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Author
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Topic: Shuttle astronaut statistics and records
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BMckay
Member Posts: 3405
From: MA, USA
Registered: Sep 2002
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posted 03-06-2009 07:08 AM
   
What is the number of astronauts, cosmonauts and payload specialists that flew into space aboard a shuttle? |
Robert Pearlman
Editor Posts: 44834
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 03-06-2009 04:34 PM
There are three different, but valid, counts: - 353 people launched on the space shuttle;
- 355 people flew on the space shuttle (Gennadi Strekalov and Yuri Gidzenko never launched on an orbiter, but landed on one);
- 352 people flew in space on the space shuttle (omitting the three first-time fliers on STS-51L).
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Blackarrow
Member Posts: 3219
From: Belfast, United Kingdom
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-07-2009 11:08 AM
Would I be right that Vance Brand is the only astronaut to have flown three or more shuttle missions and to have commanded each of those flights? |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 03-07-2009 06:27 PM
You would be right on that. |
chappy
Member Posts: 231
From: Cardiff, S. Wales, UK
Registered: Apr 2006
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posted 06-17-2009 07:49 PM
Correct me if I'm wrong, is it right that Gregory C. Johnson is the oldest to fly as a pilot on a shuttle mission?Also, I'm very curious to know who is the tallest and the shortest to fly on space shuttle? My guess is the tallest is James Wetherbee and the shortest is Nancy Sherlock (Currie-Gregg)? |
AstroAutos
Member Posts: 803
From: Co. Monaghan, Republic of Ireland
Registered: Mar 2009
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posted 06-17-2009 07:51 PM
To the best of my knowledge Gregory C. Johnson is the oldest as he was 54 piloting STS-125. John Young was quite close at 53 on STS-1 but his official title during that mission was commander. |
ilbasso
Member Posts: 1526
From: Greensboro, NC USA
Registered: Feb 2006
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posted 06-17-2009 07:51 PM
Vance Brand was 59 when he commanded STS-35 in 1990. Until John Glenn flew in 1998, Brand also held the record as the oldest astronaut. |
chappy
Member Posts: 231
From: Cardiff, S. Wales, UK
Registered: Apr 2006
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posted 06-17-2009 07:52 PM
So Vance Brand is the oldest commander to fly on the space shuttle. Who is the oldest pilot to fly on the space shuttle?
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Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 06-17-2009 07:58 PM
quote:
Originally posted by chappy:
Who is the oldest 'Pilot' to fly on the space shuttle?
Gregory C. Johnson. quote:
Originally posted by ilbasso:
Until John Glenn flew in 1998, Brand also held the record as the oldest astronaut.
Correction: Story Musgrave was the first to break Brand's record at 61. quote:
Originally posted by chappy:
who is the tallest and the shortest to fly on space shuttle?
I don't know actual heights, but "Ox" van Hoften might be the tallest; Mary Cleave and Wendy Lawrence are both very "petite". |
Spacefest
Member Posts: 1168
From: Tucson, AZ
Registered: Jan 2009
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posted 06-17-2009 07:59 PM
Van Hoften is 6'4". The tallest the spacesuits would fit. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2480
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-15-2010 09:47 AM
Who was the youngest?
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Tom
Member Posts: 1623
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 02-15-2010 10:44 AM
I believe the youngest is STS-51G Payload Specialist Al-Saud, who was 28 at launch. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2480
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-24-2010 07:44 AM
No-one has flown all six shuttles, i.e Enterprise, Columbia, Challenger, Atlantis, Discovery and Endeavour. But has anyone flown five of the orbiters? If not, who has flown the most? |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 2934
From: Titusville, FL
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 02-24-2010 07:45 AM
That's easy - Story Musgrave. He's flown on the following: - Challenger: STS-6 and STS 51-F
- Discovery: STS-33
- Atlantis: STS-44
- Endeavour: STS-61
- Columbia: STS-80
A record that can never be broken. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2480
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-24-2010 07:45 AM
Can I broaden the scope a bit and ask which astronaut has the most flights in each shuttle (don't forget Enterprise)?
