Happy birthday, astronaut Bob Behnken!

Robert Louis Behnken, born July 28, 1970 in St. Ann, Missouri, has been to space three times.  He earned a BS in mechanical engineering and phusics from Washington University in St. Louis.  Then he earned an MS and PhD in mechanical engineering from California Institute of Technology.

He entered the Air Force and after graduating he flew the F-15 and F-16.

His first trip into space aboard Endeavour (STS-123) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in March 2008. He spent almost 16 days in space.

Behnken's second trip was also aboard Endeavour (STS-130) as mission specialist to the ISS in February 2010. He spent almost 14 days in space.

His third and final trip was aboard Crew Dragon Endeavour Demo-2 as Joint operations commander to the ISS in May 2020. He remained on the space station as part of Expedition 63 before returning to Earth in August 2020. He spent 63 days in space. 

Who is Bob Behnken? 

Happy birthday, astronaut William Pailes!

William Pailes, born June 26, 1952 in Hackensack, New Jersey, went into space once aboard Atlantis (STS-51-J) as payload specialist in October 1985. He spent four days in space before returning to Earth.

Happy birthday, astronaut Brian Duffy!

Brian Duffy, born June 20, 1953 in Boston, Massachusetts, has been in space four times. He graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1975 and was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in June 1985.

His first flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-45) as pilot in March-April 1992.  He spent almost 9 days in space before returning to Earth. 

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-57) as pilot in June-July 1993. He spent 10 days in space before returning to Earth. 

Duffy's third mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-72) as commander January 11-20, 1996. He spent almost 9 days in space before returning to Earth.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Discovery (STS-92) as commander to the International Space Station October 11-24, 2000. He spent 13 days in space before returning to Earth.

Duffy was inducted into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame May 14, 2016.

Remembering Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau (1949-2025)

Marc Garneau, born February 23, 1949 in Quebec City, Quebec, passed away today after a brief illness. He was the first Canadian in space when he launched on Challenger (STS-41-G) in October 1984. He went into space twice more, in May 1996 aboard Endeavour (STS-77), and finally in December 2000 aboard Endeavour (STS-97). 

He was appointed executive vice-president of the Canadian Space Agency in 2001, and then he was announced as president in November 2001. He resigned from the CSA in November 2005.

He served as a member of Parliament for Notre-Dame-de-Grace - Westmount from 2008-2023.  During that time, he served as Minister of Transport, and Minister of Foreign Affairs under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

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Happy birthday, astronaut Yi So-yeon!

Yi So-yeon, born June 2, 1978 in Gwangju, South Korea, is the first Korean to go into space. She was selected as a finalist in the Korean Astronaut Program.  She went into space aboard Soyuz TMA-12 to the International Space Station as a participant, launched April 8, 2008. She returned to Earth aboard Soyuz TMA-11 after 10 days in space. 

Happy birthday, astronaut Jessica Watkins!

Jessica Watkins, born May 14, 1988 in Gaithersburg, Maryland, went into space aboard the SpaceX Crew-4 Crew Dragon spacecraft Freedom as mission specialist.  She launched in April 2022 to the International Space Station and participated in Expeditions 67 and 68.  She spent over 170 days in space before returning to Earth.

Happy birthday, taikonaut Fei Junlong!

Chinese astronaut Fei Junlong, born May 5, 1965, has been in space twice.  

His first mission was aboard Shenzhou 6 as commander in October 2005.  The spaceflight lasted almost 5 days before he returned to Earth.

His second mission was aboard Shenzhou 15 as commander launched in November 2022 to the Tiangong space station.  Fei Junlong performed 4 EVAs during the mission.  He spent about 6 months in space before returning to Earth in June 2023.

Happy birthday, astronaut Dottie Metcalf-Lindenburger!

Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, born May 2, 1975 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, went into space in 2010. She graduated from Fort Collins High School and attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, graduating in 1997.

She was selected by NASA in 2004.  She went into space aboard Discovery (STS-131) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in April 2010. She returned to Earth after 15 days in space.

