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 Claude Nicollier (born 2 September 1944) is the first astronaut from Switzerland. He has flown on four Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight ( STS-46) was in 1992, and his final spaceflight ( STS-103) was in 1999. He took part in two serv ...

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 STS-110 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) on 8–19 April 2002 flown by Space Shuttle ''Atlantis''. The main purpose was to install the S0 Truss segment, which forms the backbone of the truss structure on the ...

) * 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 The administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the highest-ranking official of NASA, the national List of space agencies, space agency of the United States. The administrator is NASA's chief decision maker, responsible ...

, 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 The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Department of Defense The United States Department of Defense (DoD, USDOD, or DOD) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government charged with coordinating and supervising the six U.S. armed services: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Space Force, ...

mission :

STS-43 STS-43, the ninth mission for Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Atlantis, ''Atlantis'', was a nine-day mission whose primary goal was launching the TDRS-5, TDRS-E satellite (TDRS-5). The flight also tested an advanced heatpipe radiator for potential ...

— August 1991 — Commander — Deployed TDRS-E : STS-58 — October 1993 — Commander —

Spacelab Spacelab was a reusable laboratory developed by European Space Agency (ESA) and used on certain spaceflights flown by the Space Shuttle. The laboratory comprised multiple components, including a pressurized module, an unpressurized carrier, ...

: SLS-2 : STS-79 — September 1996 — Mission Specialist 4 — Launched for long duration flight aboard

Mir ''Mir'' (, ; ) was a space station operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, first by the Soviet Union and later by the Russia, Russian Federation. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to ...

EO-22: Board Engineer 2 : STS-81 — January 1997 — Mission Specialist 4 — Landed from long duration flight aboard

* Charles F. Bolden, Jr. (born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (4 flights) - Former

: STS-61-C — January 1986 — Pilot — Deployed Ku-1 communications satellite :

STS-31 STS-31 was the 35th mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the tenth flight of the Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. The primary purpose of this mission was the deployment of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) into low Earth orbit. ''Discovery ...

— April 1990 — Pilot — Deployed the

Hubble Space Telescope The Hubble Space Telescope (HST or Hubble) is a space telescope that was launched into low Earth orbit in 1990 and remains in operation. It was not the Orbiting Solar Observatory, first space telescope, but it is one of the largest and most ...

: 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 STS-51-F (also known as Spacelab 2) was the 19th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle ''Challenger''. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on July 29, 1985, and landed eight days later on Au ...

— July 1985 — Pilot — Spacelab 2 * Guy S. Gardner (born 1948), U.S. Air Force (2 flights) :

STS-27 STS-27 was the 27th NASA Space Shuttle program, Space Shuttle mission, and the third flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, Space Shuttle ''Atlantis''. Launching on December 2, 1988, on a four-day mission, it was the second shuttle flight after the ...

— December 1988 — Pilot — Was a classified

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

mission : STS-30 — May 1989 — Pilot — Deployed the Magellan probe : STS-42 — January 1992 — Commander —

: IML-1 :

STS-57 STS-57 was a NASA Space Shuttle- Spacehab mission of that launched June 21, 1993, from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Crew Spacewalk * Personnel: Low and Wisoff * Date: June 25, 1993 (13:07–18:57 UTC) * Duration: 5 hours and 50&n ...

— June 1993 — Commander —

Spacehab Astrotech Corporation, formerly Spacehab Inc., is a technology incubator headquartered in Austin, Texas. Astrotech uses technology sourced internally and from research institutions, government laboratories, and universities to fund, manage and se ...

Bryan D. O'Connor Bryan Daniel O'Connor (born September 6, 1946) is a retired United States Marine Corps Colonel (United States), Colonel and former NASA astronaut. He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008. Personal Born September 6, ...

