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. 

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month: Christopher Loria, retired Hispanic astronaut

Christopher Loria, born July 9, 1960 in Newton, Massachusetts, is a retired NASA astronaut.  He was scheduled to pilot the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113) in November 2002, but a serious back injury grounded him. In the fall of 2004, his injuries were determined to be inoperable and this resulted in his being medically disqualified from future space flights. He requested to be re-assigned to the Marine Corps.  He retired as an astronaut in 2005.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Donald Pettit!

Donald Pettit, born April 20, 1955 in Silverton, Oregon, is a veteran of three space flights.

His first flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in November 2002.  He participated in Expedition 6 while aboard the ISS, and conducted two EVAs during the mission.  He returned to Earth Soyuz TMA-1 in May 2003.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-126)  as mission specialist to the International Space Station in November 2008.  He helped operate the Canadarm2 robotic arm while aboard.

His third and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-03 to the International Space Station in December 2011.  He participated in Expeditions 30 and 31. 

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.

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month: John Herrington, first Native American astronaut

John Herrington, born September 14, 1958 Wetumka, Oklahoma in the Chickasaw Nation, is the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly into space.  He flew aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as mission specialist in November-December 2002.  During the mission, he performed three EVAs with fellow astronaut with fellow astronaut Michael Lopez-Alegria for a total of almost 20 hours. 

He was commander of the NEEMO 6 mission of NASA's Aquarius underwater laboratory in July 2004.

On November 21, 2019, he was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame.

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, cosmonaut Nikolai Budarin!

Nikolai Budarin, born April 29, 1953 in Russia, is a veteran of three trips to space. 

His first trip into space was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) as mission specialist in June 1995 to the space station Mir.  He remained on board for over 75 days and returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TM-21 in September 1995.  He was part of expedition Mir EO-19.

His second trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-27 in January 1998 to Mir.  He participated in expedition Mir EO-25 and returned to Earth in August 1998.

His third and final trip into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in November 2002.  He took part in Expedition 6 and returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-1 in May 2003.

During his career he has performed eight EVAs for a total of 44 hours.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kenneth Bowersox!

Kenneth Bowersox, born November 14, 1956 in Portsmouth, Virginia, is a veteran of five space shuttle missions. 

His first trip into space was aboard Columbia (STS-50) as pilot in June-July 1992.  The mission carried the first US Microgravity Laboratory into space.

His second trip was aboard Endeavour (STS-61) as pilot in December 1993.  It was the mission that corrected the Hubble Space Telescope's "spherical aberration".

His third trip was aboard Columbia (STS-73) as commander in October-November 1995.  He became the youngest person ever to command a space shuttle at 38 years, 11 months old.

His fourth trip was aboard Discovery (STS-82) as commander in February 1997.  It was the second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.

His fifth and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in November 2002.  He served as commander for Expedition 6 with fellow astronaut Donald Pettit and Nikolai Budarin (Roscosmos).  They returned to Earth in May 2003 aboard Soyuz TMA-1.

Endeavour (STS-113) launched 2002

STS-113 (L-R): Paul S. Lockhart, Michael López-Alegría, John Herrington, James D. Wetherbee

Mission patch

Expedition 6 crew (L-R): Donald Pettit, Ken Bowersox and Nikolai Budarin

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113), launched November 23, 2002, was a mission to exchange Expeditions 5 and 6 on the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander James Wetherbee, Pilot Paul Lockhart, Michael Lopez-Alegria and John Herrington.  The members of Expedition 6 being carried to the ISS were Kenneth Bowersox, Nikolai Budarin and Donald Pettit.  The returning members of Expedition 5 were Valery Korzun, Peggy Whitson, and Sergei Treshchov.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Michael López-Alegría!

Michael Lopez-Alegria, born May 30, 1958 in Madrid, Spain, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions and one Soyuz mission.  He was raised in Mission Viejo, California and became a Naval Aviator in 1981.  Part of his naval experience was over here at the NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.

His first mission in space was on Columbia (STS-73) October-November 1995 as mission specialist.

His second trip was on Discovery (STS-92) in October 2000 as mission specialist. He conducted two EVAs with fellow astronaut Peter Wisoff.

His third shuttle mission was as mission specialist on Endeavour (STS-113) November-December 2002.  Lopez-Alegria conducted 3 more EVAs with fellow astronaut John Herrington.

His fourth and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-9, launched September 18, 2006 to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14.  He returned to Earth April 21, 2007.

He holds the second all-time record for EVA duration (67 hours, 40 minutes).  He has the third longest stay in space of American astronauts - 215 days.

Lopez-Alegria retired from NASA March 12, 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.

Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month - Michael López-Alegría, first Spanish-born astronaut

Michael Lopez-Alegria, born in Madrid, Spain, moved to the U.S. with his parents when he was about two years old.  He grew up in southern California and has been on 3 Space Shuttle flights and one Soyuz mission.

His first mission was on board Columbia (STS-73) in October-November 1995 as a mission specialist.  His second flight was on Discovery (STS-92) in October 2000 also as a mission specialist.  His final flight was on Endeavour (STS-113) in November-December 2002.

In September 2006, Lopez-Alegria took off in Soyuz TMA-9 as Flight Engineer to the International Space Station where he became commander of Expedition 14.  He returned to Earth in April 2007.

Lopez-Alegriz holds the record for an American astronaut for number of EVAs (10) and total duration of EVAs (67 hours, 40 minutes - that's almost 3 days!).  He holds the second-longest record for total duration of EVAs for a human, behind only Anatoly Solovyev.

Happy birthday, John Herrington, first Chickasaw astronaut!

John Herrington, born September 14, 1958 in Wetumka, Oklahoma into the Chickasaw Nation, became the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly in space.  He flew aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-113) with Peggy Whitson (first flight) November - December 2002.  It was the last shuttle mission before the Columbia disaster in 2003.

On his thirteenth day in space, he carried the flag of the Chickasaw Nation presented to him by the Chickasaw Nation's governor Bill Anoatubby.  He performed 3 EVAs while working on the International Space Station, logging almost 20 hours in space.