Space Shuttle program astronauts

Space Shuttle program astronauts
Name	Space Shuttle program astronauts
Caption	Shuttle flight crews during STS-1 era training
Established	1978
Retired	2011
Total	~355

Contents

Space Shuttle program astronauts were the personnel selected, trained, and flown by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to operate the Space Shuttle fleet on missions from STS-1 (1981) through STS-135 (2011). Members came from diverse backgrounds including the United States Air Force, United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, United States Army, Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency, and private industry such as Rockwell International and Boeing. Their careers intersected with programs and facilities like Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, Kennett Square and international projects including Mir and the International Space Station.

Overview and recruitment

Selection of Shuttle astronauts originated with NASA's 1978 group drawn from applicants across the United States and allied nations. Recruitment targeted candidates from the United States Naval Test Pilot School, Air Force Test Pilot School, Naval Academy, United States Military Academy, universities such as Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford University, University of Texas at Austin, and corporations like Lockheed Martin and Raytheon. International partners nominated personnel from agencies including the Canadian Space Agency, European Space Agency, and National Space Development Agency of Japan. Applicants typically held associations with programs such as the Apollo program, Skylab, and later Shuttle–Mir cooperative flights. Selection panels involved representatives from Johnson Space Center, Office of Management and Budget, and congressional oversight connected to the United States Congress.

Training occurred at Johnson Space Center under the supervision of divisions including the Flight Crew Operations Directorate and used facilities such as the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory. Astronaut candidates underwent instruction in systems developed by Rockwell International, orbital mechanics consistent with the Orbital maneuvering system, and extravehicular activity techniques pioneered with input from Ed White legacy programs and Gemini procedures. Qualifications emphasized flight experience from United States Air Force and United States Navy test pilots, advanced degrees from institutions like California Institute of Technology and Harvard University, and mission-specific training with payloads such as Hubble Space Telescope, Chandra X-ray Observatory, and experiments for NASA Glenn Research Center. International crew members trained in English and mission protocols coordinated with European Space Agency and Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency flight surgeons and engineers.

Shuttle crews were organized into roles including commander, pilot, mission specialists, payload specialists, and flight engineers with responsibilities linked to hardware from Rockwell International and avionics suites integrated by Boeing. Typical crews ranged from a three-person complement on STS-1 to seven on later science and assembly flights for International Space Station construction where specialists from Roscosmos and European Space Agency participated. Mission specialists handled operations for payloads such as Spacelab, Canadarm operations overseen with support from the Canadian Space Agency, and scientific packages from institutions like Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Payload specialists included researchers from universities such as University of Colorado Boulder and corporate engineers from Intel and McDonnell Douglas collaborating on technology demonstrations.

Prominent astronauts associated with Shuttle missions included test pilots and scientists like John Young and Robert Crippen on STS-1, Sally Ride on STS-7, Mae Jemison on STS-47, Chris Hadfield representing the Canadian Space Agency on STS-74 and later on Expedition 35, Eileen Collins on STS-63 and STS-93, Scott Kelly on STS-103 and later Expedition 43, and international figures such as Luca Parmitano and Thomas Reiter via European Space Agency assignments. Key missions included STS-31 (deployment of Hubble Space Telescope), STS-71 (first Shuttle–Mir docking), STS-88 (first International Space Station assembly flight), and STS-135 (final Shuttle flight) involving crews with members from Johnson Space Center, Kennedy Space Center, and partner agencies like Roscosmos.

The program experienced two catastrophic accidents: STS-51-L (Challenger) and STS-107 (Columbia). The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986 killed the crew including Christa McAuliffe and prompted the Rogers Commission investigation that examined contractors like Morton Thiokol and procedures involving O-ring failure in solid rocket boosters. The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003 killed the crew including Ilan Ramon and led to the Columbia Accident Investigation Board which scrutinized foam shedding from the External tank and risk assessments by NASA management and contractors such as Lockheed Martin. Post-accident reforms involved organizations such as Johnson Space Center, changes to the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance, and policy reviews by United States Congress committees and the Presidential Commission on the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident legacy.

After retirement of the Shuttle fleet, many astronauts transitioned to roles at Johnson Space Center, as educators at universities like Stanford University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, executives at aerospace firms such as SpaceX, Boeing, and Sierra Nevada Corporation, or to diplomatic and political positions in the United States House of Representatives and state governments. Several joined commercial initiatives for Commercial Crew Program contractors and continued international collaboration with Roscosmos, European Space Agency, and Canadian Space Agency on International Space Station operations. The program's legacy influenced later vehicles including the Orion (spacecraft), Space Launch System, and commercial spacecraft such as Crew Dragon and Starliner, while museums like the National Air and Space Museum and Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex preserve artifacts and honor crews.

Category:NASA astronauts