NASA Astronaut Group 9 was a group of 19

NASA astronauts 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 th ...

announced on May 29, 1980, and completed their training by 1981. This group was selected to supplement the 35 astronauts that had been selected in 1978, and marked the first time that non-Americans were trained as mission specialists with the selections of ESA astronauts Claude Nicollier and Wubbo Ockels. In keeping with the previous group, astronaut candidates were divided into pilots and mission specialists, with eight pilots, eleven mission specialists, and two international mission specialists within the group.

Achievements

As with the previous group, several spaceflight firsts were achieved, including: * First Costa Rican astronaut:

Franklin Chang-Diaz Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral di ...

(January 12, 1986, STS-61-C) * First Dutch citizen in space: Wubbo Ockels (October 30, 1985, STS-61-A) * First Swiss astronaut: Claude Nicollier (July 31, 1992,

STS-46 STS-46 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using and was launched on July 31, 1992, and landed on August 8, 1992. Crew Backup crew Crew seating arrangements Mission highlights The mission's primary objectives were the deployment of ...

) * First African-American Marine in space: Charles Bolden (January 12, 1986, STS-61-C) * First person to be launched into space more than six times: Jerry Ross (April 8, 2002, STS-110) * First astronaut spouse selected as an astronaut: William Fisher (August 27, 1985, STS-51-I; married to Anna Fisher, Group 8 astronaut) In addition, Chang-Diaz and Ross share the world record for the most spaceflights, with seven each. Bolden also became the second astronaut to serve as

NASA Administrator The Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the highest-ranking official of NASA, the national space agency of the United States. The administrator is NASA's chief decision maker, responsible for providing clarity t ...

, appointed in July 2009.

Group members

Pilots

John E. Blaha John Elmer Blaha (born August 26, 1942, in San Antonio, Texas) is a retired United States Air Force colonel and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five space missions aboard the Space Shuttle and Mir. Blaha is married to the former Bre ...

(born 1942), U.S. Air Force (5 flights) : STS-29 — March 1989 — Pilot — Deployed TDRS-D : STS-33 — November 1989 — Pilot — Was a classified

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

Department of Defense Department of Defence or Department of Defense may refer to: Current departments of defence * Department of Defence (Australia) * Department of National Defence (Canada) * Department of Defence (Ireland) * Department of National Defense (Philipp ...

mission : STS-43 — August 1991 — Commander — Deployed TDRS-E : STS-58 — October 1993 — Commander —

Spacelab Spacelab was a reusable laboratory developed by European Space Agency (ESA) and used on certain spaceflights flown by the Space Shuttle. The laboratory comprised multiple components, including a pressurized module, an unpressurized carrier ...

: SLS-2 : STS-79 — September 1996 — Mission Specialist 4 — Launched for long duration flight aboard Mir : Mir EO-22: Board Engineer 2 : STS-81 — January 1997 — Mission Specialist 4 — Landed from long duration flight aboard Mir *

Charles F. Bolden, Jr. Charles Frank Bolden Jr. (born August 19, 1946) is a former Administrator of NASA, a retired United States Marine Corps Major General, and a former astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions. He graduated from the United States Naval ...

(born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (4 flights) - Former

: STS-61-C — January 1986 — Pilot — Deployed Ku-1 communications satellite : STS-31 — April 1990 — Pilot — Deployed the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (often referred to as HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most vers ...

STS-45 STS-45 was a 1992 NASA Space Shuttle mission using the . Its almost nine-day scientific mission was with a non-deployable payload of instruments. It was the 46th Space Shuttle mission and the 11th for ''Atlantis''. Crew Backup crew Cr ...

— March 1992 — Commander — ATLAS-1 :

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 ...

— February 1994 — Commander — Spacehab 2 * Roy D. Bridges, Jr. (born 1943), U.S. Air Force (1 flight) :

STS-51-F STS-51-F (also known as Spacelab 2) was the 19th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle ''Challenger''. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on July 29, 1985, and landed eight days later on Aug ...

— July 1985 — Pilot — Spacelab 2 * Guy S. Gardner (born 1948), U.S. Air Force (2 flights) :

STS-27 STS-27 was the 27th NASA Space Shuttle mission, and the third flight of Space Shuttle ''Atlantis''. Launching on December 2, 1988, on a four-day mission, it was the second shuttle flight after the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster of Ja ...

— December 1988 — Pilot — Was a classified

mission : STS-35 — December 1990 — Pilot — ASTRO-1 *

Ronald J. Grabe Ronald John Grabe (born June 13, 1945, in New York, New York), (Col, USAF, Ret.), is a former NASA astronaut. He has earned the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 7 Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Meritorious Service Me ...

(born 1945), U.S. Air Force (4 flights) : STS-51-J — October 1985 — Pilot — Was a classified

mission : STS-30 — May 1989 — Pilot — Deployed the

Magellan probe The ''Magellan'' spacecraft was a robotic space probe launched by NASA of the United States, on May 4, 1989, to map the surface of Venus by using synthetic-aperture radar and to measure the planetary gravitational field. The ''Magellan' ...