Happy birthday, astronaut Paul Lockhart!

Paul Lockhart, born April 28, 1956 in Amarillo, Texas, went into space twice. He received a BA in math from Texas Tech University in 1978, and a Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.  He then entered the US Air Force and graduated from pilot training in 1983. 

Lockhart's first mission was aboard the space shuttle Endeavour (STS-111) as pilot to the International Space Station in June 2002. He spent almost 14 days in space before returning to Earth.

His second and last mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-113) as pilot to the International Space Station in November-December 2002. He spent another 14 days in space before returning to Earth. 

Happy birthday, astronaut Gregory Harbaugh!

Gregory Harbaugh, born April 15, 1956 in Cleveland, Ohio, went into space four times. 

His first mission was aboard Discovery (STS-39) as mission specialist in April 28, 1991. The mission was dedicated to the US Department of Defense. He spent over 8 days in space, returning to Earth on May 6.

His second flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-54) as mission specialist launched January 13, 1993. During the mission, Harbaugh and fellow astronaut Mario Runco conducted a 5 hour EVA in the cargo bay to advance NASA's understanding of working in space. He spent almost 6 days in space, returning to Earth January 19.

His third mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-71) as mission specialist to the Russian space station Mir, the third mission in the Shuttle-Mir program, launched June 27, 1995. He spent almost 10 days in space, returning to Earth, July 7. 

His fourth and final trip into space was aboard Discovery (STS-82) as mission specialist, launched February 11, 1997.  It was the second mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope.  He and fellow astronaut Joseph Tanner conducted two EVAs during the mission for a total of about fifteen hours.  He spent almost 10 days in space before returning to Earth on February 21.

Happy birthday, astronaut Matthias Maurer!

Matthias Maurer, born March 18, 1970 in West Germany, is an astronaut with the European Space Agency. He went into space as part of SpaceX Crew-3, launched in November 2021 to the International Space Station. He participated in Expeditions 66-67 and spent over 176 days in space.  He returned to Earth in May 2022.

Happy birthday, astronaut David Saint-Jacques!

David Saint-Jacques, born January 6, 1970 in Quebec City, Canada, went into space aboard Soyuz MS-11 to the International Space Station in December 2018.  He participated in Expeditions 57-59 and conducted an EVA for 6 hours, 29 minutes.  He spent almost 204 days in space before returning to Earth in June 2019.

Happy birthday, astronaut James Dutton!

James Dutton Jr., born November 20, 1968 in Eugene, Oregon, went into space aboard space shuttle Discovery (STS-131) as pilot to the International Space Station in April 2010.  He retired from the US Air Force as Colonel in 2014.

Happy birthday, astronaut Josh Cassada!

Josh Cassada, born July 18, 1973 in San Diego, California, went into space as pilot of SpaceX Crew-5 to the International Space Station in October 2022.  Prior to becoming astronaut, he conducted research at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory, and became a naval officer.  He completed his flight training and flew in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.

He was selected as an astronaut in 2013.  He spent over 157 days in space and participated in Expedition 68.  He returned to Earth in March 2023.

Happy birthday, astronaut Raja Chari!

Raja Chari, born June 24, 1977 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and raised in Cedar Falls, Iowa, went into space aboard SpaceX Crew-3 to the International Space Station.  He graduated from the US Air Force Academy in 1999, and attended Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance AFB in Enid, Oklahoma. In December 2020, he was selected for the Artemis Team, to help pave the way back to the moon.

He was commander of the SpaceX Crew-3 in the Endurance, launched November 11, 2021 to the ISS.  He participated in Expeditions 66-67 and conducted 2 EVAs, lasting a total of almost 14 hours, during his stay.  Chari returned to Earth in May 2022 after 174 days in space. 

Happy birthday, astronaut James Buchli!

