STS-65

Robert D. Cabana

• Birthday: 01/23/1949
• Role: Commander
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 10/06/1990
• Last Flight: 12/04/1998

Robert Donald Cabana is the director of NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center, a former NASA astronaut, and a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. He is also a former naval flight officer and naval aviator in the United States Marine Corps.

James Halsell

• Birthday: 09/29/1956
• Role: Pilot
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 07/08/1994
• Last Flight: 05/19/2000

James Halsell was an Air Force Test Pilot when he was selected by NASA to become an Astronaut in 1990. He was a veteran of five flights totalling over 1,250 hours in space, pilot of two STS missions and commander of three. He also served as a manager for Shuttle Launch Integration and Space Shuttle Program manager. After the Columbia accident he led the NASA Return to Flight Planning team.

Chiaki Mukai

• Birthday: 05/06/1952
• Role: Payload Specialist
• Nationality: Japanese
• First Flight: 07/08/1994
• Last Flight: 10/29/1998

Chiaki Mukai (向井 千秋 Mukai Chiaki, born May 6, 1952, Tatebayashi, Gunma, Japan) is a Japanese doctor and JAXA astronaut. She was the first Japanese woman in space, and was the first Japanese citizen to have two spaceflights. Both were Space Shuttle missions; her first was STS-65 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia in July 1994, which was a Spacelab mission. Her second spaceflight was STS-95 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 1998. In total she has spent 23 days in space.

Richard Hieb

• Birthday: 09/21/1955
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 04/28/1991
• Last Flight: 07/08/1994

Richard James Hieb is a former NASA astronaut and a veteran of three space shuttle missions. He was a mission specialist on STS-39 and STS-49, and was a payload commander on STS-65.

Carl E. Walz

• Birthday: 09/06/1955
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 09/12/1993
• Last Flight: 12/05/2001

Carl Erwin Walz is a former NASA astronaut currently working for Orbital Sciences Corporation’s Advanced Programs Group as Vice President for Human Space Flight Operations. Walz was formerly assigned to the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC. He was the Acting Director for the Advanced Capabilities Division in the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate, and was responsible for a broad range of activities to include Human Research, Technology Development, Nuclear Power and Propulsion and the Lunar Robotic Exploration Programs to support the Vision for Space Exploration.

Donald A. Thomas

• Birthday: 05/06/1955
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 07/08/1994
• Last Flight: 07/01/1997

Donald Alan Thomas, Ph.D. is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut.

Leroy Chiao

• Birthday: 08/28/1960
• Role: Mission Specialist
• Nationality: American
• First Flight: 07/08/1994
• Last Flight: 10/14/2004

Leroy Chiao is a Chinese-American engineer, former NASA astronaut, entrepreneur, motivational speaker, and engineering consultant. Chiao flew on three Space Shuttle flights, and was the commander of Expedition 10, where he lived on board the International Space Station from October 13, 2004 to April 24, 2005. He is also a co-author and researcher for the Advanced Diagnostic Ultrasound in Microgravity project.

STS-65

• Orbit: Low Earth Orbit
• Launch Cost: $450,000,000

STS-65 was a Space Shuttle program mission of Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 8 July 1994. The flight was commanded by Robert D. Cabana who would go on later to lead the Kennedy Space Center.

Launch Complex 39A

Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA

Launch Complex 39A has witnessed the launch of 174 rockets, including 173 orbital launch attempts, while Kennedy Space Center, FL, USA, has been the site for 232 rocket launches.

National Aeronautics and Space Administration Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program name was Space Transportation System (STS). Five complete Space Shuttle orbiter vehicles were built and flown on a total of 135 missions from 1981 to 2011.