NASA Astronaut Group 9

NASA Astronaut Group 9
NASA · Public domain · source
Name	NASA Astronaut Group 9
Year	1980
Type	NASA astronaut group
Number	15
Previous	1978 Group
Next	1984 Group

NASA Astronaut Group 9 was the group of fifteen astronauts announced by National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1980. The cohort joined a continuum of selection efforts that included the Mercury Seven, Gemini crews, and the Apollo program veterans, arriving during the transition from Skylab operations to the development of the Space Shuttle fleet. Members included military pilots, test pilots, and mission specialists who later flew on Space Shuttle Challenger, Space Shuttle Discovery, Space Shuttle Columbia, and Space Shuttle Atlantis missions, contributing to programs such as Spacelab, STS-51-L, and early International Space Station groundwork.

Background and Selection

Selection for the class followed evaluation protocols used by NASA panels influenced by procedures from the U.S. Air Force and Naval Postgraduate School standards. Candidates were screened with medical assessments at the Johnson Space Center and psychological evaluations influenced by criteria established after the Apollo 13 incident and the Skylab 4 experience. The 1980 intake balanced operational needs for the Space Shuttle era with scientific expertise sought by Office of Space Flight planners, reflecting lessons from the Mercury Seven selections, the Gemini program, and the later Apollo–Soyuz Test Project negotiations. Selection emphasized flight experience drawn from units such as the U.S. Navy, U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School, and civilian research institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University.

Members and Biographies

The class comprised fifteen individuals drawn from diverse backgrounds: military aviators from the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy, physicians trained at institutions such as Harvard Medical School and University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and scientists with affiliations to California Institute of Technology and University of Michigan. Notable members included veterans who later associated with programs managed at the Kennedy Space Center and the Marshall Space Flight Center. Several members had flown test programs involving aircraft like the F-14 Tomcat, F-4 Phantom II, and A-7 Corsair II prior to joining NASA. Biographical highlights cover prior awards and honors such as the Distinguished Flying Cross and academic degrees including doctorates from Johns Hopkins University and Cornell University.

Training and Assignments

Trainees reported to the Johnson Space Center for a regimen that combined simulators patterned after the Orbiter cockpit, survival training at the Naval Air Station Pensacola, and neutral buoyancy sessions at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory precursor facilities. Assignments were coordinated with program offices including Space Shuttle Program management, Spacelab Project scientists, and payload specialists from agencies like the European Space Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Crew assignments paired members with commanders experienced in missions such as STS-1 and STS-4 and with payload teams involved in experiments from institutions like Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Columbia University. Training also incorporated emergency procedures derived from investigations into STS-9 and safety recommendations influenced by the Rogers Commission findings.

Missions and Flight Histories

Members of the class flew on an array of Space Shuttle missions spanning the 1980s and early 1990s, participating in deployments of satellites for Intelsat, operation of laboratory modules like Spacelab and Spacehab, and missions that intersected with storied events such as the Challenger disaster. Flight histories include involvement in missions using orbiters Challenger, Columbia, Discovery, and Atlantis, with tasks ranging from extravehicular activities recommended by Extravehicular Activity planners to rendezvous operations practiced after the Skylab and Apollo docking experiences. Some members served as crewmates on return-to-flight efforts and in flights supporting the orbital assembly activities that preceded International Space Station construction.

Post-NASA Careers and Legacy

After NASA service, many alumni transitioned to roles at institutions including the Johnson Space Center, NASA Ames Research Center, aerospace corporations such as Rockwell International and Boeing, universities like University of Texas at Austin and Stanford University, and policy organizations including the National Academy of Sciences and the Smithsonian Institution. Their legacies persist through contributions to spaceflight safety reforms influenced by commissions such as the Rogers Commission, publications in journals associated with American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, and mentorship that shaped later cohorts including the 1984 and 1987 classes. Commemorations include entries in halls of fame connected to United States Astronaut Hall of Fame and archival collections at the National Air and Space Museum, ensuring the cohort's roles in the evolution from the Apollo program to the era culminating in the International Space Station are documented.

Category:NASA Astronaut Groups