James Buchli, born June 20, 1945 in New Rockford, North Dakota, flew into space four times with NASA's Space Shuttle program.  He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1967 and received a commission in the US Marine Corps.  He served in the Vietnam War as a Platoon Commander with the 9th Marine Regiment, and then for B Company, 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion.  He returned to the US in 1969 and completed his training as a naval flight officer. 

Buchli was chosen as an astronaut in 1979.  His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51-C) as mission specialist in January 1985.  The mission was dedicated to the US Department of Defense, and he returned to Earth after just over 3 days in space.

His second mission was aboard Challenger (STS-61-A) as flight engineer in October-November 1985, the last successful mission of the Challenger.  He spent seven days in space.

Buchlil's third mission was aboard Discovery (STS-29) as mission specialist in March 1989 to insert a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS) into orbit. He spent almost 5 days in space before returning to Earth.

His fourth and final mission was aboard Discovery (STS-48) as mission specialist in September 1991 to deploy the Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS).  He returned to Earth after more than 5 days in space.

Buchli retired from NASA in 1992

Happy birthday, astronaut Jeffrey Ashby!

Jeffrey Ashby, born June 16, 1954 in Dallas, Texas, has been into space three times.  He served in the navy, flying combat missions in Operation Desert Storm, Operation Southern Watch, and Operation Continue Hope.

His first space flight was aboard Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-93) as pilot in July 1999. He returned to Earth after almost 4 days in space.

His second mission was aboard Endeavour (STS-100) as pilot to the International Space Station in April-May 2001. He returned to Earth after almost 12 days.

His third and final mission was aboard Atlantis (STS-112) as commander to the International Space Station in October 2002.  He returned to Earth after almost 11 days in space.

Remembering Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders (1933-2024)

William Anders, Apollo 8 astronaut, passed away June 7 when his T-34 vintage aircraft crashed into Puget Sound, Washington. Anders took the iconic photo of the Earth rising over the moon.  He was 90 years old.

Astronaut Bruce McCandless born 1937

Bruce McCandless II, born June 8, 1937 in Boston, Massachusetts, went into space twice. He graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1958, and received flight training from the Naval Air Training Command in Pensacola, Florida and in Kingsville, Texas.

He was selected as an astronaut in the NASA Astronaut Group 5 at age 28, the youngest member of the group. He served as mission control capsule communicator (CAPCOM) during Apollo 11.  He served as CAPCOM for Apollo 14, as well as astronaut support crew.  He was reassigned to the Skylab program, serving as CAPCOM for Skylab 3 and Skylab 4.

His first mission was aboard Space Shuttle Challenger (STS-41-B) as mission specialist in February 1984. During the mission he performed the first untethered spacewalk, using the Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU), traveling 322 ft away from the shuttle. He spent eight days in space.

His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-31) as mission specialist in April 1990. He was planning to conduct an EVA with fellow astronaut Kathryn Sullivan to fix and array that could not be deployed through ground control, but the problem was fixed without the need of an EVA.  He returned to Earth after 5 days in space.

McCandless passed away in December 2017.

Happy birthday, astronaut Shane Kimbrough!

Robert "Shane" Kimbrough, born June 4, 1967 in Killeen, Texas, has been in space three times.

He graduated from the US Military Academy and flew Apache helicopters in the Operation Desert Storm. He joined NASA in 2000 and was part of the first group of astronauts selected following the Columbia disaster.

His first mission into space was aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-126) as mission specialist to the International Space Station in November 2008.  He conducted two EVAs, lasting a total of almost 13 hours.  He spent almost 16 days in space.

Kimbrough's second trip into space was aboard Soyuz MS-02 as flight engineer to the ISS in October 2016.  He participated in Expeditions 49-50.  He carried a soccer ball belonging to Ellison Onizuka, who died in the Challenger disaster to the ISS. He returned to Earth in April 2017, after over 173 days in space.

His third mission into space was aboard SpaceX Crew-2 as commander to the ISS in April 2021 to the ISS. He participated in Expeditions 65-66. He returned to Earth in November 2021, after more than 199 days in space, the longest US mission to date.