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Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 02-24-2010 11:25 AM
Jerry Ross made five flights aboard Atlantis. I think that's the record for one individual flying on a specific orbiter. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3450
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-24-2010 11:51 AM
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
But has anyone flown five of the orbiters? If not, who has flown the most?
Off the top of my head, Robert Gibson, Bonnie Dunbar and Steve Nagel have come close: Gibson flew on Challenger (41B), Columbia (61C), Atlantis (27R and 71) and Endeavour (47), missing Discovery.Dunbar flew on Challenger (61A), Columbia (32R and 50), Atlantis (71) and Endeavour (89), also missing Discovery. Nagel: 51G (Discovery), 61A (Challenger), 37 (Atlantis) and 55 (Columbia), missing Endeavour. |
Tom
Member Posts: 1623
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 02-24-2010 05:36 PM
Bob Crippen flew on Challenger three times (7, 41-C, and 41-G). Michael Coats flew three times on Discovery (41-D, 29, and 39). |
OV-105
Member Posts: 834
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 02-24-2010 09:33 PM
Another first and only is Bo Bobko, who was the only astronaut to fly on two shuttles' first flights, Challenger (STS-6) and Atlantis (STS-51J). |
Tom
Member Posts: 1623
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 02-24-2010 09:54 PM
Another record that an astronaut would definitely not want is Dan Bursch's — being a crew member on two redundant set launch sequencer (RSLS) aborts (STS-51 and 68), his first two spaceflights.
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OV-105
Member Posts: 834
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 02-24-2010 11:33 PM
Mark Steve Hawley for three flights on Discovery and two on Columbia. I would bet he has made the most trips out to the pad for launches than any astronaut. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2480
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 02-25-2010 06:03 AM
Summing up, the state of the poll seems to be at present - - Columbia - two flights by Hawley (Young?)
- Challenger - three flights by Crippen
- Atlantis - five flights by Ross
- Discovery - three flights by Coats, Hawley, Wilson
- Endeavour - no candidates yet
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NavySpaceFan
Member Posts: 660
From: Norfolk, VA
Registered: May 2007
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posted 02-25-2010 07:06 AM
Add Stephanie Wilson to the list for Discovery (STS-121, 120 and 131). |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3450
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-25-2010 08:21 AM
quote:
Originally posted by NavySpaceFan:
Add Stephanie Wilson to the list for Discovery
You just pointed out something: Is Wilson the only astronaut whose second mission has a lower mission (STS) number than the first? (This of course was caused by Columbia; at the time of the accident, STS-114 through 120 had already been manifested, and 121 was the next available number.) |
NavySpaceFan
Member Posts: 660
From: Norfolk, VA
Registered: May 2007
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posted 02-25-2010 09:46 AM
The mission that took Sandra Magnus to the ISS (STS-126) had a higher number than the one that took her home (STS-119). |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 02-25-2010 10:42 AM
Thomas Reiter went up on STS-121 and down on STS-116. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3450
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 03-01-2010 05:49 PM
I'd be curious to know if there's been a person who has been assigned to more than two canceled missions. I'll accept an announcement that such-and-such a person has been assigned to a mission as evidence of how "definite" the flight was. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 03-01-2010 06:31 PM
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
Endeavour - no candidates yet
Dominic Gorie has flown Endeavour three times. |
OV-105
Member Posts: 834
From: Ridgecrest, CA
Registered: Sep 2000
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posted 03-01-2010 07:24 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Hart Sastrowardoyo:
I'd be curious to know if there's been a person who has been assigned to more than two canceled missions.
