Walker as mission specialist, docked to the ISS and join the Expedition 64 crew in November, alongside Russian cosmonauts, Commander
Sergey Ryzhikov and
Sergey Kud-Sverchkov
Sergey Vladimirovich Kud-Sverchkov (Russian: Серге́й Влади́мирович Кудь-Сверчко́в; born on 23 August 1983) is a Russian cosmonaut, selected in 2010 by Roscosmos. He made his first spaceflight in 2020 aboard the I ...
, as well as NASA astronaut
Kathleen Rubins
Kathleen Hallisey Rubins (born October 14, 1978) is an American microbiologist and NASA astronaut. She became the 60th woman to fly in space when she launched on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to the International Space Station (ISS) on July 7, 2016. ...
. When the Soyuz MS-17 crew left the station, in April 2021, Walker and her three crew mates transferred over to Expedition 65, with Walker taking command of the expedition, becoming only the third woman ISS commander and the shortest commander of ISS, serving only for approximately 11 days.
Awards and honors
Goethe Institute Scholarship for Study Abroad, Rice Fellowship for Graduate Study, Rockwell Sustained Superior Performance Award; seven Group Achievement Awards for work in the International Space Station (ISS) Program; three Going the Extra Mile Awards for work in the ISS Program; a Space Flight Awareness Award for contributions to the ISS Program; and nine Performance Bonus Awards.
She is a member of the
Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
The Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is a Frederick, Maryland-based American non-profit political organization that advocates for general aviation. AOPA's membership consists mainly of general aviation pilots in the United States ...
(AOPA) and The
Ninety-Nines
The Ninety-Nines: International Organization of Women Pilots, also known as The 99s, is an international organization that provides networking, mentoring, and flight scholarship opportunities to recreational and professional female pilots. Foun ...
International Organization of Women Pilots.
In 2022, SpaceX's Dragon support vessel ''
GO Navigator
''Shannon'', formerly called ''GO Navigator'', is an offshore supply ship owned and operated by Guice Offshore, and currently deployed as one of the SpaceX Dragon/Dragon 2 recovery vessels along with ''Megan''. Both the vessels are identical and ...
'' was renamed ''
Shannon'' along with ''
GO Searcher
''Megan'', formerly called ''GO Searcher'' is a SpaceX Dragon recovery vessel. It is one of the offshore supply ships operated by Guice Offshore. The other identical ship is '' Shannon''.
History
''Megan'' is the primary recovery vessel for t ...
'' as ''
Megan
Megan is a Welsh feminine given name, originally a diminutive form of Margaret. Margaret is from the Greek μαργαρίτης (''margarítēs''), Latin ''margarīta'', "pearl". Megan is one of the most popular Welsh-language names for women in ...
'' after
SpaceX Crew-2
SpaceX Crew-2 was the second operational flight of a Crew Dragon spacecraft, and the third overall crewed orbital flight of the Commercial Crew Program. The mission was launched on 23 April 2021 at 09:49:02 UTC, and docked to the Internationa ...
astronaut,
Megan McArthur
Katherine Megan McArthur (born August 30, 1971) is an American oceanographer, engineer, and NASA astronaut. She has served as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for both the Space Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS). Megan McArthur has f ...
.
Personal life
She is married to retired NASA astronaut, Australian-born
Andy Thomas
Andrew "Andy" Sydney Withiel Thomas, AO (born 18 December 1951) is an Australian and American aerospace engineer and a former NASA astronaut. He has dual nationality; he became a U.S. citizen in December 1986, hoping to gain entry to NASA's a ...
.
Walker's recreational interests include cooking, soccer, running, weight training, flying, camping, and travel.
References
Sources
External links
NASA Astronaut Bio: Shannon Walker (1/2018)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walker, Shannon
1965 births
Living people
Aquanauts
Women astronauts
People from Houston
Westbury High School (Houston) alumni
Rice University alumni
NASA civilian astronauts
Crew members of the International Space Station
Commanders of the International Space Station
SpaceX astronauts