Happy birthday, astronaut James Buchli!

James Buchli, born June 20, 1945 in New Rockford, North Dakota, flew into space four times with NASA's Space Shuttle program.  He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1967 and received a commission in the US Marine Corps.  He served in the Vietnam War as a Platoon Commander with the 9th Marine Regiment, and then for B Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion.  He returned to the US in 1969 and completed his training as a naval flight officer. 

Buchli was chosen as an astronaut in 1979.  His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51-C) as mission specialist in January 1985.  The mission was dedicated to the US Department of Defense, and he returned to Earth after just over 3 days in space.

His second mission was aboard Challenger (STS-61-A) as flight engineer in October-November 1985, the last successful mission of the Challenger.  He spent seven days in space.

Buchlil's third mission was aboard Discovery (STS-29) as mission specialist in March 1989 to insert a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) into orbit. He spent almost 5 days in space before returning to Earth.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Discovery (STS-48) as mission specialist in September 1991 to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).  He returned to Earth after more than 5 days in space.

Buchli retired from NASA in 1992

Remembering astronaut Ken Mattingly (1936-2023)

Thomas "Ken" Mattingly, an American astronaut who went into space three times, passed away October 31. He was 87.  

Born in Chicago, Illinois, he moved with his family to Hialeah, Florida and soon, airplanes became an early fascination.  He graduated from Miami Edison High School in 1954 and received a BS degrees in aeronautical engineering from Auburn  University in 1958.  He then joined the navy and in 1966 he was selected as an astronaut.

He was scheduled to be the Command Module Pilot on the Apollo 13 mission, but he was removed form the mission because he had been exposed to German measles (which he didn't catch) and was replaced by Jack Swigert.  Mattingly did play a large role in helping the crew get safely back to Earth.

He was placed onto the crew of Apollo 16, the fifth lunar landing mission with John Young and Charlie Duke.  Mattingly and Young were the only two Apollo astronauts to fly on the Space Shuttle missions.  Mattingly carried out an EVA to retrieve film and data packages from the science bay on the side of the service module.

Mattingly served as commander of Columbia (STS-4) in June 1982, the fourth and final orbital test of Columbia.

He served as commander on Discovery (STS-51-C), a Department of Defense mission, in January 1985.

He retired from the Navy in 1986 as Rear admiral.  He passed away in Arlington, Virginia.

Celebrating Asian-American Heritage Month: Ellison Onizuka, first Asian-American astronaut

Ellison Onizuka, born June 24, 1946 in Kealakekua, Hawaii (which was not even part of the US then), is the first Asian-American in space and the first person of Japanese origin to reach space.  He went into space twice, first on Discovery (STS-51-C) in January 1985 and then Challenger (STS-51-L) in January 1986.  He perished when Challenger blew up shortly after launch.

Onizuka Air Force Station in Sunnyvale, California is dedicated to him.  He has an asteroid and a crater on the moon named after him.  The airport in Kona, Hawaii has been renamed Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport, and he even has a shuttlecraft, which has appeared in three episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, named after him. 

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Loren Shriver!

Loren Shriver, born September 23, 1944 in Jefferson, Iowa, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights.  From 1969 to 1973 he was an academic pilot instructor at Vance Air Force Base over here in Enid, Oklahoma.

His first mission into space was aboard Discovery (STS-51-C) as pilot in January 1985.  It was the first space shuttle flight to carry a classified payload for the Dept. of Defense.

His second flight was aboard Discovery (STS-31) as commander in April 1990.  This mission deployed the Hubble Space Telescope.

Shriver's third and final flight was on Atlantis (STS-46) as commander in July-August 1992.  The mission deployed the Italian Space Agency's Tethered Satellite Relay System and the European Space Agency's European Retrievable Carrier (EURECA).

Shriver is also a retired US Air Force Colonel.

Ellison Onizuka, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1946

Ellison Onizuka, born June 24, 1946 in Kealakekua, Hawai'i, made a trip into space, but was killed aboard the space shuttle Challenger when it was destroyed upon launch in January 1986. He was the first Asian-American astronaut and the first of Japanese ancestry to go into space.

His first mission was as mission specialist aboard Discovery (STS-51-C) in January 1985. He spent 3 days in space.

He was aboard Challenger (STS-51-L) a year later and passed away during its destruction.

Happy birthday, Apollo and Space Shuttle astronaut Ken Mattingly!

Ken Mattingly, born March 17, 1936 in Chicago, Illinois, is one of twenty-four people to fly to the moon.  Mattingly was Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 16 mission in April 1972.  During the return portion of the mission, he performed an EVA to retrieve film and data packages from the science bay on the side of the service module.

He had been assigned to be Command Module Pilot for Apollo 13 but was scrubbed only 72 hours before, due to being exposed to the measles.  Gary Sinise played Mattingly in the movie Apollo 13.

During the space shuttle program, Mattingly commanded Columbia (STS-4) with Henry Harsfield June-July 1982, the final test flight for the shuttle.

He commanded Discovery (STS-51-C) in January 1985, the first space shuttle mission dedicated to the Department of Defense.

Discovery (STS-51-C) launched 1985

Back row: L-R: Gary Payton, James Buchli, Ellison Onizuka

Front row L-R: Loren Shriver, Thomas Mattingly

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51-C), launched January 24, 1985, was the third flight of Discovery and the first mission dedicated to the U.S. Department of Defense.  Many details about the mission are still classified.

Her crew consisted of Commander Thomas Mattingly II, Pilot Loren Shriver, Mission Specialist Ellison Onizuka, Mission Specialist James Buchli and Payload Specialist Gary Payton. 

During liftoff, there was a clear indication that the O-rings on both Solid Rocket Boosters were not sufficiently sealing hot gases inside the combustion chambers.  Post-flight analyses showed significant penetration of the primary O-ring and "heavy charring" on the secondary O-ring.   Almost a year to the day later, Challenger exploded during liftoff, killing all hands on board, including Ellison Onizuka who was on both missions.

The results of the O-ring studies contributed to the consensus that it was low air temperature (53 °F) at launch that brought Challenger down.