Happy birthday, astronaut Paul Lockhart!

Paul Lockhart, born April 28, 1956 in Amarillo, Texas, went into space twice. He received a BA in math from Texas Tech University in 1978, and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.  He then entered the US Air Force and graduated from pilot training in 1983. 

Lockhart's first mission was aboard the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) as pilot to the International Space Station in June 2002. He spent almost 14 days in space before returning to Earth.

His second and last mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as pilot to the International Space Station in November-December 2002. He spent another 14 days in space before returning to Earth. 

Endeavour (STS-111) launched 2002

STS-111 crew (L-R): Philippe Perrin, Paul Lockhart, Kenneth Cockrell, Franklin Chang Diaz

STS-111 mission patch

Expedition 5 crew (L-R): Valery Korzun, Peggy Whitson, Sergei Treshchov

Expedition 4 crew (L-R): Daniel Bursch, Yuri Onufrienko, Carl Walz

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-111), launched June 5, 2002, carried members of Expedition 5 to the International Space Station.  Endeavour's crew consisted of Commander Kenneth Cockrell, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Philippe Perrin (CNES), and Franklin Chang Diaz on his seventh and final flight.  The members of Expedition 5 consisted of Valery Korzun (Roscosmos), Peggy Whitson, and Sergei Treshchov (Roscosmos).

Chang Diaz and Perrin conducted three EVAs during the mission.  Endeavour returned to Earth after almost two weeks in space with the members of Expedition 4: Yuri Onufrienko (Roscosmos), Carl Walz, and Daniel Bursch.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Sergei Treshchov!

Sergei Treshchov, born August 18, 1958 in Russia, went into space aboard the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) as an ISS Flight Engineer to the International Space Station.  He participated in Expedition 5 and conducted one spacewalk for 5 hours and 21 minutes.

He returned to Earth on Endeavour (STS-113) after spending almost 185 days in space.

Happy birthday, French astronaut Philippe Perrin!

Philippe Perrin, born January 6, 1963 in Morocco, went into space on the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in June 2002.  He was an astronaut for the ESA and CNES and spent almost 14 days in space.  He performed 3 EVAs with fellow astronaut Franklin Chang Diaz. 

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 Kenneth Cockrell!

Kenneth Cockrell, born April 9, 1950 in Austin, Texas, is a veteran of five shuttle missions.  He was selected as an astronaut in January 1990.

His first flight was on Discovery (STS-56) as mission specialist in April 1993. 

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-69) as pilot in September 1995.  During the mission, the Wake Shield Facility was deployed.

His third mission was on Columbia (STS-80) as commander November-December 1996.

He served as commander on his fourth mission on Atlantis (STS-98) to the International Space Station in February 2001, the first flight of the 21st century.

His final mission was on Endeavour (STS-111) in June 2002 to the ISS.  The mission carried the crew of Expedition 5 and returned with Expedition 4.

In 2006, he was reassigned to the Flight Crew Operations' Aircraft Operations Division at Ellington Field.

Happy birthday, space shuttle astronaut Dr. Franklin Chang- Díaz!

I've written about Dr. Franklin Chang Diaz several times before since he has achieved a number of firsts for astronauts.  Born April 5, 1950 in San Jose, Costa Rica, he became an American citizen in 1977 and was selected as an astronaut in 1980.

He is the first Hispanic American astronaut and the third Latin American in space.  His grandfather fled China during the Boxer Rebellion, so Chang Diaz has Chinese ancestry as well.  He is tied with Jerry Ross for the most space shuttle missions, at seven:

STS-61-C
STS-34
STS-46
STS-60
STS-75
STS-91
STS-111

He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame May 5, 2012.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Valery Korzun!

Valery Korzun, born March 5, 1953 in the former Soviet Union, has been to space twice but spent over a year total in space.

His first trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-24 in August 1996 as part of Mir EO-22.  He returned to Earth in March 1997 having spent almost 197 days on Mir.

His next trip into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-111) in June 2002 to the International Space Station.  He joined Expedition 5 as commander.  He returned to Earth on Endeavour (STS-113) December 7, 2002 after almost 185 days.

He performed 2 spacewalks during each mission.

Happy birthday, astronaut Peggy Whitson!

Peggy Whitson, born February 9, 1960 in Mount Ayr, Iowa, holds the U.S. record for spending the most time in space, 665 days.

Her first mission was on Endeavour (STS-111) in June 2002 as mission specialist to the International Space Station.  She stayed on board as Expedition 5 until December 2002 when she returned on Endeavour (STS-113).

Her next trip into space was aboard Soyuz TMA-11 as flight engineer in October 2007.  She served as commander of Expedition 16, returning in April 2008.

Her next trip to the ISS was on Soyuz MS-03 in November 2016 as part of Expeditions 50-52.  She returned to Earth September 3, 2017 on Soyuz MS-04.

Only seven Russian men have stayed in space longer than Peggy.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Yuri Onufriyenko!

Yuri Onufriyenko, born February 6, 1961 in Ukraine, is a veteran of three space flights (one Soyuz, two space shuttles), which included extended stays aboard Mir and the International Space Station.

His first trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-23 in February 1996 to Mir as commander of the Mir EO-21 expedition.  He returned to Earth September 2.

His next mission was to the International Space Station aboard Endeavour (STS-108) December 2001 where he would serve as commander of Expedition 4.

He returned to Earth on Endeavour (STS-111) June 2002.