The following is a list of fictional astronauts on missions to deflect asteroids and comets which pose a threat to Earth, as well as performing other miscellaneous feats of space exploration not yet achieved.
Asteroid/comet deflection
Name(s)Appeared inProgram / Mission / SpacecraftFictional dateEdward McCauley, Col.Stacy Croydon, Dr. (Scientist)Emory, Maj.Draper, Capt. (no first names given for last two)Men into Space (a.k.a. Space Challenge)Asteroid (1959), TVUnited States Air Force:Skyra missionc. 1970–1980Astronauts on mission to evaluate asteroid Skyra as possible location for space station, or, if necessary, to destroy it.Jack Rankin (Commander)Vince Elliott (Station Commander)Lisa "Lizzie" Benson, Dr. (Physician)Martin, Capt.Hans Halvorsen, Dr. (Space consultant)Michaels (assistant to Halvorsen)Curtis, Lt.Dreger, Lt.Morris, Lt.Scott, Sgt.Unnamed personnelThe Green Slime (a.k.a. Battle beyond the Stars) (1968), filmU.N.S.C.:Space Station Gamma 3Unnamed rocketThree support cruisersFutureMission to destroy asteroid on collision course with Earth results in infestation of space station by tentacled creatures.Unnamed CSM/LM:Thomas Alvar Nicols, Maj.Van DrutenRiley (first names not given)Enterprise:Richard Bradford Ridge, Maj. (Commander)David Priestly (Co-Pilot)Marvin Leisen (Navigator)Jim O'TooleArchie CarfagnoOrpheus:Thomas Alvar Nicols, Maj. (Co-Pilot)Richard Bradford Ridge, Maj. (Pilot)The Hermes Fall (1978), novelApolloUnnamed CSM/LMOrpheus (CSM)Space ShuttleEnterpriseAugust 20–25, 1980A NASA moonflight veteran and the commander of the first Space Shuttle mission are sent on a desperate mission to prevent the asteroid Hermes crashing into the Earth.Floyd HartwellAndrew Bukowski, Capt. (Air Force Astronaut Wing)Leonard Dmetriev (USSR)Unnamed Chinese astronautImpact! (1979), novelArgonaut XXContemporary?International astronauts on a mission to prevent an asteroid impacting Earth.Marlena Glenn, Lt.Spaceplane:Mark Blaze, Col. (Commander)Andrea Steele, Maj.He-Man and the Masters of the UniverseVisitors From Earth (1984), TVSpaceplaneFutureAstronauts on mission to destroy "magnetic meteor" accidentally travel through wormhole to Eternia. Lt. Glenn had previously disappeared and become Queen of Eternia.NASA:MurasakiTerrence "the Trance"TurginsonWoodsideAtlantis:Boston "Boz" Low (Commander)Ken Borden (Copilot)Cora Miles (Mission Specialist)Ludger Brink, Prof. (EEC) (Mission Specialist)Maggie Robbins (Journalist)The Dig (1995), video game/novelSpace ShuttleAtlantisNear FutureMission to stabilize orbit of mysterious asteroid. Low is a five-time shuttle veteran who made emergency landing aboard Enterprise. Scientist Brink spent months aboard space station Mir II.Dana Shaw, Dr. (Scientist)Ryan (Boss) (no first name given)Samantha "Nuke-'em" Rogers (Explosives specialist)Potter (Mechanic) (no first name given)Alpha crew:Cody Harrison (Driller)Ben Banton (Drill controller)Beta crew:Luke Harrison (Driller)Archer (Drill controller) (no first name given)Within the Rock (1996), TV movieNexecon Corporation:Mining platformJettison pod2019Space miners on a mission to deflect Galileo's Child, a rogue moon on a collision course with Earth, discover a hostile alien creature. Cody and Luke Harrison are brothers.Atlantis crew:William Sharp, Col. (CMR)Jennifer Watts (PLT)Gruber (Nuclear Tech)Charles "Chick" ChappleMax Lennert"Rockhound"Harry S. StamperDavis, Col. (CMR)Tucker (PLT)Halsey, Lt. (Nuclear Tech)Oscar ChoiA. J. FrostJayotis "Bear" KurleenbearFreddy NoonanLev AndropovArmageddon (1998), filmSpace ShuttleAtlantisX-71 Military Space Shuttles:FreedomIndependenceMir (greatly expanded)ContemporaryAtlantis destroyed by meteoroids preceding asteroid on collision course with Earth. X-71s each with 3 crew and 4 person drilling teams refuel at Mir, rescue Andropov from its destruction.Spurgeon "Fish" Tanner, Capt.Oren Monash (Pilot)Andrea "Andy" BakerGus Partenza, Dr.Mark SimonMichail Tulchinsky, Col. (cosmonaut)Deep Impact (1998), filmSpace ShuttleAtlantisMessiahNear FutureAstronauts on mission to destroy an oncoming comet.Gus Malone (CAPCOM)Unnamed astronautsNemesis (1998), novelSpace ShuttleContemporaryAstronauts on mission to deflect an oncoming asteroid.NASA:Claire Daughenbaugh, Capt. (USN) (Physician/Rukh carrier aircraft crew)Doug WaterhouseEnvoy:Samson "Sam" Quinn, Gen. (USAF) (Commander)Charles Stuart Loomis, Cdre. (USN) (Second-in-command/Weapons officer)John Bernstein, Dr. (Physicist/Physician)Stephen Edmunson, Maj. (USAF) (Weapons officer)Martin Tillery, Cmdr. (USN) (Engineer/Physicist)Firebird:May Sherbourne Wyndham (Pilot/Rocket scientist)Mycroft Yellowhorse (a.k.a. William Connors; born Guillaume Olivier Connors) (JNAIT Council of Chiefs Director-at-large)Tobias Desmond "Toby" Glyer, Dr. (Engineer/Physician)Alice Johnson (Security consultant)The Goliath Stone (2013), novelNASA:Envoy (40-V air launch to orbit spaceplane)Joint Negotiating Alliance of Indian Tribes (JNAIT):Firebird (40-V air launch to orbit spaceplane)June 2052Crews racing to intercept asteroid being returned to Earth by nanites.Asteris:James Wheeler, Capt. (USMC)Gordon, Dr. (Pentagon) (Physicist)Clayton, Sgt. (Reconnaissance)Cabrera, Cpl. (Demolitions)Southard, Lt. (Communications)Fitzpatrick (Pilot)Sanchez (US Army) (Pilot)Other SI-22s:Magowan, Gen. (Pilot)"Mac" McCanless, Col. (USAF) (Pilot)Unnamed pilotsAge of Tomorrow (2014), filmSI-22 Asteris (spaceplane)Unnamed SI-22sContemporary/Near FutureCrew of mission to destroy asteroid is transported through wormhole to alien planet.Foresight Americo:Xiaohán "Zoë"One-person spacecraft:Evan Chess (Mission Commander)Jamila Parks (US) (SP)Alistair Meath, Maj. (UK) (SP)Valentina Resnick Baker, Dr. (SP)David Powell (SP)Catalyst Prime: The Event (2017), comic bookForesight Corporation:Foresight Americo Lunar Platform (lunar-orbit space station)Five one-person spacecraft2017Astronauts on suicide mission to destroy asteroid Icarus 2.Benedict Drask, Col.Don't Look Up (2021), filmNASAContemporaryMilitary veteran sent to deflect comet heading for Earth. His presence is superfluous due to rocket-guiding computer systems, but he is chosen so there can be a "hero".Ed Baldwing (USA)Gregory Kuznetsov (USSR)Svetlana Zhakharova (USSR)Samantha Massey (USA)Tom Parker (UK)Ravi Vaswani (India)Max Taylor (USA)Park Chui Moo (South Korea)Nina Rozhenkova (USSR)Palmer James (USA)For All Mankind Season 4 (2025)NASAROSKOSMOSISROESAHelios AerospaceAlternative 2003First mission to capture an asteroid by mining operations. The mission fails, resulting in the deaths of Kuznetsov and Parker. The mission takes place in an alternative 2003.
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