I think it would be a whole NASA crew that did end up flying STS-51D. They were set to fly in August of 1984 on Discovery's second flight STS-41F and then within a week with STS-51E. |
ASCAN1984
Member Posts: 1050
From: County Down, Nothern Ireland
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 03-02-2010 03:56 AM
Who is the person with the shortest period from selection as an astronaut to a flight? |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2480
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 03-02-2010 07:37 AM
Senator Jake Garn or John Glenn for his shuttle flight must be candidates. |
webhamster
Member Posts: 106
From: Ottawa, Canada
Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 03-02-2010 08:07 AM
I believe that would likely be Jerry Linenger. He reported for training in August 1992 and flew on STS-64 in September 1994 to get him spaceflight qualified for a Mir mission. That's almost exactly two years from start of basic training to launch.Although some of the payload specialists may have had a shorter road to travel. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 03-02-2010 08:15 AM
It depends on if you consider the time from selection as an astronaut, or time from reporting for duty as an astronaut. Both Jerry Linenger and Susan Still-Kilrain had two years and five months for the former, two years and one month for the latter. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 03-02-2010 09:59 AM
Of course, at the other end of the spectrum is the 19-year wait for Don Lind. That's longer than the average astronaut career, and a record I doubt will ever be broken.To put it in perspective, when Lind was selected as an astronaut LBJ was President and the Vietnam conflict was just gearing up. When he finally flew on STS 51-B, Reagan was in his second term, and anyone one born the year he was selected was old enough to serve in the military or attend college. |
moorouge
Member Posts: 2480
From: U.K.
Registered: Jul 2009
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posted 03-02-2010 03:57 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Delta7:
It depends on if you consider the time from selection as an astronaut, or time from reporting for duty as an astronaut.
So where does this leave Senator Garn and John Glenn? Surely they were shorter than those you quote. Or don't you consider them to be proper astronauts? |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1582
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 03-02-2010 06:19 PM
Well, in this context I assume we're talking about the shortest time from selection by NASA as a full-time professional astronaut, completing the basic training program, completing mission-specific training, and being launched into space. Garn, Glenn (as a Payload Specialist), and others were selected under specific circumstances, and their training consisted more of "Here's how the toilet flushes" and "Whatever you do, don't touch that." As such, it's not an accurate match-up, again in the context of the original question as I understand it. And yes, they are "astronauts" in the sense of what they accomplished and experienced after launch, but not necessarily leading up to it. |
astro-nut
Member Posts: 996
From: Washington, IL
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 03-04-2010 12:22 PM
quote:
Originally posted by moorouge:
Summing up, the state of the poll seems to be...
Tammy Jernigan, Jim Halsell, Don Thomas and Rick Linnehan have flown on Columbia the most times with three flights a piece. Robert Crippen holds the record for flying Challenger three times. Mike Coats, Steve Hawley, Mike Foale, Curt Brown and Steve Robinson have flown on Discovery three times and you could also include Jim Voss, Susan Helms. Steve Lindsey, and Stephanie Wilson will have three flights on Discovery later this year. Jerry Ross holds the record for five flights on Shuttle Atlantis. Dominic Gorie and Dan Bursch have flown on Endeavour three times. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3450
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 03-09-2010 11:41 AM
Although women had trained as alternate payload specialists, was the first flight of a female non-NASA astronaut Christa McAuliffe? |
webhamster
Member Posts: 106
From: Ottawa, Canada
Registered: Jul 2008
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posted 03-10-2010 10:32 PM
By non-NASA do you mean "non-professional" astronauts on the shuttle? In which case the answer would be yes. Mary Johnston was a backup Payload Specialist for STS-51-B. |
Hart Sastrowardoyo
Member Posts: 3450
From: Toms River, NJ
Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 09-01-2010 03:13 PM
Just a few more things of note:Assuming the flight schedule remains the same, and there is no STS-135, TJ Creamer and Shannon Walker are the only two U.S. astronauts chosen during the shuttle era (Groups 8 through 19) to make their first flight not on the shuttle, but on the Soyuz. Creamer's classmate, Marcos Pontes, also holds that distinction but as a Brazilian astronaut. Haise is the only astronaut to have flown the shuttle, but not to orbit. |
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