Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut George Nelson!

George Nelson, born July 13, 1950 in Charles City, Iowa, is a veteran of three space flights.

His first trip was aboard Challenger (STS-41-C) as a mission specialist in April 1984.  He conducted two EVAs with fellow astronaut James van Hoften for a little over 10 hours.

His second trip was aboard Columbia (STS-61-C) as mission specialist in January 1986.  The mission was delayed four times and resulted in a delay for the next launch. 

His third and final trip was aboard Discovery (STS-26) as mission specialist in September-October 1988.  It was the "Return to Flight" mission, the first flight after the Challenger disaster.

Challenger (STS-41-C) launched 1984

STS-41-C crew (L-R): Robert Crippen, Terry Hart, James van Hoften, George Nelson, Francis Scobee

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Challenger, launched April 6, 1984, was the fifth mission for this shuttle.  Its crew consisted of Commander Robert Crippen, Pilot Francis Scobee, Terry Hart, James van Hoften, and George Nelson.

The crew captured and repaired the Solar Maximum Mission Satellite and deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility apparatus.

Astronauts Nelson and van Hoften conducted two EVAs for a total of 10 hours.

They returned to Earth April 13.

Discovery (STS-51-I) launched 1985

STS-51-I crew

Front row L-R: Joe Engle, Richard Covey

Back row L-R: James van Hoften, John Lounge, William Fisher

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51-I), launched August 27, 1985, was the sixth flight for Discovery.  Its crew consisted of Commander Joe H. Engle, Pilot Richard Covey, James van Hoften, John Lounge and William Fisher. 

Fisher and van Hoften conducted two EVAs for a total of almost 12 hours.

They returned to Earth September 3.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut James "Ox" Hoften!

James Dougal Adrianus van Hoften, born June 11, 1944 in Fresno, California is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.  He received a PhD in Hydraulic Engineering from Colorado State University and did two tours in Southeast Asia where he flew over 60 combat missions.

He was selected as an astronaut in January 1978.  His first mission was aboard Challenger (STS-41-C) as mission specialist in April 1984.  He conducted two EVAs during the mission with fellow astronaut George Nelson, logging just over 10 hours in space.

His second and last mission was aboard Discovery (STS-51-I) as mission specialist August-September 1985, where he performed two more EVAs with William Fisher, logging almost 12 hours in space.

He retired from NASA in August 1986.