Columbia (STS-87) launched 1997

STS-87 crew

Front row (L-R): Kalpana Chawla, Steve Lindsey, Kevin Kregel, Leonid Kadeniuk

Back row (L-R): Winston Scott, Takao Doi

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-87), launched November 19, 1997, was the first EVA conducted by a Japanese astronaut.  Its crew consisted of Commander Kevin Kregel, Pilot Steve Lindsey, Kalpana Chawla, Winston Scott, Takao Doi (JAXA), and Leonid Kadeniuk (first Ukrainian astronaut).  

Scott and Doi conducted two EVAs, which lasted almost 13 hours total.

They returned to Earth December 5.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Takao Doi!

Takao Doi, born September 18, 1954 in Tokyo, Japan, is a veteran of two Space Shuttle flights.

His first flight was aboard Columbia (STS-87) as mission specialist in November-December 1997.  During the mission he conducted two EVAs with fellow astronaut Winston Scott, becoming the first Japanese astronaut to conduct a spacewalk.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-123) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in March 2008.  The mission delivered the first module of the Japanese Experiment Module.

Happy birthday, Space Shuttle astronaut Winston Scott!

Winston Scott, born August 6, 1950 in Miami, Florida, is a veteran of two space shuttle missions.  He graduated from Coral Gables Senior High School and was considered one of the school's best trumpet players.

He completed flight training from the US Navy and has flown more than 20 different military and civilian aircraft and logged more than 5000 hours in flight.

His first mission into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-72) as mission specialist in January 1996.  He performed an EVA on January 17 with fellow astronaut Leroy Chiao for almost 7 hours.

His second flight was aboard Columbia (STS-87) November-December 1997 as mission specialist.  He performed two EVAs with astronaut Takao Doi for a total of almost 12 hours in space.  They are the first EVAs conducted by a Japanese astronaut.

He retired from NASA and the US Navy in July 1999.

Celebrating Black History Month - Winston Scott, Space Shuttle astronaut

Winston Scott, born August 6, 1950, is the veteran of two space shuttle missions.  He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in music from Florida State University but then went into Aeronautical Engineering and got a Masters from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

He first went into space aboard Endeavour (STS-72) in January 1996 as mission specialist.  He performed his first EVA during the flight.

His second mission was on Columbia (STS-87) in November-December 1997, when he performed two more EVAs.

Scott wrote a book Reflections From Earth Orbit, which is about his experiences in space.

STS-72 launched 1996

Left to right - Seated: Brent Jett, Brian Duffy; 

Standing: Winston Scott, Leroy Chiao, Koichi Wakata, Daniel Barry

 Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour blasted off January 11, 1996 on its tenth mission (STS-72).  Its primary mission was to capture a Japanese microgravity research satellite and return it to Earth.  

Endeavour's crew consisted of Commander Brian Duffy, Pilot Brent Jett, Mission Specialist Leroy Chiao, Mission Specialist Winston Scott, Mission Specialist Koichi Wakata (JAXA) and Mission Specialist Daniel Barry.

Wakata operated the remote manipulator system arm on the shuttle to capture the satellite.

On the seventh day of the flight, Scott climbed into the payload bay and Endeavour was maneuvered into a position where he would be exposed to the extreme cold of space (-104 °F) to test how his spacesuit would protect him.