posted 05-06-2009 06:41 PM               

NASA Assigns Crew for STS-132 Space Shuttle Mission

NASA has assigned the crew for space shuttle mission STS-132, targeted for launch in April 2010. This flight will deliver the Russian-built Mini Research Module (MRM1) to the International Space Station.

Navy Capt. Ken Ham will command the shuttle Atlantis for this 11-day mission. Navy Cmdr. Tony Antonelli will serve as the pilot. Mission specialists are Navy Capt. Steve Bowen, Karen Nyberg, Garrett Reisman, and Piers Sellers.

Ham was born in Plainfield, N.J. He received a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. He served as the pilot on the STS-124 mission, which launched on May 31, 2008.

Antonelli was born in Detroit and grew up in Indiana and North Carolina. He holds a bachelor's degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington. He served as the pilot on STS-119, which flew to the space station in March.

STS-132 will be the second mission for Bowen, who served as a mission specialist on STS-126 in November 2008. He was born in Cohasset, Mass., and has a bachelor's degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a degree of ocean engineering from MIT.

STS-132 also will be the second spaceflight for Nyberg, who served as a mission specialist on STS-124. She considers Vining, Minn., to be her hometown. She holds a bachelor's degree from the University of North Dakota, and a master's and a doctorate degree from the University of Texas.

This will be Reisman's second spaceflight. Reisman served as a flight engineer on the space station for portions of Expeditions 16 and 17, spending more than three months in space. He was born in Morristown, N.J., and considers Parsippany, N.J., his hometown. He has a bachelor's degree from the University of Pennsylvania and a master's and doctorate degree from the California Institute of Technology.

Sellers will be embarking on his third spaceflight, having served as a mission specialist on STS-112 in 2002 and STS-121 in 2006. He was born in Crowborough, Sussex, United Kingdom. He has a bachelor's degree from University of Edinburgh and a doctorate from Leeds University.

posted 05-06-2009 10:32 PM               

I'm sure the Navy probably wants an orbiter to put on a stick in front of Pax River or someplace...with a tail hook added for good measure.

posted 05-07-2009 09:08 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by 328KF:
Seems like a pretty low-profile mission (other than the "last flight" aspect) to have an all veteran crew assigned to.

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posted 08-11-2009 11:32 AM               

NASA has named Air Force Col. Michael Good to replace Karen Nyberg on shuttle Atlantis' STS-132 mission, targeted to launch in May 2010. Nyberg is being replaced due to a temporary medical condition. Nyberg will be assigned to a technical role while she awaits a future assignment.

This will be the second mission for Good, who flew on STS-125. He was born in Parma, Ohio, and considers Broadview Heights, Ohio to be his hometown. He holds bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Notre Dame.