Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Marsha Ivins!

Marsha Ivins, born April 15, 1951 in Baltimore, Maryland, is a veteran of five space shuttle flights.

Her first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-32) as mission specialist in January 1990, the first mission of the 1990s.

Her second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-46) as mission specialist in July-August 1992.  One of the objectives of the mission was to deploy the NASA/Italian Space Agency joint project, the Tethered Satellite System (TSS).

Her third flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-62) as mission specialist in March 1994.  During the mission, she spoke with students at Bronx High School of Science, who asked her questions about experiments being conducted in space.

Her fourth flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-81) as mission specialist in January 1997 to the space station Mir.  It was the fifth space shuttle mission mission to Mir.

Her fifth and final flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-98) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in February 2001.  The crew delivered the Destiny Laboratory Module to the ISS.

Columbia (STS-62) launched 1994

STS-62 crew

Front row (L-R): Andrew Allen, John Casper

Back row (L-R): Charles Gemar, Marsha Ivins, Pierre Thuot

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-62), launched March 4, 1994, was a continuation of microgravity experiments.  Its crew consisted of Commander John Casper, Pilot Andrew Allen, Pierre J. Thuot, Charles Gemar, and Marsha Ivins.

They returned to Earth March 18.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Charles Gemar!

Charles "Sam" Gemar, born August 4, 1955 in Yankton, South Dakota, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions and obtain the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Army.

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

His second flight was aboard Discovery (STS-48) as mission specialist in September 1991.

His third and final flight was aboard Columbia (STS-62) with fellow astronaut/birthday twin Andrew Allen.

Gemar has spent over 24 days in space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Andrew Allen!

Andrew Allen, born August 4, 1955 in Richboro, Pennsylvania, is a veteran of three space shuttle missions.  He obtained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the US Marine Corps.

His first flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-46) as pilot in July-August 1992. The mission deployed the Eruopean Space Agency's European Retrievable Carrier and the Tethered Satellite System, a joint project between NASA and the Italian Space Agency.

His second flight was as pilot on Columbia (STS-62) in March 1994 with fellow astronaut/birthday twin Charles Gemar.

His third and final flight was aboard Columbia (STS-75) as commander in February-March 1996. The mission was a reflight of the Tethered Satellite System.

Allen has spent 37 days, 16 hours in space.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut John Casper!

John Casper, born July 9, 1943 in Greenville, South Carolina, is a veteran of 4 space shuttle flights.  After getting a Maser of Science degree in Astronautics from Purdue University in 1967, he attended U.S. Air Force to become a fighter pilot. He flew 229 combat missions in the Vietnam War. 

He served as pilot on his first space flight on Atlantis (STS-36) February-March 1990.  It was a Department of Defense flight so its payload was confidential.

His second flight was as commander on Endeavour (STS-54) January 1993, during which the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite was deployed.

Casper was assigned as commander aboard Columbia (STS-62) in March 1994.  The landing of the mission was chronicled by the Discovery Channel for a special featuring the Space Shuttle program.

His fourth and final mission was as commander aboard Endeavour (STS-77) in May 1996.  A Coca-Cola fountain dispense with Coca-Cola and Diet Coke was taken aboard.