Happy birthday, NASA astronaut John Phillips!

John Phillips, born April 15, 1951 in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, is a veteran of three space shuttle flights. 

His first flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-100) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in April-May 2001.  The main objective of the mission was to install the Canadarm2 to help continue assembly of the ISS.

His second flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-6 to the International Space Station in April 2005.  He participated in Expedition 11 and remained on board until October 2005.

His third and final flight was aboard Discovery (STS-119) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in March 2009.  During the mission, Phillips operated the ISS's Canadarm2.

He has spent over 203 days in space.

Happy birthday, cosmonaut Sergei Krikalev!

Sergei Krikalev, born August 27, 1958 in Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia), is a veteran of six space flights.

His first trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-7 as Flight Engineer to the space station Mir.  He participated in Mir EO-4, spending 151 days in space.

His second trip into space was aboard Soyuz TM-12 as flight engineer to Mir in May 1991.  He participated in expedition Mir EO-9. He returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-13 in March 1992.

His third flight was aboard Discovery (STS-60) as mission specialist in February 1994. He was the first cosmonaut aboard a Space Shuttle.

His fourth mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-88) as mission specialist in December 1998.  The mission took the Unity node to the ISS.

His fifth mission was aboard Soyuz TM-31 to the International Space Station in October 2000.  He participated in Expedition 1.  He returned to Earth on Discovery (STS-102) in March 2001.

His sixth and final flight was aboard Soyuz TMA-6 as Commander in April 2005 to the International Space Station. where he participated in Expedition 11.  He returned to Earth in October. 

He has spent 803 days, 9 hours and 39 minutes in space.

Soyuz TMA-6 launched 2005

Soyuz TMA-6 crew: Roberto Vittori, Sergei Krikalev, John Phillips

Mission patch

Soyuz TMA-6, launched April 15, 2005, carried members of Expedition 11 to the International Space Station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Sergei Krikalev (Roscosmos), John Phillips (NASA) and Roberto Vittori (ESA).

Vittori returned home on April 24 aboard Soyuz TMA-5.  Krikalev and Phillips retunred home in October 2005 with space tourist Gregory Olsen.

Happy birthday, Italian astronaut Roberto Vittori!

Roberto Vittori, born October 15, 1964 in Viterbo, Lazio, Italy, is an astronaut with the European Space Agency and a veteran of three space flights.

His first mission into space was aboard Soyuz TM-34, launched in April 2002 as flight engineer to the International Space Station.  He returned to Earth about two weeks later on Soyuz TM-33.

His second trip into space was aboard Soyuz TMA-6, launched in April 2005 as flight engineer to the ISS.  He returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-5 later that month.  He became the first European astronaut to visit the ISS twice.

His third flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-134) May-June 2011 as mission specialist to the ISS, the next to last flight of the space shuttle project.  Vittori was the last non-American to fly on a space shuttle.