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Author
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Topic: Astronaut class with most spaceflights
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ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1049
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-20-2006 01:08 PM
   
I was just wondering in terms of flight per member what is the most successful ascan class? |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-20-2006 01:29 PM
My first guess would be the Class of 78... the first group to be called ASCANs before being officially called astronauts. By my count, all 35 from this class flew at least one mission. And with it being the largest of the classes, it doesn't get any more successful than that.When it comes to average flight per member, that would take a little more time to calculate, but most of the '78 class flew multiple missions. And when calculating the average, it helps to not have any "zeros" in the equation. If I get bored later, maybe I'll calculate the numbers. |
Bob M
Member Posts: 1746
From: Atlanta-area, GA USA
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-20-2006 03:07 PM
It would be hard to beat the record of the TFNGs ("Thirty-Five New Guys") of NASA Astronaut Group 8 - the 1st Shuttle astronaut class. From Mike Mullane's "Riding Rockets" book, among their many accomplishments and firsts, he states that at least one TFNG was on 50 different Shuttle missions starting with STS-7 and 28 Shuttle missions were commanded by a TFNG and five TFNGs flew on five missions. Steve Hawley was the last of the TFNGs to fly, on STS-93 in 1999, and Mullane believes that no others will fly again. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-20-2006 03:25 PM
Okay, it's now later and, yes, I was bored...and apparently I'm "wrong" too.  So far, here's the tally: - Group 8 (1978): 99 total flights (2.83 average).
- Group 9 (1980): 59 total flights (3.11 average).
- Group 10 (1984): 50 total flights (2.94 average).
- Group 11 (1985): 44 total flights (3.38 average).
- Group 12 (1987): 53 total flights (3.53 average).
- Group 13 (1990): 85 total flights (3.70 average). One flight currently in progress (McArthur) would make 86 total (3.74 average) when completed.
Note that I only included successfully completed flights, so the Challenger accident wasn't included as a flight. If one included 51-L, Group 8 would have 103 flights with a 2.94 average and Group 9 would have 60 flights with a 3.16 average.The general trend among these classes is the later the class, the more missions each astronaut likely flew. Obviously that reaches a point where that doesn't hold true for the newer classes, since many unflown astronauts remains from the last few classes. With the Shuttle being phased out, the number of flights the new classes get will depend on how long they'll stick around for flights on the CEV. When one goes to classes from 1990 and beyond, it's hard to really tally the numbers, since there are a number of active astronauts who may still fly again. Also note that I used NASA's biography pages to develop these numbers. I don't recall whether any ASCANs from 1978-1990 didn't make it to full astronaut status. If some "dropped out" before becoming astronauts, I will need to change the numbers. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 816
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 02-20-2006 08:02 PM
Class of 85 lost Stephen Thorn. Class of 98 Patricia Hilliard. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-20-2006 08:06 PM
I counted Thorne with the 85 class, since his bio is listed among the Astronauts at the NASA site. So is Hilliards, actually. |
mjanovec
Member Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-20-2006 08:13 PM
As a side note, in Mullane's book he describes the reason why they used the term Ascan for the Group 8 astronauts (and beyond). He said an earlier astronaut quit shortly after he was selected, then wrote a book badmouthing NASA. He said the Ascan term was their way to say that any short-timers really weren't true astronauts yet, in the event they badmouthed NASA. ("Ascan" doesn't carry the same weight as "astronaut" on a resume.)Anybody know which "astronaut" he's referring to and what the book is called? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-20-2006 08:19 PM
quote:
Originally posted by mjanovec:
Anybody know which "astronaut" he's referring to and what the book is called?
Brian O'Leary and The Making Of An Ex-Astronaut (Houghton Mifflin Co., 1970) |
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