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.

Atlantis (STS-71) launched 1995

STS-71 crew

Seated (L-R): Vladimir Dezhurov, Robert Gibson, Anatoly Solovyev

Standing (L-R): Norman Thagard, Gennady Strekalov, Gregory Harbaugh, Ellen Baker,Charles Precourt,Bonnie Dunbar, Nikolai Budarin

STS-71 mission patch

Atlantis (STS-71), launched June 27, 1995, was the first Space Shuttle to dock with the Russian Space Station Mir.  Its crew consisted of Commander Robert Gibson, Pilot Charles Precourt, Ellen Baker, Gregory Harbaugh, and Bonnie Dunbar.  It delivered two cosmonauts, Anatoly Solovyev and Nikolai Budarin, to Mir to participate in Expedition EO-19, and return with members of EO-18. 

The mission included filming with an IMAX camera, the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment-II (SAREX-II), and to conduct biomedical investigations.  Some of these experiments covered cardiovascular and pulmonary functions, human metabolism, neuroscience, hygiene, sanitation, radiation, and behavioral performance.

Atlantis undocked from Mir on July 4, and returned to Earth with the original crew, Gennady Strekalov, Vladimir Dezhurov, and Norman Thagard.  The shuttle's crew spent almost 10 days in space.  

Gennadi Manakov, cosmonaut, born 1950

Gennadi Manakov, born June 1, 1950 in the former Soviet Union, went into space twice.

His first mission was aboard Soyuz TM-10 as commander to the space station Mir.  He spent almost 131 days in space, from August to December 1990 before returning to Earth.

His second and final flight was aboard Soyuz TM-16 as commander to Mir.  He spent 179 days in space, from January-July 1993, before returning to Earth. 

He passed away in September 2019.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Aleksandr Poleshchuk!

Aleksandr Poleshchuk, born October 30, 1953 in the former Soviet Union, went into space aboard Soyuz TM-16, launched in January 1993 to the space station Mir. He was flight engineer and spent over 179 days in space with fellow cosmonaut Gennadi Manakov.  He returned to Earth in July 1993.

Happy birthday, astronaut Robert "Hoot" Gibson!

Robert "Hoot" Gibson, born October 30, 1946 in Cooperstown, New York, is a veteran of five space shuttle missions.

His first mission was as pilot on Challenger (STS-41-B) in February 1984.  It was the first flight to involve an untethered spacewalk.  He spent almost 8 days in space and completed 128 orbits.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-61-C) as commander in January 1986, the last shuttle mission before the Challenger disaster. He spent over 6 days in space and completed 98 orbits.

Gibson's third mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-27) as commander in December 1988.  It was a classified payload for the US Department of Defense. He spent over four days in space and completed 68 orbits.

His fourth flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-47) as commander in September 1992.  He carried the first Japanese astronaut, Mamoru Mohri, and the first African-American woman, Mae Jemison into space.  He spent almost 8 days in space and completed 126 orbits.

His fifth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) in June-July 1995 to the Russian space station Mir.  It was the first space shuttle docking with Mir.  He spent almost 10 days in space and completed 153 orbits. 

He married fellow astronaut Rhea Seddon in May 1981.  He retired from NASA in November 1996 and became a pilot for Southwest Airlines.  

Happy birthday, astronaut Michael Baker!

Astronaut Michael Baker, born October 27, 1953 in Memphis, Tennessee, has been to space four times.  

His first trip was aboard Atlantis (STS-43) as pilot in August 1991.  He spent almost 9 days in space, making 142 orbits.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-52) as pilot in October-November 1992.  He celebrated his 39th birthday during the mission.  He spent almost 10 days in space and made 159 orbits.

His third mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-68) as commander in September-October 1994. He spent over 11 days in space and made 182 orbits.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-81) as commander to the Mir space station in January 1997.  It was the second flight to Mir to involve an exchange of US astronauts. He spent over 10 days in space and made 160 orbits.

Happy birthday, French astronaut Jean-Pierre Haignere!

Jean-Pierre Haignere, born May 19, 1948 in Paris, France, has been in space twice as an astronaut for France's National Centre for Space Studies.

