Drew Gaffney, born June 9, 1946 in Carlsbad, New Mexico, went into space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-40) as payload specialist in June 1991. Gaffney used his experience as a doctor and in cardiac research to study life sciences, the primary goal of the mission.
Sidney Gutierrez, born June 27, 1951 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, is a veteran of two space shuttle missions. NASA selected him in May 1984 and he became an astronaut in June 1985.
His first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-40) as pilot in June 1991. He spent a little over 9 hours in space.
His second and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-59) as commander in April 1994. He spent over 5 days in space. He retired from NASA shortly after.
James Bagian, born February 22, 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights. He received his Doctorate of Medicine from Thomas Jefferson University in 1977. He is the first astronaut of Armenian descent to travel into space.
His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-29) as mission specialist in March 1989. The mission's main goal was the deployment of part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite.
His second and final flight was aboard Columbia (STS-40) as mission specialist in June 1991. It was the fifth dedicated SpaceLab mission, dedicated solely to life sciences experiments.
Margaret Rhea Seddon, born November 8, 1947 in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, is one of the first group of astronauts to include women and is a veteran of three space shuttle flights. She has a doctorate of medicine from the University of Tennessee and has served in hospitals in Mississippi and Tennessee.
Selected as an astronaut in 1978, her first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-51-D) in April 1985 as mission specialist. She logged 168 hours in space.
Her second mission was aboard Columbia (STS-40) in June 1991 as mission specialist. This flight was dedicated to life sciences with experiments involving cardiovascular/cardiopulmonary, renal/endocrine, blood, musculoskeletal, neurovestibular and immune systems.
Her third and final mission was aboard Columbia (STS-58) in October-November 1993 as Payload Commander on another life science research mission, continuing many of the experiments began on STS-40.
Bryan O'Connor, born September 6, 1946 in Orange, California, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.
His first flight was as pilot on Atlantis (STS-61-B) November-December 1985. The mission deployed three communication satellites and tested constructing structures in orbit.
His second was as Commander on Columbia (STS-40) in June 1991. It was the first space lab mission dedicated solely to biology and the first mission to include three women astronauts.
Front row (L-R): Drew Gaffney, Millie Hughes-Fulford, Rhea Seddon, James Bagian;
Back row (L-R): Bryan O'Connor, Tamara Jernigan, Sidney Gutierrez
Mission insignia
Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-40), launched June 5, 1991, was the first mission dedicated entirely to biology. Its crew consisted of Commander Bryan O'Connor, Pilot Sidney Gutierrez, James Bagian, Tamara Jernigan, Rhea Seddon, Drew Gaffney and Millie Hughes-Fulford. It was also the first mission to carry three female astronauts.
They carried out experiments on themselves, 30 rodents and thousands of tiny jellyfish.
Millie Hughes-Fulford, born December 21, 1945 in Mineral Wells, Texas, went into space aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-40) in June 1991 as Payload Specialist. The mission was the fifth Spacelab mission, the first dedicated to biology and the first time three women were on board.
Sidney McNeill Gutierrez is an astronaut born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which makes him the first Hispanic astronaut born in the U.S.A.! The previous Hispanic astronauts had been born elsewhere and some of them immigrated to the U.S., becoming naturalized citizens before going into space.
He has a degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Academy and was a member of their Parachute Team with over 550 jumps. He became an astronaut for NASA in 1985 and has flown on two Space Shuttle missions.
His first trip into space was as pilot for Columbia (STS-40) in June 1991. It was also the first mission dedicated completely to life sciences and the first to carry 3 women crew members.
His second mission was as commander on the Endeavour (STS-59) in April 1994. The mission's objective was to study the Earth and her atmosphere.
