Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program
Encyclopedia
The Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program was an effort by the United States Air Force
(USAF) to train American military personnel as payload specialist
s for Department of Defense
(DoD) missions on the Space Shuttle program
.
(NRO) of the DoD participated in the development of the Space Shuttle from its official inception in 1969. To save money, the shuttle was intended to serve as the United States' national launch system for all civilian, military, and classified payloads. The DoD influenced key aspects of the shuttle's design such as the size of its cargo bay. The USAF in the 1970s hoped to buy up to three shuttles
and fly them with all-military crews. As with the earlier X-20 Dyna-Soar
and Manned Orbiting Laboratory
, budget concerns ended the "Blue Shuttle" program, but the USAF gained the use of up to one third of all launches and the right to requisition the next available launch for high-priority payloads. It renovated an existing launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base
in California to send shuttles into polar orbit
s and established the Manned Spaceflight Control Squadron at NASA Mission Control in Houston. The squadron's personnel would monitor military shuttle flights, ahead of a future mission control center in Colorado that would monitor an expected 12 to 14 military shuttle flights each year.
on the about 100 or more shuttle flights it expected to use. While NASA offered to train the DoD astronauts the military wanted to control their training, as DoD astronauts who went to NASA rarely returned.
In 1979, the first 13 Manned Spaceflight Engineers (MSEs) were selected, chosen from all services and based at Los Angeles Air Force Base
:
In 1982, another 14 were selected, chosen only from the USAF:
In 1985, five more were selected:
in January 1986, ongoing launch delays caused the USAF and NRO to reduce their dependence on the shuttle to launch DoD payloads by, starting in 1984, purchasing the Titan IV
unmanned rocket. Challenger accelerated these plans but several NRO payloads only the shuttle could launch were grounded until it flew again, a dilemma NRO had feared as early as the mid-1970s.
With DoD's return to unmanned rockets and less need for dedicated military astronauts, the MSE program ended in 1988 with only two MSEs having flown into space. The Houston squadron was dissolved, construction of the Colorado center ended, and the California launch site used for unmanned rockets. Only active duty-military NASA astronauts flew on subsequent missions with DoD payloads, the only exceptions being former Marine
Story Musgrave
and former DoD scientist Kathryn C. Thornton
on STS-33
.
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
(USAF) to train American military personnel as payload specialist
Payload Specialist
A Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a NASA Space Shuttle mission...
s for Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
(DoD) missions on the Space Shuttle program
Space Shuttle program
NASA's Space Shuttle program, officially called Space Transportation System , was the United States government's manned launch vehicle program from 1981 to 2011...
.
Background
The USAF and the National Reconnaissance OfficeNational Reconnaissance Office
The National Reconnaissance Office , located in Chantilly, Virginia, is one of the 16 U.S. intelligence agencies. It designs, builds, and operates the spy satellites of the United States government.-Mission:...
(NRO) of the DoD participated in the development of the Space Shuttle from its official inception in 1969. To save money, the shuttle was intended to serve as the United States' national launch system for all civilian, military, and classified payloads. The DoD influenced key aspects of the shuttle's design such as the size of its cargo bay. The USAF in the 1970s hoped to buy up to three shuttles
Military space shuttle
A military space shuttle would be the military equivalent of NASA's space shuttle. Many experts believed that it is extremely unlikely that NASA, the United States Department of Defense or any other Federal agency could keep the existence of such a spacecraft secret, given the official knowledge...
and fly them with all-military crews. As with the earlier X-20 Dyna-Soar
X-20 Dyna-Soar
The X-20 Dyna-Soar was a United States Air Force program to develop a spaceplane that could be used for a variety of military missions, including reconnaissance, bombing, space rescue, satellite maintenance, and sabotage of enemy satellites...
and Manned Orbiting Laboratory
Manned Orbiting Laboratory
The Manned Orbiting Laboratory , originally referred to as the Manned Orbital Laboratory, was part of the United States Air Force's manned spaceflight program, a successor to the cancelled Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar military reconnaissance space plane project...
