STS-109

Crew

Nancy J. Currie-Gregg

Status: Retired
12/29/1958 -
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 6/21/1993
Last Flight: 3/1/2002

Nancy Jane Currie-Gregg is an engineer, United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut. Currie-Gregg has served in the United States Army for over 22 years and holds the rank of colonel. With NASA, she has participated in four space shuttle missions: STS-57, STS-70, STS-88, and STS109, accruing 1,000 hours in space. She currently holds an appointment as an adjunct associate professor in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering at Texas A&M University.

James H. Newman

Status: Retired
10/16/1956 -
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 9/12/1993
Last Flight: 3/1/2002

James Hansen Newman, Ph.D. is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut who flew on four Space Shuttle missions.

John M. Grunsfeld

Status: Retired
10/10/1958 -
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 3/2/1995
Last Flight: 5/11/2009

John Mace Grunsfeld is an American physicist and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five Space Shuttle flights and has served as NASA Chief Scientist. His academic background includes research in high energy astrophysics, cosmic ray physics and the emerging field of exoplanet studies with specific interest in future astronomical instrumentation. After retiring from NASA in 2009, he served as the Deputy Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. In January 2012, he returned to NASA and served as associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate (SMD). Grunsfeld announced his retirement from NASA in April 2016.

Richard M. Linnehan

Status: Retired
9/19/1957 -
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 6/20/1996
Last Flight: 3/11/2008

Richard Michael Linnehan is an American veterinarian and a former NASA astronaut.

Scott Altman

Status: Retired
8/15/1959 -
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 4/17/1998
Last Flight: 5/11/2009

Scott Douglas "Scooter" Altman is a retired United States Navy Captain, engineer, test pilot and former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. His fourth mission on STS-125 was the last servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope.

Duane G. Carey

Status: Retired
4/30/1957 -
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 3/1/2002
Last Flight: 3/1/2002

Duane Gene "Digger" Carey is a retired lieutenant colonel in the United States Air Force and a former NASA astronaut.

Mike Massimino

Status: Retired
8/19/1962 -
Nationality: American
Type: Government
First Flight: 3/1/2002
Last Flight: 5/11/2009

Michael James Massimino is an American professor of mechanical engineering at Columbia University and a former NASA astronaut. He is the senior advisor of space programs at the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.

Early life Massimino was born August 19, 1962 in Oceanside, New York, and raised in Franklin Square, New York, both on Long Island. He graduated from H. Frank Carey Junior-Senior High School in Franklin Square, New York in 1980. He went on to attend Columbia University, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Engineering in 1984. He then attended the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, graduating with a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Technology and Public Policy in 1988. He continued his education at MIT, earning a Degree of Mechanical Engineer in 1990 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Mechanical Engineering in 1992.

Rocket

Space Shuttle Columbia OV-102 – United Space Alliance

• Family: Space Shuttle
• Length: 38.1 m
• Diameter: 8.4 m
• Launch Mass: 2040 T
• Low Earth Orbit Capacity: 24400 kg

The Space Shuttle Columbia OV-102 was manufactured by United Space Alliance with the first launch on 1981-04-12. Space Shuttle Columbia OV-102 has 29 successful launches and 1 failed launches with a total of 30 launches. Space Shuttle Columbia was the first space-rated orbiter in NASA’s Space Shuttle fleet. It launched for the first time on mission STS-1 on April 12, 1981, the first flight of the Space Shuttle program. Over 22 years of service it completed 27 missions before disintegrating during re-entry near the end of its 28th mission, STS-107 on February 1, 2003, resulting in the deaths of all seven crew members.

Agency

United Space Alliance – USA

• Type: Commercial
• Abbreviation: USA
• Founded: 1995
• Launchers: Space Shuttle
• Country: USA

United Space Alliance (USA) is a spaceflight operations company. USA is a joint venture which was established in August 1995 as a Limited Liability Company (LLC), equally owned by Boeing and Lockheed Martin.