NASA Astronaut Group 9 was a group of 19 NASA astronauts announced on May 29, 1980, and completed their training by 1981. This group was selected to supplement the 35 astronauts that had been selected in 1978, and marked the first time that non-Americans were trained as mission specialists with the selections of ESA astronauts Claude Nicollier and Wubbo Ockels. In keeping with the previous group, astronaut candidates were divided into pilots and mission specialists, with eight pilots, eleven mission specialists, and two international mission specialists within the group.
Achievements As with the previous group, several spaceflight firsts were achieved, including:
First Costa Rican astronaut: Franklin Chang-Diaz (January 12, 1986, STS-61-C) First Dutch citizen in space: Wubbo Ockels (October 30, 1985, STS-61-A) First Swiss astronaut: Claude Nicollier (July 31, 1992, STS-46) First African-American Marine in space: Charles Bolden (January 12, 1986, STS-61-C) First person to be launched into space more than six times: Jerry Ross (April 8, 2002, STS-110) First astronaut spouse selected as an astronaut: William Fisher (August 27, 1985, STS-51-I; married to Anna Fisher, Group 8 astronaut)
In addition, Chang-Diaz and Ross share the world record for the most spaceflights, with seven each. Bolden also became the second astronaut to serve as NASA Administrator, appointed in July 2009.
Group members Pilots John E. Blaha (born 1942), U.S. Air Force (5 flights) STS-29 — March 1989 — Pilot — Deployed TDRS-D STS-33 — November 1989 — Pilot — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-43 — August 1991 — Commander — Deployed TDRS-E STS-58 — October 1993 — Commander — Spacelab: SLS-2 STS-79 — September 1996 — Mission Specialist 4 — Launched for long duration flight aboard Mir Mir EO-22: Board Engineer 2 STS-81 — January 1997 — Mission Specialist 4 — Landed from long duration flight aboard Mir
Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (4 flights) - Former NASA Administrator STS-61-C — January 1986 — Pilot — Deployed Ku-1 communications satellite STS-31 — April 1990 — Pilot — Deployed the Hubble Space Telescope STS-45 — March 1992 — Commander — ATLAS-1 STS-60 — February 1994 — Commander — Spacehab 2
Roy D. Bridges, Jr. (born 1943), U.S. Air Force (1 flight) STS-51-F — July 1985 — Pilot — Spacelab 2
Guy S. Gardner (born 1948), U.S. Air Force (2 flights) STS-27 — December 1988 — Pilot — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-35 — December 1990 — Pilot — ASTRO-1
Ronald J. Grabe (born 1945), U.S. Air Force (4 flights) STS-51-J — October 1985 — Pilot — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-30 — May 1989 — Pilot — Deployed the Magellan probe STS-42 — January 1992 — Commander — Spacelab: IML-1 STS-57 — June 1993 — Commander — Spacehab
Bryan D. O'Connor (born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights) - Former NASA Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance STS-61-B — November 1985 — Pilot — Deployed 3 communication satellites STS-40 — June 1991 — Commander — Spacelab: SLS-1
Richard N. Richards (born 1946), U.S. Navy (4 flights) STS-28 — August 1989 — Pilot — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-41 — October 1990 — Commander — Deployed the Ulysses (spacecraft) STS-50 — June 1992 — Commander — Spacelab: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 STS-64 — September 1994 — Commander — Lidar In-space Technology Experiment (LITE)
Michael J. Smith (1945–1986), U.S. Navy (1 planned flight) - Died During the Challenger Disaster STS-51-L — January 1986 — Pilot — Planned to Deploy TDRS-B
Mission Specialists James P. Bagian (born 1952), U.S. Air Force (2 flights) STS-29 — March 1989 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed TDRS-D STS-40 — June 1991 — Mission Specialist 1 — Spacelab: SLS-1
Franklin Chang-Diaz (born 1950), Physicist (7 flights) STS-61-C — January 1986 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed Ku-1 communications satellite STS-34 — October 1989 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed the Galileo probe STS-46 — July 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed ESA's European Retrievable Carrier and flew the Tethered Satellite System's TSS-1 mission STS-60 — February 1994 — Mission Specialist 3 — Spacehab 2 STS-75 — February 1996 — Mission Specialist 4/Payload Commander — The Tethered Satellite System's TSS-1R mission STS-91 — June 1998 — Mission Specialist 2 — Final Shuttle/Mir mission STS-111 — June 2002 — Mission Specialist 1 — Installed the Mobile Base System for Canadarm2 on the ISS
