NASA Astronaut Group 12 (the GAFFers) was a group of 15 astronauts announced by NASA on June 5, 1987.

Group members Pilots Andrew M. Allen (born 1955), U.S. Marine Corps (3 flights) STS-46 — July 1992 — Pilot — Deployment of EURECA and Tethered Satellite System (TSS) STS-62 — March 1994 — Pilot — Microgravity experiments STS-75 — February 1996 — Commander — Tethered Satellite System reflight, lost due to broken tether

Kenneth D. Bowersox (born 1956), U.S. Navy (5 flights) STS-50 — June 1992 — Pilot — Spacelab mission STS-61 — December 1993 — Pilot — First Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission STS-73 — October 1995 — Commander — Spacelab mission STS-82 — February 1997 — Commander — Second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission STS-113 — November 2002 — Mission Specialist 3 (launched only) — ISS assembly flight 11A: P1 truss, crew rotation ISS Expedition 6 — November 2002–May 2003 — ISS Commander Soyuz TMA-1 — May 2003 — Flight Engineer (landed only) — ISS crew rotation

Curtis L. Brown, Jr. (born 1956), U.S. Air Force (6 flights) STS-47 — September 1992 — Pilot — Spacelab-J, Japan-funded Spacelab mission STS-66 — November 1994 — Pilot — ATLAS-3 science platform experiments STS-77 — May 1996 — Pilot — SPACEHAB, SPARTAN STS-85 — August 1997 — Commander — Deployed and retrieved CRISTA-SPAS STS-95 — October 1998 — Commander — SPACEHAB STS-103 — December 1999 — Commander — Third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission

Kevin P. Chilton (born 1954), U.S. Air Force (3 flights) STS-49 — May 1992 — Pilot — Intelsat VI hand-retrieval and repair STS-59 — April 1994 — Pilot — Experiments aboard Shuttle Radar Laboratory-1 STS-76 — March 1996 — Commander — Third Shuttle-Mir docking

Donald R. McMonagle (born 1952), U.S. Air Force (3 flights) STS-39 — April 1991 — Mission Specialist 4 — First unclassified DoD mission, military science experiments STS-54 — January 1993 — Pilot – Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-F) deployment STS-66 — November 1994 — Commander — ATLAS-3 science platform experiments

William F. Readdy (born 1952), U.S. Navy (3 flights) STS-42 — January 1992 — Mission Specialist 3 — Spacelab mission STS-51 — September 1993 — Pilot — ACTS satellite deployment, SPAS-ORFEUS deployment and retrieval STS-79 — September 1996 — Commander — Fourth Shuttle-Mir docking

Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr. (born 1951), U.S. Navy (2 flights) STS-48 — September 1991 — Pilot — Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite deployment STS-60 — February 1994 — Pilot — SPACEHAB, Wake Shield Facility

Mission specialists Thomas D. Akers (born 1951), U.S. Air Force (4 flights) STS-41 — October 1990 — Mission Specialist 3 — Ulysses/Inertial Upper Stage solar probe deployment STS-49 — May 1992 — Mission Specialist 4 — Intelsat VI hand-retrieval and repair STS-61 — December 1993 — Mission Specialist 5 — First Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission STS-79 — September 1996 — Mission Specialist 1 — Fourth Shuttle-Mir docking

N. Jan Davis (born 1953), Engineer (3 flights) STS-47 — September 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — Spacelab-J, Japan-funded Spacelab mission STS-60 — February 1994 — Mission Specialist 1 — SPACEHAB, Wake Shield Facility STS-85 — August 1997 — Payload Commander — Deployed and retrieved CRISTA-SPAS

C. Michael Foale (born 1957), Astrophysicist (6 flights) STS-45 — March 1992 — Mission Specialist 3 — ATLAS-1 science platform STS-56 — April 1993 — Mission Specialist 1 — ATLAS-2 science platform STS-63 — February 1995 — Mission Specialist 1 — First Shuttle-Mir rendezvous, SPACEHAB STS-84 — May 1997 — Mission Specialist 5 (launched only) — Sixth Shuttle-Mir docking Mir EO-23/Mir EO-24 — May 1997–October 1997 — Flight Engineer 2 STS-86 — October 1997 — Mission Specialist 5 (landed only) — Seventh Shuttle-Mir docking STS-103 — December 1999 — Mission Specialist 3 — Third Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission Soyuz TMA-3 — October 2003–April 2004 — Flight Engineer — ISS crew rotation ISS Expedition 8 — October 2003–April 2004 — ISS Commander

Gregory J. Harbaugh (born 1956), Engineer (4 flights) STS-39 — April 1991 — Mission Specialist 2 — First unclassified DoD mission, military science experiments STS-54 — January 1993 — Mission Specialist 2 – Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-F) deployment STS-71 — June 1995 — Mission Specialist 1 — First Shuttle-Mir docking STS-82 — February 1997 — Mission Specialist 3 — Second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission

Mae C. Jemison (born 1956), Physician (1 flight) STS-47 — September 1992 — Mission Specialist 4 — Spacelab-J, Japan-funded Spacelab mission

Bruce E. Melnick (born 1949), U.S. Coast Guard (2 flights) STS-41 — October 1990 — Mission Specialist 1 — Ulysses/Inertial Upper Stage solar probe deployment STS-49 — May 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — Intelsat VI hand-retrieval and repair

Mario Runco, Jr. (born 1952), U.S. Navy (3 flights) STS-44 — November 1991 — Mission Specialist 2 — DSP satellite deployment STS-54 — January 1993 — Mission Specialist 1 – Tracking and data relay satellite (TDRS-F) deployment STS-77 — May 1996 — Mission Specialist 3 — SPACEHAB, SPARTAN

James S. Voss (born 1949), U.S. Army (5 flights) STS-44 — November 1991 — Mission Specialist 3 — DSP satellite deployment STS-53 — December 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 — Partially classified 10th and final DoD mission, likely deployment of SDS2 satellite STS-69 — September 1995 — Mission Specialist 1 — Wake Shield Facility, SPARTAN STS-101 — May 2000 — Mission Specialist 3 — ISS supply STS-102 — March 2001 — Mission Specialist 4 (launched only) — ISS supply and crew rotation ISS Expedition 2 — March 2001–August 2001 — Flight Engineer 2 STS-105 — August 2001 — Mission Specialist 4 (landed only) — ISS supply and crew rotation

Further information The group's informal nickname is an acronym for "George Abbey Final Fifteen". Of this group, Mae Jemison would become the first female African-American in space, Bruce Melnick the first Coast Guard aviator in space, while Michael Foale would fly aboard the Mir space station. At the time of the Columbia accident in 2003, William Readdy was Associate Administrator for Space Flight and Kenneth Bowersox was commanding the Expedition 6 crew on the ISS. Chilton, after leaving NASA, became the first NASA astronaut to become a General in the U.S. Air Force (Lt. Gen. Thomas Stafford, USAF, and VADM Richard Truly, USN were three-star officers) and was commander of U.S. Strategic Command from October 2007 until January 2011.

See also List of astronauts by name List of astronauts by selection List of space travelers by name List of space travelers by nationality

References

External links Astronaut Biographies: Home Page