Happy birthday, astronaut Chris Cassidy!

Christopher Cassidy, born January 4, 1970 in Salem, Massachusetts, has been in space three times. He was a Navy Seal for ten years before being selected as an astronaut by NASA in May 2004.  

His first trip into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-127) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in July 2009.  He conducted three EVAs with fellow astronauts David Wolf and Thomas Marshburn for a total of over 18 hours.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-08M to the International Space Station in March 2013.  He participated in Expeditions 35 and 36.  He stayed aboard for over 166 days before returning to Earth in September 2013.

His third flight was aboard Soyuz MS-16 to the International Space Station in April 2020.  He participated in Expeditions 62 and 63.  He stayed aboard for almost 196 days before returning to Earth in October 2020.

Happy birthday, astronaut Douglas Hurley!

Douglas Hurley, born October 21, 1966 in Endicott, New York, has been in space three times.  

His first flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-127) as pilot to the International Space Station in July 2009.  When they docked at the ISS, they set a record for the most humans in space at the same time, at thirteen.

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-135) as pilot to the ISS in July 2011.  It was the final flight of the Space Shuttle program.

His latest flight was aboard SpaceX's Endeavour, the first crewed test flight of the Crew Dragon spacecraft, to the ISS in May 2020.  He and fellow astronaut Bob Behnken participated in Expedition 63.  They returned to Earth on August 2, 2020.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Thomas Marshburn!

Thomas Marshburn, born August 29, 1960 in Statesville, North Carolina, is a veteran of two space flights and has spent over 161 days in space. 

His first flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-127) as mission specialist to the International Space Station.  He participated in three EVAs during the mission for a total of about 19 hours.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-07M as flight engineer to the ISS in December 2012 with birthday twin Chris Hadfield.  He participated in Expeditions 34 and 35.  He returned to Earth in May 2013. 

Endeavour (STS-127) launched 2009

STS-127 crew (L-R): David Wolf, Chris Cassidy, Doug Hurley, Julie Payette, Mark Polansky, Thomas Marshburn, Timothy Kopra

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-127), launched July 15, 2009, delivered the final components of the Japanese Experiment Module to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Mark Polansky, Pilot Doug Hurley, Chris Cassidy, Julie Payette (CSA), Thomas Marshburn, David Wolf, and Timothy Kopra.

It was the first time two Candians were in space at the same time: Payette and Robert Thirsk.  Wolf, Kopra, Marshburn, and Cassidy performed 5 EVAs during the mission.

Kopra stayed on board the ISS and Koichi Wakata returned with the rest of the crew on July 31.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Mark Polansky!

Mark Polansky, born June 2, 1958 in Paterson, New Jersey, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.

His first mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-98) as pilot to the International Space Station in February 2001.  The crew delivered the Destiny Laboratory Module, the first NASA lab to be permanently used since Skylab.

His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-116) as commander to the ISS in December 2006.  His wake up song was Here Comes the Sun by the Beatles.

His third and final trip was aboard Endeavour (STS-127) as commander to the ISS in July 2009.  He must really love Here Comes the Sun.

Happy birthday, astronaut Tim Kopra!

Timothy Kopra, born April 9, 1963 in Austin, Texas, has traveled twice into space. 

His first flight into space was aboard space shuttle Endeavour (STS-127) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in July 2009.  He remained aboard the ISS as part of Expedition 20 and returned to Earth on Discovery (STS-128) in September 2009.

His second and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-19M om December 2015.  He participated in Expeditions 46 and 47, returning to Earth in June 2016.

He spent 244 days in space, and conducted 3 EVAs.

In 2006, he participated as an aquanaut in the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 11 mission.

Happy birthday, Canadian astronaut Julie Payette!

Julie Payette, born October 20, 1963 in Montreal, Canada, is a space shuttle astronaut, a veteran of two missions.  Her first flight was on Discovery (STS-96) in May-June 1999 as mission specialist.  She operated the Canadarm and is the first Canadian aboard the International Space Station.

Her second and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-127) in July 2009 also as a mission specialist.

She left the Canadian  Space Agency after her final flight and is now the current Governor General of Canada since October 2017. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut David Wolf!

David Wolf, born August 23, 1956, in Indianapolis, Indiana, is veteran of four space flights, one trip aboard Mir, seven EVA's and one ballot.  His first space shuttle mission was aboard Columbia (STS-58) in October 1993.  Also on that mission was Shannon "Right Stuff" Lucid, who was on her 4th trip into space.  (I wonder if she dozed off during launch?).

Wolf's second trip was on Atlantis (STS-86) in September 1997, which took him up to the space station Mir.  During his 128-day visit, he became the first American to cast a vote in a presidential election.  He returned to Earth on Endeavour (STS-89) January 1998.

His third trip was aboard Atlantis (STS-112), an eleven day mission to the International Space Station in October 2002.

His final trip (STS-127) was on Endeavor in July 2009 to the ISS.  The launch of the Endeavour was successful on its 6th attempt.