Mary L. Cleave (1947-2023), Engineer (2 flights) STS-61-B — November 1985 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed 3 communication satellites STS-30 — May 1989 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed the Magellan probe
Bonnie J. Dunbar (born 1949), Scientist (5 flights) STS-61-A — October 1985 — Mission Specialist 1 — Spacelab D1 STS-32 — January 1990 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed the SYNCOM IV-F5 satellite; retrieved the Long Duration Exposure Facility STS-50 — June 1992 — Mission Specialist 1 — Spacelab: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 STS-71 — June 1995 — Mission Specialist 3 — First Shuttle/Mir docking STS-89 — January 1998 — Mission Specialist 3 — Eighth Shuttle/Mir docking
William Frederick Fisher (born 1946), Physician (1 flight) STS-51-I — August 1985 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed three communications satellites
David C. Hilmers (born 1950), Engineer (4 flights) STS-51-J — October 1985 — Mission Specialist 1 — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-26 — September 1988 — Mission Specialist 3 — Was the "Return-to-Flight" shuttle mission following the Challenger disaster; deployed TDRS-C STS-36 — February 1990 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-42 — January 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — Spacelab: IML-1
David Leestma (born 1949), U.S. Navy (3 flights) - Former NASA Manager of JSC's Advanced Planning Office STS-41-G — October 1984 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite STS-28 — August 1989 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-45 — March 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — ATLAS-1
John M. Lounge (1946–2011), U.S. Navy (3 flights) STS-51-I — August 1985 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed three communications satellites STS-26 — September 1988 — Mission Specialist 1 — Was the "Return-to-Flight" shuttle mission following the Challenger disaster; deployed TDRS-C STS-35 — December 1990 — Mission Specialist 2 — ASTRO-1
Jerry L. Ross (born 1948), U.S. Air Force (7 flights) - Currently NASA Chief of JSC's Vehicle Integration Test Office STS-61-B — November 1985 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed 3 communication satellites STS-27 — December 1988 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission STS-37 — April 1991 — Mission Specialist 1 — Launched the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory STS-55 — April 1993 — Mission Specialist 1 — Spacelab: D2 STS-74 — November 1995 — Mission Specialist 2 — Second Shuttle/Mir docking STS-88 — December 1998 — Mission Specialist 1 — First shuttle mission to the International Space Station; delivered Unity (Node 1) and the first two Pressurized Mating Adapters STS-110 — April 2002 — Mission Specialist 1 — Delivered the S0 Truss and the Mobile Transporter for Canadarm2
Sherwood C. Spring (born 1944), U.S. Army (1 flight) STS-61-B — November 1985 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed 3 communication satellites
Robert C. Springer (born 1942), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights) STS-29 — March 1989 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed TDRS-D STS-38 — November 1990 — Mission Specialist 1 — Was a classified United States Department of Defense mission
International Mission Specialists Claude Nicollier (born 1944), Swiss Air Force (4 flights) STS-46 — July 1992 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed ESA's European Retrievable Carrier and flew the Tethered Satellite System's TSS-1 mission STS-61 — December 1993 — Mission Specialist 3 — Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 1 STS-75 — February 1996 — Mission Specialist 3 — The Tethered Satellite System's TSS-1R mission STS-103 — December 1999 — Mission Specialist 5 — Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission 3A
Wubbo Ockels (1946–2014), Physicist (1 flight) STS-61-A — October 1985 — Payload Specialist 3 — Spacelab: D1
Delays in Spacelab caused NASA to offer ESA payload specialists the opportunity to train with its full-time astronauts; Nicollier and Ockels were the first non-Americans to do so. Ulf Merbold would also have trained as a mission specialist but could not pass the medical examination, an example of the lower physical standards for payload specialists. ESA believed that Spacelab was more important than mission specialist training. In September 1981 Ockels withdrew from training to focus on Spacelab; Nicollier continued and until 2005 was a NASA mission specialist.
See also Astronaut List of astronauts by name List of astronauts by selection List of space travelers by name List of space travelers by nationality NASA Astronaut Groups
References
External links Astronaut Biographies: Home Page