Happy birthday, astronaut Gregory Harbaugh!

Gregory Harbaugh, born April 15, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, went into space four times. 

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-39) as mission specialist in April 28, 1991. The mission was dedicated to the US Department of Defense. He spent over 8 days in space, returning to Earth on May 6.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-54) as mission specialist launched January 13, 1993. During the mission, Harbaugh and fellow astronaut Mario Runco conducted a 5 hour EVA in the cargo bay to advance NASA's understanding of working in space. He spent almost 6 days in space, returning to Earth January 19.

His third mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) as mission specialist to the Russian space station Mir, the third mission in the Shuttle-Mir program, launched June 27, 1995. He spent almost 10 days in space, returning to Earth, July 7. 

His fourth and final trip into space was aboard Discovery (STS-82) as mission specialist, launched February 11, 1997.  It was the second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  He and fellow astronaut Joseph Tanner conducted two EVAs during the mission for a total of about fifteen hours.  He spent almost 10 days in space before returning to Earth on February 21.

Endeavour (STS-61) launched 1993

STS-61 crew

Front row (L-R): Ken Bowersox, Kathryn Thornton, Story Musgrave, Claude Nicollier

Back row (L-R): Richard Covey, Jeffrey Hoffman, Thomas Akers

STS-61 mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-61), launched December 2, 1993, was the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.  Its crew consisted of Commander Richard Covey, Pilot Ken Bowersox, Kathryn Thornton, Claude Nicollier (ESA), Jeffrey Hoffman, Story Musgrave, and Thomas Akers. The crew conducted 5 EVAs during the mission.  Musgrave and Hoffman conducted three EVAs for a total of around 22 hours.  Thornton and Akers performed two spacewalks for about 13 hours.  

They returned to Earth December 13, after spending almost 11 days in space. 

Discovery (STS-51) launched 1993

STS-51 crew (L-R): Frank Culbertson, Daniel Bursch, Carl Walz, William Readdy, James Newman

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51), launched September 12, 1993, featured a spacewalk to evaluate tools and techniques for servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, which was to be performed later in the year.  Her crew consisted of Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot William Readdy, Mission Specialist James Newman, Mission Specialist Daniel Bursch, and Mission Specialist Carl Walz. 

After liftoff, a communications loss between the crew and Mission Control last about 45 minutes, delaying the deployment of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS).  Once communications were re-established, the ACTS was deployed successfully.

On September 16, Newman and Walz performed an EVA to evaluate plans to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and concluded that preparations were sound.

The crew returned to Earth September 22, 1993 after completing 157 orbits.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Michael Good!

Michael Good, born October 13, 1962 in Parma, Ohio, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.  

His first trip into space was aboard Atlantis (STS-125) as mission specialist to the Hubble Space Telescope, the fifth and final flight to the Hubble Telescope in May 2009.  He conducted 2 EVAs with fellow astronaut Michael Massimino for almost 16 hours total.

His second and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-132) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in May 2010.  He conducted two more EVAs with fellow astronauts Steve Bowen and Garrett Reisman.  

Happy birthday, NASA astronaut Megan McArthur!

Megan McArthur, born August 30, 1971 in Honolulu, Hawaii, went into space on Atlantis (STS-125) as mission specialist to service the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009.  It was the last mission to the Hubble. 

She is scheduled to be a member of SpaceX Crew-2 which will launch sometime next year.

She is married to fellow astronaut Robert Behnken.

Happy birthday, astronaut and NASA Administrator Charles Bolden!

Charles Bolden, born August 19, 1946 in Columbia, South Carolina, is a veteran of four space shuttle missions and a former NASA administrator.

His first trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-61-C) as pilot in January 1986.  He was the second African-American to pilot a space shuttle.

His second trip was aboard Discovery (STS-31) as pilot in April 1990.  The mission launched the Hubble Space Telescope into orbit.

His third trip was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as commander in March-April 1992.  It was a nine-day mission of scientific experiments.

His fourth and final trip was aboard Discovery (STS-60) as commander in February 1994.  During the mission, the crew managed a link-up with the cosmonauts on Mir.

President Obama appointed Bolden as NASA's administrator in 2009.  He resigned from NASA in 2017.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Duane Carey!

Duane Carey, born April 30, 1957 in St. Paul, Minnesota, went into space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-109) as pilot in March 2002.  It was the fourth mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  He spent almost 11 days in space.

