Discovery (STS-33) launched 1989

STS-33 crew

Front row (L-R): Kathryn Thornton, Frederick Gregory, Story Musgrave

Back row (L-R): Manley Carter, John Blaha

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-33), launched November 22, 1989, carried a payload for the Department of Defense into space.  Its crew consisted of Commander Frederick Gregory, Pilot John Blaha, Manley Carter, Story Musgrave and Kathryn Thornton.

David Griggs was training to be pilot on this mission but was killed while flying a vintage WWII aircraft.

They deployed a single satellite, suspected to eavesdrop on communist countries.  They returned to Earth November 28.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Kathryn Thornton!

Kathryn Thornton, born August 17, 1952 in Montgomery, Alabama is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.  She obtained her PhD in physics from the University of Virginia in 1979.

Her first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-33) as mission specialist in November 1989.  It carried a classified payload from the Department of Defense into space.

Her second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-49) as mission specialist in May 1992.  It was the maiden voyage of the Endeavour.  She performed an EVA with fellow astronaut Thomas Akers which lasted 7 hours 44 minutes.

Her third flight was back on Endeavour (STS-61) as mission specialist in December 1993.  She and Akers performed two EVAs lasting over 13 hours total.

Her fourth and final mission was aboard Columbia (STS-73) as mission specialist in October-November 1995.  It was the second mission of the US Microgravity Laboratory which studied the effects of the microgravity environment in space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Frederick Gregory!

Frederick Gregory, born January 7, 1941 in Washington, DC, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights and is the first African-American to pilot a space shuttle.  He was in NASA's astronaut selection class with Ronald McNair and Guy Bluford. 

His first flight was aboard Challenger (STS-51-B) as pilot April-May 1985.  It was the second flight for the European Space Agency's Spacelab. 

His second flight was on Discovery (STS-33) as commander in November 1989.  The mission was for the Department of Defense so we know very little of what the objectives were.

Gregory's third and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-44) as commander November-December 1991, which was also a DoD flight.

Sonny Carter, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1947

Manley "Sonny" Carter, born August 15, 1947 in Macon, Georgia, went into space on Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-33) in November 1989, as mission specialist.

Carter died on April 5, 1991 in an airplane crash in Brunswick, Georgia.

Celebrating Black History Month - Frederick Gregory, first black Space Shuttle Pilot/Commander

Frederick Gregory is the first black man to pilot a space shuttle mission and then command one.  Born January 7, 1941 in Washington DC, he became an astronaut in 1978. 

His first flight was on Challenger (STS-51-B) in April-May 1985 as pilot, becoming the first African-American man to pilot a space shuttle.

He served as commander of Discovery (STS-33) in November 1989, becoming  the first African-American to command a shuttle mission.

His third and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-44) as commander again, November-December 1991.

Happy birthday, 6-time astronaut John Blaha!

John Elmer Blaha, born August 26, 1942 in San Antonio, made 6 trips to space aboard space shuttles and one four-month stay on Mir.

His first flight was on board Discovery (STS-29) in March 1989.  His second mission was also on Discovery (STS-33) in November 1989. His third mission (STS-43) was on Atlantis in August 1991.  The fourth was on Columbia (STS-58) in October 1993, during which they performed numerous medical experiments expanding our knowledge of human physiology in space.

His fifth flight took him to Mir on Atlantis (STS-79) in September 1996 where he would spend the next four months.  Atlantis brought Shannon Lucid home from Mir.

Blaha returned to Earth on Atlantis (STS-81) in January 1997.