His first flight was aboard Soyuz TM-17 to the space station Mir, launched July 1, 1993.  He returned to Earth July 22 aboard Soyuz TM-16.

His second and final flight was aboard Soyuz TM-29 to Mir in February 1999.  He participated in Mir EO-27 and stayed aboard  for almost 189 days before returning to Earth in August 1999.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri!

Cosmonaut Aleksandr Kaleri, born May 13, 1956 in present-day Latvia, ranks fourth in time spent in space.  

His first flight was as Flight Engineer on Soyuz TM-14 to the Mir space station in March 1992.  He spent over 145 days in space as part of Mir EO-11.

His second flight was as Flight Engineer on Soyuz TM-24 to Mir in August 1996.  He spent over 196 days in space as part of Mir EO-22.

His third flight was aboard Soyuz TM-30 as Flight Engineer to Mir in April 2000.  He spent over 72 days in space as part of Mir EO-28.

His fourth flight was as Commander of Soyuz TMA-3 to the International Space Station in October 2003. He participated in Expedition 8 and spent over 194 days in space.

His fifth and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-01M as commander to the International Space Station.  He participated in Expeditions 25-26, spending over 159 days in space.

In total, he has spent more than 769 days in space, which is over 2 years!  

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Jay Apt!

Jerome "Jay" Apt III, born April 28, 1949 in Springfield, Massachusetts, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.

HIs first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-37) as mission specialist in April 1995.  He conducted two EVAs with fellow astronaut Jerry Ross for over 10 hours.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-47) as mission specialist in September 1992.  The mission included two experiments prepared by an all-girls school in Kent, UK.

Apt's third mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-59) as mission specialist in April 1994.  He exchanged greetings with the cosmonauts aboard the Mir space station.

His fourth and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-79) as mission specialist to Mir in September 1996.  It was the first shuttle mission to dock with a completed Mir space station.

 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Ellen Baker!

Ellen Baker, born April 27, 1953 in Fayetteville, North Carolina, has been in space three times.  

Her first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-34) as mission specialist in October 1989.  The mission deployed the Galileo probe to Jupiter.

Her second mission was aboard Columbia (STS-50) as mission specialist in June-July 1992.  It was the first flight of the US Microgravity Laboratory 1.  

Her third and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) as mission specialist in June-July 1995.  It was the first Space Shuttle docking to the space station Mir.

She has spent more than 28 days in space.  

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Aleksandr Laveykin!

Aleksandr Laveykin, born April 21, 1951 in Moscow, Russia, went into space aboard Soyuz TM-2 to Mir in February 1987.  He was part of expedition Mir EO-2 and spent 174 days in space.  He returned to Earth in July 1987.

Soyuz TM-30 launched 2000

Soyuz TM-30 crew (L-R): Sergei Zalyotin, Aleksandr Kaleri

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-30, launched April 4, 2000, was the last mission to the Mir space station. Its crew consisted of Commander Sergei Zalyotin and Aleksandr Kaleri.  It was the first privately funded mission to a space station.  MirCorp sent the crew to reactivate, repair, and resupply the station.  They also boosted the station's orbit since it was nearing the end of its operational life.  Plans had been developed to restore the station with commercially-funded mission but they never materialized.

Zalyotin and Kaleri performed one EVA during the mission.  returned to Earth after almost 73 days on June 16.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Bonnie Dunbar!

Bonnie Dunbar, born March 3, 1949 in Sunnyside, Washington, has flown on five space shuttle missions and been to Mir twice.

Her first flight as aboard Challenger (STS-61-A) as mission specialist in October-November 1985. The mission was funded and directed by West Germany.

Her second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-32) as mission specialist in January 1990.  

Her third flight was again aboard Columbia (STS-50) as mission specialist in June-July 1992.  Its primary objective was the US Microgravity Laboratory 1.

Her fourth flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) as mission specialist to the space station Mir in June-July 1995.  It was the first Space Shuttle docking to the Russian space station.

Her fifth and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-89) as mission specialist to Mir in January 1998.  The mission swapped crew members aboard Mir. 

Happy birthday, Kazakh cosmonaut Talgat Musabayev!

