Discovery (STS-51) launched 1993

STS-51 crew (L-R): Frank Culbertson, Daniel Bursch, Carl Walz, William Readdy, James Newman

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51), launched September 12, 1993, featured a spacewalk to evaluate tools and techniques for servicing the Hubble Space Telescope, which was to be performed later in the year.  Her crew consisted of Commander Frank Culbertson, Pilot William Readdy, Mission Specialist James Newman, Mission Specialist Daniel Bursch, and Mission Specialist Carl Walz. 

After liftoff, a communications loss between the crew and Mission Control last about 45 minutes, delaying the deployment of the Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS).  Once communications were re-established, the ACTS was deployed successfully.

On September 16, Newman and Walz performed an EVA to evaluate plans to repair the Hubble Space Telescope, and concluded that preparations were sound.

The crew returned to Earth September 22, 1993 after completing 157 orbits.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Frank Culbertson!

Frank Culbertson, born May 15, 1949 in Charleston, South Carolina, has been in space three times, and is the only American not on Earth during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

His first flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-38) as pilot in November 1990.  The mission carried a classified payload for the Department of Defense.

His second flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51) as commander in September 1993.  The astronauts were filmed by a camera crew from the United Kingdom and the documentary was released as Space Shuttle Discovery.

His third and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-105), launched in August 2001 as mission specialist to the International Space Station.  He was commander of the ISS during Expedition 3.  He conducted one space walk with fellow astronaut Vladimir Dezhurov for just over 5 hours.  He returned to Earth on Endeavour (STS-108) in December 2001.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Carl Walz!

Carl Walz, born September 6, 1955 in Cleveland, Ohio, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights. 

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51) as mission specialist in September 1993.  He and fellow astronaut Jim Newman performed an EVA to evaluate tools and procedures for a Hubble Telescope maintenance flight later in the year.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-65) as mission specialist in July 1994.  The mission included the second flight of the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2).

Walz's third mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-79) as mission specialist in September 1996.  Shannon Lucid returned from Mir after her record-breaking stay.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-108) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in December 2001.  Walz was part of Expedition 4.  He returned to Earth in June 2002 aboard Endeavour (STS-111).

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Daniel Bursch!

Daniel Bursch, July 25, 1957 in Bristol, Pennsylvania, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions and one mission to the International Space Station.

His first flight was on Discovery (STS-51) as mission specialist in September 1993.  During the flight, he rode a stationary bike as part of a continuing study of using exercise to counteract the effects of weightlessness on the body.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-68) as mission specialist September-October 1994.  He partook in a radar experiment to search for environmental changes in Earth's land masses and oceans since the previous mission.

Bursch's third mission was on Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996.  A Coca-Cola fountain was on board to see if carbonated beverages could be produced from the carbon dioxide and water stored separately.

His fourth trip into space was on Endeavour (STS-108), the fourth mission to the International Space Station, as a member of Expedition 4. Bursch performed 2 EVAs during his six-month stay. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut William Readdy!

William Readdy, born January 24, 1952 in Quonset Point, Rhode Island, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.  He graduated high school down the road here in McLean, Virginia and then got his Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy over here in Annapolis, Maryland.

His first flight was as mission specialist aboard Discovery (STS-42) in January 1992.

He served as pilot for his second mission on Discovery (STS-51) in September 1993, which was a servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

He was commander of his third and final spaceflight on Atlantis (STS-79) in September 1996, the first shuttle mission to arrive at a fully completed Mir space station.  His crew transferred almost two tons of supplies to Mir, including water generated by Atlantis' fuel cells.  The flight home brought Shannon Lucid back to Earth, after setting a record for an American in space at that time.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut James Newman!

James Hansen Newman, born October 16, 1956 in what is now the Federated States of Micronesia, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.  After obtaining his doctoral degree in physics from Rice University, he completed an additional year of post-doc work and began his astronaut training in July 1990.

His first space shuttle mission was aboard Discovery (STS-51) in September 1993. Although manay scientific experiements were carried out, the main focus of the mission was repairing the Hubble Telescope.  Newman and Carl Walz performed a 7-hour EVA as part of the Hubble repair.

His second flight was STS-69, aboard Endeavour in September 1995.  It was the 100th successful manned NASA flights, not counting X-15s. 

Newman's third mission was on Endeavour again (STS-88) in December 1998.  Newman performed 3 EVAs with Jerry Ross completing the Unity module which is the first U.S.-built component of the International Space Station. 

His final flight was on Columbia (STS-109) in March 2002.  He participated in 2 of 5 spacewalks on this mission to do additional repairs to the Hubble Space Telescope.