: STS-42 — January 1992 — Commander —

: IML-1 :

STS-57 STS-57 was a NASA Space Shuttle- Spacehab mission of that launched 21 June 1993 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Crew Spacewalk * '' Low and Wisoff '' – EVA 1 * EVA 1 Start: 25 June 1993 * EVA 1 End: 25 June 1993 * Duration: 5 ...

— June 1993 — Commander — Spacehab * Bryan D. O'Connor (born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights) - Former

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, succeedin ...

Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance : STS-61-B — November 1985 — Pilot — Deployed 3 communication satellites : STS-40 — June 1991 — Commander —

: SLS-1 * Richard N. Richards (born 1946), U.S. Navy (4 flights) : STS-28 — August 1989 — Pilot — Was a classified

mission : STS-41 — October 1990 — Commander — Deployed the

Ulysses (spacecraft) ''Ulysses'' ( , ) was a robotic space probe whose primary mission was to orbit the Sun and study it at all latitudes. It was launched in 1990 and made three "fast latitude scans" of the Sun in 1994/1995, 2000/2001, and 2007/2008. In additi ...

STS-50 STS-50 (U.S. Microgravity Laboratory-1) was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, the 12th mission of the ''Columbia'' orbiter. ''Columbia'' landed at Kennedy Space Center for the first time ever due to bad weather at Edwards Air Force Base caused by ...

— June 1992 — Commander —

: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 : STS-64 — September 1994 — Commander — Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE) * Michael J. Smith (1945–1986), U.S. Navy (1 flight) - Died During the ''Challenger'' Disaster :

STS-51-L STS-51-L was the 25th mission of the NASA Space Shuttle program and the final flight of Space Shuttle ''Challenger''. Planned as the first Teacher in Space Project flight in addition to observing Halley's Comet for six days and performing a ...

— January 1986 — Pilot — Planned to Deploy TDRS-B

Mission Specialists

* James P. Bagian (born 1952), U.S. Air Force (2 flights) : STS-29 — March 1989 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed TDRS-D : STS-40 — June 1991 — Mission Specialist 1 —

: SLS-1 *

(born 1950), Physicist (7 flights) : STS-61-C — January 1986 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed Ku-1 communications satellite : STS-34 — October 1989 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed the

Galileo probe ''Galileo'' was an American robotic space probe that studied the planet Jupiter and its moons, as well as the asteroids Gaspra and Ida. Named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, it consisted of an orbiter and an entry probe. It ...

— July 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed ESA's

European Retrievable Carrier The European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA) was an unmanned 4.5- tonne satellite with 15 experiments. It was a European Space Agency (ESA) mission and the acronym was derived from Archimedes' bathtub revelation " Eureka!". It was built by the Ger ...

and flew the

Tethered Satellite System Space tethers are long cables which can be used for propulsion, momentum exchange, stabilization and attitude control, or maintaining the relative positions of the components of a large dispersed satellite/ spacecraft sensor system. Depending on ...

's TSS-1 mission :

— February 1994 — Mission Specialist 3 — Spacehab 2 : STS-75 — February 1996 — Mission Specialist 4/Payload Commander — The

's TSS-1R mission : STS-91 — June 1998 — Mission Specialist 2 — Final Shuttle/Mir mission : STS-111 — June 2002 — Mission Specialist 1 — Installed the

Mobile Base System The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, supp ...

for

Canadarm2 The Mobile Servicing System (MSS), is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, su ...

on the ISS * Mary L. Cleave (born 1947), Engineer (2 flights) : STS-61-B — November 1985 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed 3 communication satellites : STS-30 — May 1989 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed the

* Bonnie J. Dunbar (born 1949), Scientist (5 flights) : STS-61-A — October 1985 — Mission Specialist 1 —

D1 : STS-32 — January 1990 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed the

SYNCOM Syncom (for "synchronous communication satellite") started as a 1961 NASA program for active geosynchronous communication satellites, all of which were developed and manufactured by the Space and Communications division of Hughes Aircraft Comp ...

IV-F5 satellite; retrieved the Long Duration Exposure Facility :

— June 1992 — Mission Specialist 1 —

: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 : STS-71 — June 1995 — Mission Specialist 3 — First Shuttle/Mir docking : STS-89 — January 1998 — Mission Specialist 3 — Eighth Shuttle/Mir docking * William Frederick Fisher (born 1946), Physician (1 flight) : STS-51-I — August 1985 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed three communications satellites * David C. Hilmers (born 1950), Engineer (4 flights) : STS-51-J — October 1985 — Mission Specialist 1 — Was a classified

mission :

STS-26 STS-26 was the 26th NASA Space Shuttle mission and the seventh flight of the orbiter ''Discovery''. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on September 29, 1988, and landed four days later on October 3, 1988. STS-26 was decla ...

