Happy birthday, astronaut Ricky Arnold!

Richard "Ricky" Arnold, born November 26, 1963 just down the road from here in Cheverly, Maryland, has been in space twice.  He attended Frostburg State University in Maryland, getting a degree in accounting and then completed teacher certification there.  He got a Master's Degree from the University of Maryland in 1992.

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-119) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in March 2009.  He conducted two EVAs during the mission with fellow astronauts Steven Swanson and Joe Acaba.

His second mission was aboard Soyuz MS-08, launched in March 2018 to the International Space Station as part of the crew of Expedition 55 with fellow astronauts Oleg Artemyev and Andrew Feustel.  They spent over 196 days in space, returning to Earth in October 2018.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut John Grunsfeld!

John Grunsfeld, born October 10, 1958 in Chicago, Illinois, is a veteran of five space shuttle flights.

His first mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-67) as mission specialist in March 1995.  The mission carried an experiment sponsored by the Australian Space Office.

His second mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-81) as mission specialist in January 1997 to the space station Mir.  During the mission, Grunsfeld made a call to the NPR show Car Talk, which was hosted by two fellow graduates of MIT.

His third flight was aboard Discovery (STS-103) as mission specialist in December 1999. It was a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.  Grunsfeld conducted two EVAs with fellow astronaut Steven Smith.

His fourth mission was aboard Columbia (STS-109) as mission specialist in March 2002.  It was another (the fourth) servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.  Grunsfeld conducted three EVAs with fellow astronaut Richard Linnehan.

His fifth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-125) as mission specialist in May 2009.  It was the fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.  Grunsfeld conducted three EVAs with fellow astronaut Andrew Feustel.

His total EVA time is 58 hours, 30 minutes.  His time in space is 58 days, 15 hours, 3 minutes.

Expedition 56 crew returns safely to Earth!

The three astronauts who make up the crew of Expedition 56 to the International Space Station have returned safely to Earth, touching down in Kazakhstan.  The crew members are Commander Drew Feustel, Flight Engineer Ricky Arnold and Soyuz Commander Oleg Artemyev.  They spent 197 days in space, traveling over 83 million miles.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Drew Feustel!

Andrew "Drew" Feustel, born August 25, 1965 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is an astronaut for NASA, a veteran of two space shuttle missions, and is currently commander of the International Space Station.

His first mission into space was aboard Atlantis (STS-125) in May 2009 as mission specialist.  It was the fifth servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-134) as mission specialist.  This was the next to last flight of the space shuttle program.

He is currently on his third mission and is commander of Expedition 56.  He blasted off on Soyuz MS-08 to the International Space Station, initially as part of Expedition 55.  He will return to Earth sometime this month.

Endeavour's final launch (STS-134) 2011

STS-134 crew (L-R): Andrew Feustel, Michael Fincke, Mark Kelly, Greg H. Johnson, Greg Chamitoff, Roberto Vittori

Mission patch

Endeavour launched its final mission (STS-134), May 16, 2011.  It was the next to last shuttle flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program.  Originally thought to be the last flight, NASA decided in February 2011 that STS-135 would fly regardless of the funding situation.

Its crew was Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Greg H. Johnson, Michael Fincke, Roberto Vittori, Andrew Feustel and Gregory Chamitoff.  Four EVAs were completed by three astronauts during the flight.  Drew Feustel, Greg Chamitoff and Michael Fincke spent a total of 28 hours and 44 minutes outside the ISS.

Endeavour landed for the final time June 1.

Atlantis (STS-125) launched 2009

STS-125 crew (L-R): Mike Massimino, Michael Good, Gregory C. Johnson, Scott Altman, Megan McArthur,  John Grunsfeld and Andrew Feustel

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-125), launched May 11, 2009, was the fifth and final mission to the Hubble Space Telescope. Its crew consisted of Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Greg C. Johnson, Michael Good, Megan McArthur, John Grunsfeld, Mike Massimino and Andrew Feustel.

Three of the astronauts had already worked on the Hubble Telescope on previous missions.  Scott Altman, Mike Massimino and John Grunsfeld were all on STS-109, the fourth servicing mission.  Grunsfeld had also traveled to Hubble on STS-103. 

On Day 7, the crew woke up to New York State of Mind by Billy Joel, chosen by Mike Massimino.