, budget concerns ended the "Blue Shuttle" program, but the USAF gained the use of up to one third of all launches and the right to requisition the next available launch for high-priority payloads. It renovated an existing launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base
Vandenberg Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base, located approximately northwest of Lompoc, California. It is under the jurisdiction of the 30th Space Wing, Air Force Space Command ....
in California to send shuttles into polar orbit
Polar orbit
A polar orbit is an orbit in which a satellite passes above or nearly above both poles of the body being orbited on each revolution. It therefore has an inclination of 90 degrees to the equator...
s and established the Manned Spaceflight Control Squadron at NASA Mission Control in Houston. The squadron's personnel would monitor military shuttle flights, ahead of a future mission control center in Colorado that would monitor an expected 12 to 14 military shuttle flights each year.
MSE
Many active-duty USAF and other American military personnel have served (about 60% of the total in 1985), and continue to serve, as NASA astronauts. Although with the end of "Blue Shuttle" DoD no longer needed its own shuttle pilots and mission specialists, it still desired specially-trained military astronauts to handle classified payloadsPayload Specialist
A Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a NASA Space Shuttle mission...
on the about 100 or more shuttle flights it expected to use. While NASA offered to train the DoD astronauts the military wanted to control their training, as DoD astronauts who went to NASA rarely returned.
In 1979, the first 13 Manned Spaceflight Engineers (MSEs) were selected, chosen from all services and based at Los Angeles Air Force Base
Los Angeles Air Force Base
Los Angeles Air Force Base is a United States Air Force Base located in El Segundo, California. Los Angeles Air Force Base houses and supports the headquarters of the Air Force Space Command's Space and Missile Systems Center . The center manages research, development and acquisition of military...
:
- Frank J. Casserino
- Jeffrey E. Detroye
- Michael A. Hamel
- Terry A. Higbee
- Daryl J. Joseph
- Malcolm W. Lydon
- Gary E. Payton (flew on STS-51-CSTS-51-CSTS-51-C was the 15th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the third flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. It was also the first shuttle mission to deploy a dedicated United States Department of Defense payload, and as such many mission details remain classified...
, 1985) - Jerry J. Rij
- Paul A. Sefchek
- Eric E. Sundberg
- David M. Vidrine, USNUnited States NavyThe United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
(only non-USAF) - John B. Watterson
- Keith C. Wright
In 1982, another 14 were selected, chosen only from the USAF:
- James B. Armor, Jr.
- Michael W. Booen
- Livingston L. Holder, Jr.Livingston L. Holder, Jr.Livingston L. Holder, Jr. was a USAF astronaut in the Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program during the mid-1980s. He was assigned to fly as a payload specialist on the Space Shuttle Challenger, but the mission was canceled due to the Challenger accident in 1986.-Biography:Holder was born in Detroit,...
- Larry D. JamesLarry D. JamesLieutenant General Larry D. James is the Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance, Headquarters USAF. Lt Gen James' last command was the 14th Air Force and Joint Functional Component Command for Space from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California...
- Charles E. JonesCharles Edward JonesColonel Charles Edward Jones was a United States Air Force officer, a computer programmer, and an astronaut in the USAF Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program.-Biography:...
- Maureen C. LaComb
- Michael R. Mantz
- Randy T. Odle
- William A. PailesWilliam A. PailesWilliam Arthur Pailes was a USAF astronaut in the Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program during the mid-1980s. He served as a Payload Specialist on STS-51-J Atlantis .-Personal:...
(flew on STS-51-JSTS-51-JSTS-51-J was a NASA Space Shuttle mission. It was the first flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the 21st shuttle mission overall. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 3 October 1985, carrying a payload for the U.S...
, 1985) - Craig A. Puz
- Katherine E. Sparks Roberts
- Jess M. Sponable
- William D. Thompson
- Glenn S. Yeakel
In 1985, five more were selected:
- Joseph J. Caretto
- Robert B. Crombie
- Frank M. DeArmond
- David P. Staib, Jr.
