Discovery (STS-39) launched 1991

STS-39 crew (L-R): Charles Veach, Michael Coats, Gregory Harbaugh, Donald McMonagle, Blaine Hammond, Richard Hieb, Guion Bluford

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery, launched April 28, 1991, carried experiments for the Department of Defense into space.  Its crew consisted of Commander Michael Coats, Pilot Blaine Hammond, Gregory Harbaugh, Donald McMonagle, Guion Bluford, Charles Veach, and Richard Hieb.

They returned to Earth May 6.

Space Shuttle astronaut Charles Veach born 1944

Charles Veach, born September 18, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights. 

His first trip into space was aboard Discovery (STS-39) as mission specialist in April-May 1991.  It was also the first unclassified Department of Defense payload.

His second mission was aboard Columbia (STS-52) as mission specialist in October-November 1992. Some of Gene Roddenberry's ashes were carried aboard Columbia for the mission.

Veach passed away from cancer in October 1995.

Columbia (STS-52) launched 1992

Front Row (L-R): Charles Veach, Tamara Jernigan, William Shepherd

Back Row (L-R): Michael Baker, James Wetherbee, Steven Maclean

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-52) blasted off October 22, 1992.  Its crew consisted of Commander James Wetherbee, Pilot Michael Baker, Charles Veach, William Shepherd, Tamara Jernigan and Steven MacLean (CSA).

The crew carried out experiments and projects that were joint ventures with the Canadian Space Agency, the European Space Agency, Italian Space Agency and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales. 

Also, some of Gene Roddenberry's ashes flew on this trip.  Roddenberry, creator of Star Trek, died the previous October.

Columbia returned to Earth November 1.