Happy birthday, astronaut James Kelly!

James Kelly, born May 14, 1964 in Burlington, Iowa, traveled into space twice on Space Shuttle missions.  He received his BS degree in astronautical engineering from the US Air Force Academy in 1986, and a MS in aerospace engineering from the University of Alabama in 1996.

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-102) in March 2001 as pilot to the International Space Station.  He spent over 12 days in space.

His second and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-114), the "Return to Flight" mission, the first after the Columbia disaster, to the International Space Station in July-August 2005. He spent almost 2 weeks in space before returning to Earth. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Stephen Robinson!

Stephen Robinson, born October 26, 1955 in Sacramento, California, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-85) as mission specialist in August 1997.  The mission lasted almost 12 days.

His second flight was again on Discovery (STS-95) as mission specialist in October-November 1998. One of his fellow astronaut was US Senator John Glenn, his second trip into space.

His third flight was aboard Discovery (STS-114) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in July-August 2005.  It was the "Return to Flight" space shuttle mission, the first following the Columbia disaster in 2003.

His fourth and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-130) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in February 2010. 

Discovery (STS-114) launched 2005

Back (L-R): Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Charles Camarda, Soichi Noguchi 

Front (L–R): James Kelly, Wendy Lawrence, Eileen Collins

STS-114 mission patch

Discovery (STS-114), launched July 26, 2005 to the International Space Station, was the "Return to Flight", the first space shuttle mission following the Columbia disaster in 2003.  During Discovery's liftoff, video footage showed a piece of debris separating from the external tank, which was caused the Columbia disaster.  As a result, NASA decided to postpone future flights until they could modify the design.  Shuttle flights resumed a year later in July 2006.

STS-114's crew consisted of Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot James Kelly, Soichi Noguchi (JAXA), Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Wendy Lawrence, and Charles Camarda.  It was the second mission to be commanded by a woman, Eileen Collins, who also commanded STS-93. 

Three EVAs were performed by Robinson and Noguchi. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Charles Camarda!

Charles Camarda, born May 8, 1952 in Queens, New York, flew on  the space shuttle one time.  He flew as mission specialist aboard Discovery (STS-114) July-August 2005.  It was the first flight after the Columbia disaster in 2003.

Although he retired from being an astronaut, he still works for NASA.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Andy Thomas!

Andrew Sydney Withiel Thomas, born December 18, 1951, is the first Australian-born professional astronaut in space.  Fellow countryman Paul Scully-Power was the first Aussie in space but he was an oceanographer.  Thomas has flown on 5 shuttle missions, including time spent on Mir.

His first mission was on Endeavour (STS-77) May 1996 as a Mission Specialist. On January 23, 1998, he took off on Endeavour (STS-89) and transferred to the Mir spacecraft where he spent four months.  He returned to Earth in May aboard Discovery (STS-91).

In March 2001, he flew on Discovery (STS-102) to the International Space Station for resupplying and rotating Expedition 1 and Expedition 2 crews. 

His fifth and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-114) for NASA's "Return to Flight" mission July-August 2005.  It was the first space shuttle mission following the Columbia disaster.

Thomas retired from NASA in February 2014.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Eileen Collins!

Eileen Marie Collins, born November 19, 1956 in Elmira, New York, is a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights.  She is the first female pilot for a space shuttle and first female commander of a space shuttle mission. Her parents immigrated from Ireland.

Her first flight was on Discovery (STS-63) in February 1995 as pilot, the first female to pilot the space shuttle.  She also piloted Atlantis (STS-84) in May 1997.

She served as commander aboard Columbia (STS-93) July 1999 for her third trip.  Her fourth and final trip was on Discovery (STS-114) July - August 2005.  During this last flight, Collins performed a backflip maneuver of Discovery so the crew of the International Space Station could check the hull for missing tiles.

How cool is that!

Space Shuttle Discovery "Return to Flight" launched 2005

STS-114 Crew - Back row (L-R): Stephen Robinson, Andrew Thomas, Charles Camarda, Soichi Noguchi.

Front Row (L-R): James Kelly, Wendy Lawrence, Eileen Collins

Space Shuttle Discovery blasted off July 26, 2005, the “Return to Flight” since it was the first space shuttle mission since the Columbia disaster in 2003.  During the launch, video footage showed debris separating from the external tank.  NASA decided to postpone future flights until they could make additional modifications to the hardware.  Shuttle flights resumed on July 4, 2006 but part of that delay was due to Hurricane Katrina.

Its crew consisted of Commander Eileen Collins, Pilot James M. Kelly, Mission Specialist 1 Soichi Noguchi (courtesy of the Japanese Aerospace Exploration Agency or JAXA), Mission Specialist 2 Stephen K. Robinson, Mission Specialist 3 Andrew S. W. Thomas (first Aussie in space back in 1996), Mission Specialist 4 Wendy B. Lawrence and Mission Specialist Charles J. Camarda.

They performed 3 EVAs over the course of 8 days, 19 hours and 54 minutes.