- Teresa M. Stevens
Difficulties
The MSE program faced internal and external challenges. NASA, which early on had a "sour" relationship with the MSEs, was reluctant to assign them to its flights given their lack of NASA training and the need for spots for other payload specialists. Internal USAF debates on the usefulness of manned spaceflight to the DoD caused uncertainty for MSE personnel. New regulations in 1984 that strongly encouraged USAF personnel to move to another assignment after four years caused many early MSEs to transfer out of the program, with only nine active by late 1985.End
Even before the loss of ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger disaster
The Space Shuttle Challenger disaster occurred on January 28, 1986, when Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart 73 seconds into its flight, leading to the deaths of its seven crew members. The spacecraft disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of central Florida at 11:38 am EST...
in January 1986, ongoing launch delays caused the USAF and NRO to reduce their dependence on the shuttle to launch DoD payloads by, starting in 1984, purchasing the Titan IV
Titan IV
The Titan IV family of space boosters were used by the U.S. Air Force. They were launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Florida, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. At the time of its introduction, the Titan IV was the "largest unmanned space booster used by the Air Force."The...
unmanned rocket. Challenger accelerated these plans but several NRO payloads only the shuttle could launch were grounded until it flew again, a dilemma NRO had feared as early as the mid-1970s.
With DoD's return to unmanned rockets and less need for dedicated military astronauts, the MSE program ended in 1988 with only two MSEs having flown into space. The Houston squadron was dissolved, construction of the Colorado center ended, and the California launch site used for unmanned rockets. Only active duty-military NASA astronauts flew on subsequent missions with DoD payloads, the only exceptions being former Marine
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
Story Musgrave
Story Musgrave
Franklin Story Musgrave is an American physician and a retired NASA astronaut. He is currently a public speaker and consultant to both Disney's Imagineering group and Applied Minds in California.-Personal life:...
and former DoD scientist Kathryn C. Thornton
Kathryn C. Thornton
Kathryn Ryan Cordell Thornton is an American scientist and a former NASA astronaut with over 975 hours in space, including 21 hours of extravehicular activity...
on STS-33
STS-33
-Crew notes:S. David Griggs, the originally scheduled pilot for STS-33, died in a plane crash in June 1989, five months prior to the scheduled launch, and was replaced by John E...
.
Shuttle missions with classified payloads
- STS-4STS-4STS-4 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, using the Space Shuttle Columbia. The mission launched on 27 June 1982 and landed a week later on 4 July. STS-4 was the fourth shuttle mission overall, and was also the fourth mission for the Columbia.-Crew:...
, 1982 (non-DoD flight with classified DoD payload) - STS-51-CSTS-51-CSTS-51-C was the 15th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the third flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. It was also the first shuttle mission to deploy a dedicated United States Department of Defense payload, and as such many mission details remain classified...
, 1985 (first all-DoD flight) - STS-51-JSTS-51-JSTS-51-J was a NASA Space Shuttle mission. It was the first flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis and the 21st shuttle mission overall. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 3 October 1985, carrying a payload for the U.S...
, 1985 - STS-27STS-27STS-27 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, the 27th shuttle mission overall and the third flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. Launching on 2 December 1988 on a four-day mission, it was the second shuttle flight after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster of 1986. STS-27 carried a classified payload for...
, 1988 - STS-28STS-28STS-28 was the 30th NASA Space Shuttle mission, the fourth shuttle mission dedicated to United States Department of Defense purposes, and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle Columbia. The mission launched on 8 August 1989, lasted just over 5 days, and traveled 2.1 million miles during 81 orbits...
, 1989 - STS-33STS-33-Crew notes:S. David Griggs, the originally scheduled pilot for STS-33, died in a plane crash in June 1989, five months prior to the scheduled launch, and was replaced by John E...
, 1989 - STS-36STS-36STS-36 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense into orbit. STS-36 was the 34th shuttle mission overall, the sixth flight for Atlantis, and the fourth night launch of the shuttle program...
, 1990 - STS-38STS-38-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Payload: Magnum ELINT satellite ~ **Booster: IUS upper stage ~ **Total: ~ *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 87.5 min-Preparations and Launch:...
, 1990 - STS-39STS-39-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 57.0°*Period: 89.6 min-Mission highlights:...
, 1991 (first unclassified DoD flight; only one payload was classified) - STS-44STS-44-Mission parameters:**Launch: **Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 91.9 minutes-Mission highlights:The launch was on 24 November 1991 at 6:44:00 pm EST...
, 1991 (the payload was unclassified before launch) - STS-53STS-53-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 57.0°*Period: 92.0 min-Mission highlights:...
, 1992