— September 1988 — Mission Specialist 3 — Was the "Return-to-Flight" shuttle mission following the ''Challenger'' disaster; deployed TDRS-C :

STS-36 STS-36 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) (believed to have been a Misty reconnaissance satellite) into orbit. STS-36 was the 34th ...

— February 1990 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified

mission : STS-42 — January 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 —

: IML-1 * David Leestma (born 1949), U.S. Navy (3 flights) - Former

Manager of JSC's Advanced Planning Office :

STS-41-G STS-41-G (formerly STS-17) was the 13th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the sixth flight of Space Shuttle ''Challenger''. ''Challenger'' launched on October 5, 1984, and conducted the second shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center o ...

— October 1984 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed the

Earth Radiation Budget Satellite The Earth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS) is a NASA scientific research satellite within NASA's ERBE (Earth Radiation Budget Experiment) Research Program - a three-satellite mission, designed to investigate the Earth radiation budget. It al ...

: STS-28 — August 1989 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified

mission :

— March 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — ATLAS-1 *

John M. Lounge John Michael "Mike" Lounge (June 28, 1946March 1, 2011) was an American engineer, a United States Navy officer, a Vietnam War veteran, and a NASA astronaut. A veteran of three Space Shuttle flights, Lounge logged over 482 hours in space. He was ...

(1946–2011), U.S. Navy (3 flights) : STS-51-I — August 1985 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed three communications satellites :

— September 1988 — Mission Specialist 1 — Was the "Return-to-Flight" shuttle mission following the ''Challenger'' disaster; deployed TDRS-C : STS-35 — December 1990 — Mission Specialist 2 — ASTRO-1 *

Jerry L. Ross Jerry Lynn Ross (born January 20, 1948, Crown Point, Indiana) is a retired United States Air Force officer, engineer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of seven Space Shuttle missions, making him the joint record holder for most spa ...

(born 1948), U.S. Air Force (7 flights) - Currently

Chief of JSC's Vehicle Integration Test Office : STS-61-B — November 1985 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed 3 communication satellites :

— December 1988 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified

mission : STS-37 — April 1991 — Mission Specialist 1 — Launched the

Compton Gamma Ray Observatory The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) was a space observatory detecting photons with photon energy, energies from 20 kElectronvolt#Properties, eV to 30 GeV, in Earth orbit from 1991 to 2000. The observatory featured four main tele ...

STS-55 STS-55, or Deutschland 2 (D-2), was the 55th overall flight of the NASA Space Shuttle and the 14th flight of Shuttle ''Columbia''. This flight was a multinational Spacelab flight involving 88 experiments from eleven different nations. The exper ...

— April 1993 — Mission Specialist 1 —

: D2 :

STS-74 STS-74 was the fourth mission of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program, and the second docking of the Space Shuttle with '' Mir''. Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' lifted off from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A on 12 November 1995. The mission end ...

— November 1995 — Mission Specialist 2 — Second Shuttle/Mir docking : STS-88 — December 1998 — Mission Specialist 1 — First shuttle mission to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest Modular design, modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos ( ...

; delivered Unity (Node 1) and the first two Pressurized Mating Adapters : STS-110 — April 2002 — Mission Specialist 1 — Delivered the S0 Truss and the Mobile Transporter for

* Sherwood C. Spring (born 1944), U.S. Army (1 flight) : STS-61-B — November 1985 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed 3 communication satellites * Robert C. Springer (born 1942), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights) : STS-29 — March 1989 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed TDRS-D : STS-38 — November 1990 — Mission Specialist 1 — Was a classified

mission

International Mission Specialists

* Claude Nicollier (born 1944), Swiss Air Force (4 flights) :

— July 1992 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed ESA's

and flew the

's TSS-1 mission : STS-61 — December 1993 — Mission Specialist 3 —

Servicing Mission 1 : STS-75 — February 1996 — Mission Specialist 3 — The

's TSS-1R mission : STS-103 — December 1999 — Mission Specialist 5 —

Servicing Mission 3A * Wubbo Ockels (1946–2014), Physicist (1 flight) : STS-61-A — October 1985 — Payload Specialist 3 —

: D1 Delays in Spacelab caused NASA to offer ESA payload specialists the opportunity to train with its full-time astronauts; Nicollier and Ockels were the first non-Americans to do so. Ulf Merbold would also have trained as a mission specialist but could not pass the medical examination, an example of the lower physical standards for payload specialists. ESA believed that Spacelab was more important than mission specialist training. In September 1981 Ockels withdrew from training to focus on Spacelab; Nicollier continued and until 2005 was a NASA mission specialist.

References

External links

Astronaut Biographies: Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:NASA Astronaut Group 09 NASA Astronaut Corps Lists of astronauts