Endeavour (STS-100) launched 2001

STS-100 crew

Front row (L-R): Yury Lonchakov, Ken Rominger, Umberto Guidoni, Jeffrey Ashby, John Phillips

Back row (L-R): Scott Parazynski, Chris Hadfield

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-100), launched April 19, 2001, installed the Canadarm2 robotic arm on the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Kent Rominger, Pilot Jeffrey Ashby, Chris Hadfield (CSA), John Phillips, Scott Parazynski, Umberto Guidoni (ESA), and Yury Lonchakov (Roscosmos).  

Parazynski and Hadfield conducted two EVAs for almost 15 hours.  

The crew returned to Earth May 1, 2001.

Happy birthday, NASA astronaut John Phillips!

John Phillips, born April 15, 1951 in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights. 

His first flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-100) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in April-May 2001.  The main objective of the mission was to install the Canadarm2 to help continue assembly of the ISS.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-6 to the International Space Station in April 2005.  He participated in Expedition 11 and remained on board until October 2005.

His third and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-119) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in March 2009.  During the mission, Phillips operated the ISS's Canadarm2.

He has spent over 203 days in space.

Soyuz TMA-6 launched 2005

Soyuz TMA-6 crew: Roberto Vittori, Sergei Krikalev, John Phillips

Mission patch

Soyuz TMA-6, launched April 15, 2005, carried members of Expedition 11 to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Sergei Krikalev (Roscosmos), John Phillips (NASA) and Roberto Vittori (ESA).

Vittori returned home on April 24 aboard Soyuz TMA-5.  Krikalev and Phillips retunred home in October 2005 with space tourist Gregory Olsen.

Discovery (STS-119) launched 2009

Front row (L–R) Tony Antonelli, Lee Archambault. 

Back row (L–R) Joe Acaba, John L. Phillips, Steven Swanson, Richard Arnold, Koichi Wakata.

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-119) was launched March 15, 2009, the 125th shuttle mission and 28th trip to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Lee Archambault, Pilot Tony Antonelli, Joe Acaba, Steven Swanson, Richard Arnold, John L. Phillips and Koichi Wakata from JAXA.

A free-tailed bat was seen clinging to a fuel tank during the launch.  NASA observers thought it was have flown off once the shuttle started to launch but it did not.  A bat doctor analyzed the pictures and believed that it might have had a broken wing which is why it didn't fly away.  It probably was shaken off and incinerated in the rocket exhaust. 

They docked with the ISS on March 17 and crew performed three EVAs during the mission.  Wakata remained on board the ISS as part of Expedition 18.  Sandra Magnus, another member of Expedition 18, returned to Earth with the STS-119 crew March 28.