Happy birthday, German astronaut Ulf Merbold!

Dr. Ulf Merbold, born June 20, 1941 in Germany, is a retired European Space Agency astronaut and went into space three times. 

His first mission was aboard Columbia (STS-9) as payload specialist in November-December 1983.  He is the first non-US citizen to reach orbit in a US spacecraft.

His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-42) as payload specialist in January 1992.  The main goal of the mission was to study microgravity on different organisms.

His third and final mission was aboard Soyuz TM-20 as research cosmonaut to the space station Mir in October 1994.  He participated in a month-long expedition Euromir 94.  He returned to Earth in November 1994 on Soyuz TM-19.

Soyuz TM-20 launched 1994

Soyuz TM-20 crew (L-R): Aleksandr Viktorenko, Yelena Kondakova, Ulf Merbold

Mission patch

Soyuz TM-20, launched October 4, 1994, was the 20th mission to the Mir space station.  Its crew consisted of Commander Aleksandr Viktorenko, Yelena Kondakova, and Ulf Merbold (ESA).

Merbold returned to Earth on Soyuz TM-19, while Viktorenko and Kondakova remained on the space station as part of Mir EO-17.  Valeri Polyakov, who had been on board since Mir EO-15 returned to Earth with them in March 1995.

Discovery (STS-42) launched 1992

STS-42 crew (L-R): Stephen Oswald, Roberta Bondar, Norman Thagard, Ronald Grabe, David Hilmers, Ulf Merbold, William Readdy

STS-42 mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-42), launched January 22, 1992, carried seven astronauts into space to study the effects of microgravity on different organisms.  Its crew consisted  of Commander Ronald Grabe, Pilot Stephen Oswald, Norman Thagard, William Readdy, David Hilmers, Roberta Bondar (CSA) and Ulf Merbold (ESA).

Merbold, Germany's first astronaut, made his second flight on STS-42.  Roberta Bondar was Canada's first female astronaut and this was her only space flight.

They landed January 30.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Robert Parker!

Robert Allan Parker, born December 14, 1936 in New York City, is a veteran of two Space Shuttle flights.  He was selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1967 and was a member of the Astronaut Support Crews for Apollo 15 and 17. He was a program scientist for all three Skylab missions.

His first shuttle flight was on Columbia (STS-9) in November-December 1983 as a mission specialist.  He traveled with Ulf Merbold, the first ESA and West German in space.

Parker's second and final flights was also on Columbia (STS-35) in December 1990.  He retired from NASA in August 2005.

Columbia (STS-9) launches 1983

 

L-R: Owen Garriott, Byron Lichtenberg, Brewster Shaw, John Young, Ulf Merbold, Robert Parker

Mission patch

The sixth mission of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-9), launched November 28, 1983, carried the first Spacelab module into orbit.  She carried six astronauts for the first time.  Her crew consisted of Commander John Young, Pilot Brewster Shaw, Missional Specialist Owen Garriott (Okie!), Mission Specialist Robert Parker, Payload Specialist Ulf Merbold, and Payload Specialist Byron Lichtenberg.  Merbold was the first non-U.S. citizen, the first West German citizen (remember this was before the Berlin Wall came down), and the first ESA astronaut in space.

Garriott made the first ham radio transmissions from space during the flight.  The crew carried out numerous experiments on the effects of low gravity on the human body.  See the highlight video below.

Columbia landed December 8, ten days after launch.  The crew was looking forward to taking showers since they had not been able to for over a week.  What did Columbia smell like on the inside after they landed?