(born 1946), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights) - Former

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance :

STS-61-B STS-61-B was the 23rd NASA Space Shuttle mission, and its second using Space Shuttle ''Space Shuttle Atlantis, Atlantis''. The shuttle was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on November 26, 1985. During STS-61-B, the shuttle crew depl ...

— November 1985 — Pilot — Deployed 3 communication satellites : STS-40 — June 1991 — Commander —

: SLS-1 * Richard N. Richards (born 1946), U.S. Navy (4 flights) :

STS-28 STS-28 was the 30th NASA Space Shuttle program, Space Shuttle mission, the fourth shuttle mission dedicated to United States Department of Defense (DoD) purposes, and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle Columbia, Space Shuttle ''Columbia''. The ...

— August 1989 — Pilot — Was a classified

mission : STS-41 — October 1990 — Commander — Deployed the

Ulysses (spacecraft) ''Ulysses'' ( , ) was a Uncrewed spacecraft, robotic space probe whose primary mission was to orbit the Sun and study it at all latitudes. It was launched in 1990 and made three "fast latitude scans" of the Sun in 1994/1995, 2000/2001, and 2 ...

: STS-50 — June 1992 — Commander —

: 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 flight) - Died During the ''Challenger'' Disaster :

STS-51-L STS-51-L was the disastrous 25th mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the final flight of Space Shuttle ''Challenger''. It was planned as the first Teacher in Space Project flight in addition to observing Halley's Comet for six day ...

— January 1986 — Pilot — Planned to Deploy

TDRS-B TDRS-B was an American communications satellite, of first generation, which was to have formed part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System. It was destroyed in 1986 when the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, disintegrated 73 seconds a ...

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 —

: 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 ''Galileo'' was an American robotic space probe that studied the planet Jupiter and its moons, as well as the asteroids Gaspra and Ida. Named after the Italian astronomer Galileo Galilei, it consisted of an orbiter and an entry probe. It wa ...

: 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 STS-75 was a 1996 NASA Space Shuttle mission, the 19th mission of the orbiter. Crew Crew seat assignments Mission objective Tethered Satellite System The primary objective of STS-75 was to carry the Tethered Satellite System Reflight (TS ...

— February 1996 — Mission Specialist 4/Payload Commander — The Tethered Satellite System's TSS-1R mission :

STS-91 STS-91 was the 24th flight of Discovery, and the final Space Shuttle mission to the '' Mir'' space station. It was flown by Space Shuttle ''Discovery'', and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 2 June 1998. Crew Crew seat assignme ...

— June 1998 — Mission Specialist 2 — Final Shuttle/Mir mission : STS-111 — June 2002 — Mission Specialist 1 — Installed the Mobile Base System for

Canadarm2 The Mobile Servicing System (MSS) is a robotic system on board the International Space Station (ISS). Launched to the ISS in 2001, it plays a key role in station assembly and maintenance; it moves equipment and supplies around the station, suppo ...

on the ISS *

Mary L. Cleave Mary Louise Cleave (February 5, 1947 – November 27, 2023) was an American engineer and NASA astronaut. She also served from 2005 to 2007 as NASA Associate Administrator for the Science Mission Directorate. Early life Cleave was born in Southam ...

(1947-2023), Engineer (2 flights) :

— 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 —

D1 :

STS-32 STS-32 was the 33rd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the ninth launch of . Launched on January 9, 1990, it marked the first use of Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A since 1986; it also marked the first use of Mobile launcher p ...

— January 1990 — Mission Specialist 1 — Deployed the SYNCOM IV-F5 satellite; retrieved the

Long Duration Exposure Facility NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility, or LDEF (pronounced "eldef"), was a cylindrical facility designed to provide long-term experimental data on the outer space environment and its effects on space systems, materials, operations and selected ...

: STS-50 — June 1992 — Mission Specialist 1 —

: U.S. Microgravity Laboratory 1 :

STS-71 As the third mission of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program, STS-71 became the first Space Shuttle to dock with the Russian space station ''Mir''. STS-71 began on June 27, 1995, with the launch of Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' from launchpad 39A ...

