Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Thomas Akers!

Thomas Akers, born May 20, 1951 in St. Louis, Missouri, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-41) as mission specialist in October 1990.  The main  objective of the mission was to deploy the Ulysses probe as part of the International Solar Polar Mission.

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-49) as mission specialist in May 1992.  He performed two EVAs with fellow astronauts Pierre Thuot and Kathryn Thornton.

His third mission was back aboard Endeavour (STS-61) as mission specialist in December 1993.  He performed two more EVAs with Kathryn Thornton.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-79) as mission specialist in September 1996 to the space station Mir.

Discovery (STS-41) launched 1990

STS-41 crew (L-R): Bruce Melnick, Robert Cabana, Thomas Akers, Richard Richards, William Shepherd

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-41), launched October 6, 1990, deployed the Ulysses probe, which was sent to study the polar regions of the sun.  Its crew consisted of Commander Richard Richards, Pilot Robert Cabana, Bruce Melnick, William Shepherd and Thomas Akers.

Ulysses was launched only six hours after Discovery took off.  The crew returned to Earth October 10.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce Melnick!

Bruce Melnick, born December 5, 1949 in New York City, New York, is a veteran of two space shuttle flights.  He spent 20 years in the Coast Guard, which included being chief test pilot at the Aircraft Program Office in Grand Prairie, Texas.

His first mission was on Discovery (STS-41) in October 1990 as mission specialist.  The main objective of the mission was to deploy the Ulysses spacecraft to explore the polar regions of the sun.

His second and final mission was the maiden voyage of Endeavour (STS-49) in May 1992 as mission specialist.  Its purpose was to retrieve an Intelsat satellite and boost it into a higher orbit.