Talgat Musabayev, born January 7, 1951 in present-day Kazakhstan, is a veteran of three space flights.  

His first trip was aboard Soyuz TM-19 as Flight Engineer to the space station Mir, in July 1994.  He participated in expedition Mir EO-16 and returned to Earth in November 1994.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TM-27 as Commander to Mir in January 1998.  He participated in expedition Mir EO-25 and returned to Earth in August 1998.

His third and final mission was aboard Soyuz TM-32 to the International Space Station in April 2001.  He participated in expedition ISS EP-1.  He returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-31 in May 2001.

He has spent over 341 days in space. 

Soyuz TM-11 launched 1990

Soyuz TM-11 crew (L-R): Toyohiro Akiyama, Viktor Afanasyev, Musa Manarov

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-11, launched December 2, 1990, was the 11th expedition to the space station Mir.  Its crew consisted of Commander Viktor Afanasyev, Musa Manarov, and Toyohiro Akiyama (a Japanese reporter).  

The cosmonauts remained on board until May 26, 1991, when they returned to Earth with Helen Sharman, a British astronaut.  Akiyama returned to Earth December 10, 1990 aboard Soyuz TM-10.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut James Wetherbee!

James Wetherbee, born November 27, 1952 in Flushing, New York, has been in space six times.

His first mission was aboard Columbia (STS-32) as pilot in January 1990.  It was the third night landing of the space shuttle program.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-52) as commander in October-November 1992.  The mission involved projects with the Italian Space Agency and National Centre for Space Studies (France).   

His third flight was aboard Discovery (STS-63) as commander in February 1995.  It was the second mission of the Space Shuttle/Mir program.  It was the first rendezvous of NASA's shuttle and the Mir space station.

His fourth flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-86) as commander to Mir in September-October 1997. It was the seventh Mir docking mission.

His fifth flight was aboard Discovery (STS-102) as commander to the International Space Station in March 2001.  The flight rotated Expeditions 1 and 2 and resupplied the ISS.

His sixth and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as commander to the ISS in November-December 2002.  The mission rotated Expeditions 5 and 6. 

He left NASA in 2005.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kevin Chilton!

Kevin Chilton, born November 3, 1954 in Los Angeles, California, has been in space three times.

His first trip into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-49) as pilot in May 1992.  It was the first time an EVA involved three astronauts.

His second trip was aboard Endeavour (STS-59) as pilot in April 1994.  The Discovery Channel chronicled the launch for a special on the Space Shuttle program.

His third and final trip was aboard Atlantis (STS-76) as commander in March 1996.  It was the third shuttle mission to dock with the space station Mir.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Pavel Vinogradov!

Pavel Vinogradov, born August 31, 1953 in Magadan in the former Soviet Union, is a veteran of three space flights.

His first flight was aboard Soyuz TM-26 as flight engineer to the space station Mir in August 1997.  He remained on board for almost 198 days before returning to Earth in February 1998.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-8 as commander to the International Space Station in March 2006.  He participated in Expedition 13 and conducted 2 EVAs.  He returned to Earth in September after almost 181 days.

His third flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-08M as commander to the ISS in March 2013.  He participated in Expeditions 35 and 36.  He stayed aboard for over 166 days before returning to Earth in September 2013.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev!

Sergei Krikalev, born August 27, 1958 in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia), is a veteran of six space flights.

His first trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-7 as Flight Engineer to the space station Mir.  He participated in Mir EO-4, spending 151 days in space.

His second trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-12 as flight engineer to Mir in May 1991.  He participated in expedition Mir EO-9. He returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-13 in March 1992.

His third flight was aboard Discovery (STS-60) as mission specialist in February 1994. He was the first cosmonaut aboard a Space Shuttle.

His fourth mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-88) as mission specialist in December 1998.  The mission took the Unity node to the ISS.

His fifth mission was aboard Soyuz TM-31 to the International Space Station in October 2000.  He participated in Expedition 1.  He returned to Earth on Discovery (STS-102) in March 2001.

His sixth and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-6 as Commander in April 2005 to the International Space Station. where he participated in Expedition 11.  He returned to Earth in October. 

He has spent 803 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes in space.

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.