— June 1995 — Mission Specialist 3 — First Shuttle/Mir docking :

STS-89 STS-89 was a Space Shuttle mission to the ''Mir'' space station flown by Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Endeavour, ''Endeavour'', and launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 22 January 1998. Crew Crew notes STS-89 was originally scheduled ...

— January 1998 — Mission Specialist 3 — Eighth Shuttle/Mir docking *

William Frederick Fisher William Frederick Fisher (born April 1, 1946) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Fisher went into space in 1985 on board the Space Shuttle. He retired from NASA in 1992 and returned to the full-time practice of medicine. His ...

(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

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

mission : STS-42 — January 1992 — Mission Specialist 2 —

: IML-1 * David Leestma (born 1949), U.S. Navy (3 flights) - Former

Manager of JSC's Advanced Planning Office : STS-41-G — October 1984 — Mission Specialist 3 — Deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite :

— August 1989 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified

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

Chief of JSC's Vehicle Integration Test Office :

— November 1985 — Mission Specialist 2 — Deployed 3 communication satellites :

— December 1988 — Mission Specialist 2 — Was a classified

mission :

STS-37 STS-37, the thirty-ninth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the eighth flight of the Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'', was a six-day mission with the primary objective of launching the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO), the second of the Great Observ ...

— April 1991 — Mission Specialist 1 — Launched the

Compton Gamma Ray Observatory The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (CGRO) was a space observatory detecting photons with photon energy, energies from 20 kElectronvolt#Properties, eV to 30 GeV, in Earth orbit from 1991 to 2000. The observatory featured four main tel ...

: STS-55 — April 1993 — Mission Specialist 1 —

: D2 : STS-74 — November 1995 — Mission Specialist 2 — Second Shuttle/Mir docking :

STS-88 STS-88 was the first Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). It was flown by Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Endeavour, ''Endeavour'', and took the first American module, the Unity (ISS module), ''Unity'' node, to the station ...

— December 1998 — Mission Specialist 1 — First shuttle mission to the

International Space Station The International Space Station (ISS) is a large space station that was Assembly of the International Space Station, assembled and is maintained in low Earth orbit by a collaboration of five space agencies and their contractors: NASA (United ...

; delivered Unity (Node 1) and the first two

Pressurized Mating Adapter A Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) is a component used on the International Space Station (ISS) to convert the Common Berthing Mechanism (CBM) interface used to connect ISS modules to an APAS-95 spacecraft docking port. Three PMAs are attached ...

s :

— April 2002 — Mission Specialist 1 — Delivered the S0 Truss and the Mobile Transporter for

* Sherwood C. Spring (born 1944), U.S. Army (1 flight) :

— 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

mission

International Mission Specialists

(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 STS-61 was NASA's first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, and the fifth flight of the Space Shuttle Endeavour, Space Shuttle ''Endeavour''. The mission launched on December 2, 1993, from Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. The missi ...

— December 1993 — Mission Specialist 3 —

Servicing Mission 1 :

— February 1996 — Mission Specialist 3 — The Tethered Satellite System's TSS-1R mission :

STS-103 STS-103, the 96th launch of the Space Shuttle and the 27th launch of Space Shuttle ''Space Shuttle Discovery, Discovery'', was a Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 19 December 1999 and ...

— December 1999 — Mission Specialist 5 —

Servicing Mission 3A * Wubbo Ockels (1946–2014), Physicist (1 flight) : STS-61-A — October 1985 — Payload Specialist 3 —

: D1 Delays in Spacelab caused NASA to offer ESA

payload specialist A payload specialist (PS) was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a NASA Space Shuttle mission. People assigned as payload specialists included individuals selected by t ...

s 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.

References

External links

Astronaut Biographies: Home Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:NASA Astronaut Group 09 NASA Astronaut Corps Lists of astronauts 1980 in spaceflight 1980 establishments in the United States