Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mark Lee!

Mark Lee, born August 14, 1952 in Viroqua, Wisconsin, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.

His first flight was on Atlantis (STS-30) as mission specialist in May 1989.  The main objective of the mission was to deploy the Magellan spacecraft to Venus.

His second mission was on Endeavour (STS-47) as mission specialist in September 1992. Also on board was Lee's then-wife Jan Davis, whom he had married secretly a few weeks prior to the flight.  NASA was forced to waive the rule about married couples not assigned to the same mission.  Lee and Davis later divorced.

Lee's third flight was on Discovery (STS-64) as mission specialist in September 1994.  Lee conducted an EVA with fellow astronaut Carl Meade for almost 7 hours.

Lee's fourth and final mission was again on Discovery (STS-82) as mission specialist in February 1997.  He conducted 3 EVAs with fellow astronaut Steven Smith lasting over 19 hours total.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Ronald Grabe!

Ronald John Grabe, born June 13, 1945 in New York City, New York, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.  In 1969 he was assigned as F-100 pilot in Vietnam where he flew 200 combat missions.

He became an astronaut in 1981 and his first flight into space was aboard the maiden voyage of Atlantis (STS-51-J) as pilot in October 1985.  It was the second shuttle mission dedicated completely to the Department of Defense.

His second flight was back aboard Atlantis (STS-30) as pilot in May 1989. The crew deployed the Magellan probe, to study Venus.

His third flight was as commander aboard Discovery (STS-42) in January 1992.  This mission carried Canada's first female astronaut Roberta Bondar. 

Grabe's last flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-57) as commander June-July 1993. 

He retired from NASA in 1994.

Atlantis (STS-30) launched 1989

STS-30 crew (L-R): Ronald Grabe, David Walker, Norman Thagard, Mary Cleave, Mark Lee

Mission patch

Space shuttle Atlantis (STS-30), launched May 4, 1989, deployed the Magellan space probe to Venus.  Atlantis' crew consisted of Commander David Walker, Pilot Ronald Grabe, Mark Lee, Norman Thagard and Mary Cleave.

The Magellan probe was deployed only 6 hours and 14 minutes after takeoff.  The crew returned home May 8.

Magellan spacecraft reaches Venus 1990

The Magellan spacecraft (Venus Radar Mapper), launched May 4, 1989 from the Space Shuttle Atlantis, reached its objective August 10, 1990.  It collected radar imaging of 98% of the Venusian surface at a resolution of about 100m.  It also measured the gravitational field to investigate to show the planet’s internal mass distribution.  Its mission came to an end October 13, 1994, when it entered the Venusian atmosphere.  It was expected to vaporize on its descent but scientists think that some of the spacecraft survived.

http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/magellan/fact.html

Magellan (Venus Radar Mapper) launched in 1989

 

The Magellan spacecraft, aka Venus Radar Mapper, was launched May 4, 1989 from the Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the first probe to be launched from the Space Shuttle and the fourth successful NASA mission to Venus.  It ended an eleven-year dry spell for NASA interplanetary probes.  Magellan reached Venus August 7, 1990 and began mapping on September 15. 

 

From January to September 1992, Magellan began collecting stereo imagery data which allowed scientists to recreate the Venusian surface in 3-D models, like Mount Mons above.

 

Magellan space craft in Atlantis shuttle bay.