Columbia (STS-109) launched 2002

STS-109 crew (L-R): Michael Massimino, Richard Linnehan, Duane Carey, Scott Altman, Nancy Currie, John Grunsfeld, James Newman

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-109), launched March 1, 2002, was the fourth mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  Its crew consisted of Commander Scott Altman, Pilot Duane Carey, John Grunsfeld, Nancy Currie, Richard Linnehan, James Newman, and Michael Massimino.

Five EVAs were conducted during the mission.  Grunsfeld and Linnehan performed 3 EVAs and Newman and Massimino performed two.  The crew returned to Earth March 12.

It was the last successful flight of Columbia before its disaster upon re-entry in 2003.

Discovery (STS-82) launched 1997

STS-82 crew

Front row (L-R): Kenneth Bowersox, Steven Hawley, Scott Horowitz

Back row (L-R): Joseph Tanner, Gregory Harbaugh, Mark Lee, Steven Smith

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-82), launched February 11, 1997, was the second misson to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  Its crew consisted of Commander Kenneth Bowersox, Pilot Scott Horowitz, Joseph Tanner, Steven Hawley, Gregory Harbaugh, Mark Lee and Steven Smith.

Lee and Smith conducted 3 EVAs and Harbaugh and Tanner conducted two EVAs.  The crew returned to Earth February 21.

Happy birthday, British/American astronaut Michael Foale!

Michael Foale, born January 6, 1957 in Lincolnshire, England, is a veteran of six space missions.  He is the only NASA astronaut to have spent extended missions on Mir and the International Space Station.  He is the first Briton to perform a spacewalk and holds the record for time-in-space for a UK citizen.

His first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as mission specialist in March-April 1992.

His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-56) as mission specialist in April 1993.

His third mission was aboard Discovery (STS-63) as mission specialist in February 1995.  It was the first space shuttle mission to dock with Mir.  He conducted his first EVA with fellow astronaut Bernard Harris, the first African-American astronaut to conduct an EVA.

His fourth mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-84) as mission specialist to Mir launched in May 1997.  He was part of expeditions Mir EO-23 and Mir EO-24.  He returned to Earth aboard Atlantis (STS-86) in October 1997.

His fifth flight was aboard Discovery (STS-103) as mission specialist to service the Hubble Space Telescope in December 1999.  He conducted an EVA with fellow astronaut Claude Nicollier.

His sixth and final mission was aboard Soyuz TMA-3 to the ISS launched in October 2003 as part of Expedition 8.  He conducted an EVA with fellow astronaut Aleksandr Kaleri. He returned to Earth in April 2004.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Steven Smith!

Steven Smith, born December 30, 1958 in Phoenix, Arizona, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights and seven space walks.

His first mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-68) as mission specialist in September-October 1994.  He spent just over 11 days in space.

His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-82) in February 1997 as mission specialist.  It was the second servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.  Smith conducted three EVAs with fellow astronaut Mark Lee.

His third mission was on Discovery (STS-103) as mission specialist in December 1999 to service the Hubble Space Telescope again.  He conducted two EVAs with fellow astronaut John Grunsfield.

Smith's fourth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-110) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in April 2002.  He conducted two more EVAs with fellow astronaut Rex Walheim,

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kenneth Bowersox!

Kenneth Bowersox, born November 14, 1956 in Portsmouth, Virginia, is a veteran of five space shuttle missions. 

His first trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-50) as pilot in June-July 1992.  The mission carried the first US Microgravity Laboratory into space.

His second trip was aboard Endeavour (STS-61) as pilot in December 1993.  It was the mission that corrected the Hubble Space Telescope's "spherical aberration".

His third trip was aboard Columbia (STS-73) as commander in October-November 1995.  He became the youngest person ever to command a space shuttle at 38 years, 11 months old.

His fourth trip was aboard Discovery (STS-82) as commander in February 1997.  It was the second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

His fifth and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in November 2002.  He served as commander for Expedition 6 with fellow astronaut Donald Pettit and Nikolai Budarin (Roscosmos).  They returned to Earth in May 2003 aboard Soyuz TMA-1.

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.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kathryn Sullivan!

Kathryn Sullivan, born October 3, 1951 in Paterson, New Jersey, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and the first American woman to walk in space.  She joined the US Naval Reserve in 1988 and retired as captain in 2006.

Her first flight was aboard Challenger (STS-41-G) in October 1984 as mission specialist.  During this mission she conducted the first EVA for an American woman with fellow astronaut David Leetsma. 

Her second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-31) as mission specialist in April 1990.  The crew deployed the Hubble Space Telescope during the flight.

Sullivan's third and final was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as mission specialist in March-April 1992.  The crew carried a payload of instruments for scientific experiments, all non-deployable.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Loren Shriver!

