Space shuttle program astronauts

John young had already been in space four times by the time he was chosen to become. Sts61a in 1985 is the only flight to have launched with a crew of more than seven. Astronauts operated the robotic arm and put all the. The space shuttle, officially called the space transportation. This list may not reflect recent changes learn more. Nasas first space shuttle astronaut selection redefining the. Even before robert crippen piloted the first flight of the space shuttle program, he had put together an impressive resume with nasa. Mir launched to be part of the crew of the mir space station. Nasas space shuttle fleet began setting records with its first launch on april 12, 1981 and continued to set high marks of achievement and endurance through 30 years of missions. Nasas space shuttle was the worlds first reusable spacecraft. Commanding the 54hour mission was astronaut veteran john young with thenrookie flyer. The space shuttle program was the fourth human spaceflight program carried out by the national aeronautics and space administration nasa, which. Its official name, space transportation system sts, was taken from a 1969 plan for a system of reusable spacecraft of which it was the only item funded for. This is a list of persons who served aboard space shuttle crews, arranged in chronological order by space shuttle missions.

Commanding the 54hour mission was astronaut veteran john young with then rookie flyer. Mission controllers looking on a video screen at the space shuttle landing. They did not have specific crew roles, but are listed in the payload specialist columns for reasons of space. Pages in category space shuttle program astronauts the following 200 pages are in this category, out of approximately 346 total. Nearly nine years after the final nasa space shuttle mission lifted off, a test flight from the kennedy space centre on thursday is set to herald a. The largest crew size for a shuttle mission was eight astronauts. The astronauts will be the first to tell you that their jobs would be impossible without. Longer term, nasa also expects the commercial crew program, under which spacex and, eventually, boeing, will launch private citizens as well as professional astronauts, to open up the high.

How spacex got to launch nasas astronauts to orbit the. One of the pioneers of space exploration, john glenn was the fifth person in. Names of astronauts returning from the mir or iss on the space shuttle are shown in italics. The united states hasnt launched its own astronauts into space since the space shuttle program ended in 2011. This is a list of persons who served aboard space shutt le crews, arranged in chronological order by space sh uttle missions abbreviations.

Space shuttle and international space station nasa. The first and second person to fly on the shuttle were john young and. When nasas space shuttle program was announced back in 1972, it was billed as a major advance a key step in humanitys quest to exploit and explore space. Astronauts head to the international space station from u. Get the latest updates on nasa missions, watch nasa tv live, and learn about our quest to reveal the unknown and benefit all humankind. It even flew mercury astronaut john glenn at age 77, making him the oldest. The first space shuttle, columbia, flew on april 12, 1981.

Since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011, nasa has relied on the russian soyuz spacecraft to ferry its astronauts to and from the international space station iss. The shuttle program has built the largest space station in history, has revolutionized science with the hubble space telescope and has inspired a generation to dream of space. Nasa and spacex to send astronauts to the iss in the first crewed. But the destruction of the shuttle columbia in a 2003 accident eventually left nasa dependent on costly russian spacecraft to ferry astronauts to and from the international space station. Although nasas space shuttle program is no longer in operation, what cant be taken away are the amazing historychanging moments it has given us. The oldest person to travel in space is john glenn, 77, who flew on. Nasa astronauts robert behnken and douglas hurley will be the first to. Gemini, latin for twins, was appropriate because each gemini mission carried two astronauts. Hurley in 2009 and 2011 for the last space shuttle mission. This book chronicles the lives and experiences of the 35 diverse men and women selected to be the first astronauts in nasas space shuttle program. Iss launched to be part of the crew of the inte rnation al space station names of astronauts returning from the mir or iss on. If successful, it will be the first crewed spacecraft launch in the united states since the end of the space shuttle program in 2011. Nasa astronauts bob behnken, doug hurley will fly spacexs.