Loren Shriver, born September 23, 1944 in Jefferson, Iowa, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.  From 1969 to 1973 he was an academic pilot instructor at Vance Air Force Base over here in Enid, Oklahoma.

His first mission into space was aboard Discovery (STS-51-C) as pilot in January 1985.  It was the first space shuttle flight to carry a classified payload for the Dept. of Defense.

His second flight was aboard Discovery (STS-31) as commander in April 1990.  This mission deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.

Shriver's third and final flight was on Atlantis (STS-46) as commander in July-August 1992.  The mission deployed the Italian Space Agency's Tethered Satellite Relay System and the European Space Agency's European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA).

Shriver is also a retired US Air Force Colonel.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Carl Walz!

Carl Walz, born September 6, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights. 

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51) as mission specialist in September 1993.  He and fellow astronaut Jim Newman performed an EVA to evaluate tools and procedures for a Hubble Telescope maintenance flight later in the year.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-65) as mission specialist in July 1994.  The mission included the second flight of the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2).

Walz's third mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-79) as mission specialist in September 1996.  Shannon Lucid returned from Mir after her record-breaking stay.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-108) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in December 2001.  Walz was part of Expedition 4.  He returned to Earth in June 2002 aboard Endeavour (STS-111).

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Richard Covey!

Richard Covey, born August 1, 1946 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has flown in space four times. 

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51-I) as pilot August-September 1985.  He spent just over 7 days in space.

His second flight was again aboard Discovery (STS-26) as pilot September-October 1988.  It was the first flight after the Challenger disaster in 1986.  It was also the first mission with an all-veteran crew since Apollo 11. They stayed in space about 4 days.

His third flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-38) as commander in November 1990.  This mission carried a classified payload for the Department of Defense.  They remained in space for almost 5 days.

Covey's fourth and final mission was as commander on Endeavour (STS-61) in December 1993, which was a Hubble servicing mission.  The crew remained in space for almost 11 days.

New Horizons spacecraft will flyby Ultima Thule New Year's Day 2019

The little spacecraft that could (and is still going strong), New Horizons will make a flyby of Kuiper Belt Object (KBO) 2014 MU69, nicknamed Ultima Thule on January 1, 2019.  It will be the farthest celestial body ever visited by a spacecraft. 

New Horizons made an historic flyby of Pluto in July 2015 and NASA was searching for a KBO suitable for it to study.  Ultima Thule was discovered using the Hubble Telescope in 2014 and chosen to be the next target. 

Ultima Thule is an irregular shaped object, being two smaller bodies orbiting each other at close range, or a contact binary system (two bodies joined together).  It will take 6 hours for signals to reach Earth from New Horizons.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Steve Hawley!

Steven Hawley, born December 12, 1951 in Ottawa, Kansas, is a veteran of 5 space shuttle flights, logging over 770 hours in space.

His first mission was aboard the maiden voyage of Discovery (STS-41-D) as mission specialist August-September 1984.  Portions of the mission were filmed for the IMAX motion picture The Dream is Alive.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-61-C) in January 1986 as mission specialist.  It was the last successful space shuttle flight before the Challenger disaster, which occurred only 10 days after Columbia landed.

Hawley's third flight was on Discovery (STS-31) in April 1990.  During this flight, the Hubble Space Telescope was deployed.

His fourth flight was on Discovery(!) (STS-82) in February 1997.  His primary role was to operate the Discovery's robotic arm to retrieve and redeploy the Hubble Telescope after upgrades and repairs.

Hawley's fifth and final flight was on Columbia (STS-93) in July 1999 as flight engineer.  The Chandra X-ray Observatory was deployed during the mission.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Richard Linnehan!

Richard Linnehan, born September 19, 1957 in Lowell, Massachusetts, is a veteran of four space shuttle missions.  After receiving a BS in Animal Sciences and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, he completed an internship in exotic animal medicine at the Baltimore Zoo! 

Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1992, his first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-78) as mission specialist June-July 1996.  It was a preparation flight for the International Space Station.

Linnehan's second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-90) as mission specialist April-May 1998.  The Mammalian Development Team, which I'm sure Linnehan was a part of, experienced an unexpectedly high mortality rate of neonatal rats.  Therefore, they had to reprioritize their experiments.

His third flight was aboard Columbia (STS-109) as mission specialist in March 2002.  It was a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope and the last flight of Columbia before it disintegrated the following February upon re-entry.

Linnehan's fourth and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-123) as mission specialist in March 2008 to the International Space Station.  He performed three EVAs, totaling 21 hours.