Payload Specialist
Encyclopedia
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. People assigned as Payload Specialists included individuals selected by the research community, a company or consortia flying a commercial payload aboard the spacecraft
, and non-NASA astronauts designated by international partners.
The term refers to both the individual and to the position on the Shuttle crew.
. They were not required to be United States
citizens, but had to be approved by NASA and undergo rigorous training. In contrast, a Space Shuttle Mission Specialist
was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate
first and then assigned to a mission.
Payload Specialists on early missions were technical experts to accompany specific payloads such as a commercial or scientific satellite. On Spacelab
and other missions with science components, payload specialists were scientists with expertise in specific experiments. The term also applied to representatives from partner nations who were given the opportunity of a first flight on board of the Space Shuttle (such as Saudi Arabia and Mexico), and to Congressmen and the Teacher in Space program.
Other positions on board Space Shuttle were Mission Commander
, Pilot
, and Mission Specialist
. Contrary to other Shuttle crew, international or scientific Payload Specialists were generally assigned a back-up who trained alongside the primary Payload Specialist and would replace him/her in the event of illness or other disability.
Payload Specialists were flown from 1983 (STS-9
) to 2003 (STS-107
). The last flown payload specialist was the first Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon
on board STS-107
, who was killed in the Columbia disaster
with the rest of the crew.
Ulf Merbold
, Byron K. Lichtenberg
(first payload specialists, Ulf Merbold was the first international (German) payload specialist)
Charles Walker
Marc Garneau
, Paul D. Scully-Power
(Garneau was the first Canadian in space, Scully-Power the first Australian)
Gary Payton
(first military payload specialist
)
Charles Walker, Jake Garn
(first legislative branch payload specialist)
Lodewijk van den Berg
, Taylor G. Wang
Patrick Baudry
, Sultan Salman Al Saud (two international payload specialists)
Loren W. Acton, John-David F. Bartoe
William A. Pailes
Reinhard Furrer, Ernst Messerschmid, Wubbo Ockels
(three international payload specialists, most payload specialists on a single flight)
Rodolfo Neri Vela
, Charles Walker (third and final flight of Charles Walker, Neri Vela was the first Mexican in space)
Robert J. Cenker
, Bill Nelson
Gregory Jarvis
, Christa McAuliffe
(killed in the Challenger disaster)
Samuel T. Durrance
, Ronald A. Parise
(first post-Challenger payload specialists)
F. Drew Gaffney
, Millie Hughes-Fulford
Thomas J. Hennen
Roberta L. Bondar, Ulf Merbold
Byron K. Lichtenberg
, Dirk D. Frimout (first Belgian in space)
Lawrence J. DeLucas
, Eugene H. Trinh
Franco Malerba
(first Italian in space)
Mamoru Mohri
(first Japanese astronaut on board the Shuttle)
Steven MacLean
Ulrich Walter
, Hans Schlegel
Martin Fettman
Chiaki Mukai
Samuel T. Durrance
, Ronald A. Parise
Fred W. Leslie, Albert Sacco Jr.
Umberto Guidoni
Jean-Jacques Favier
, Robert Brent Thirsk
Roger Crouch, Greg Linteris
Roger Crouch, Greg Linteris (Mission reflight)
Bjarni Tryggvason
Leonid Kadeniuk
(Ukrainian payload specialist)
Jay C. Buckey
, James A. Pawelczyk (Final Spacelab mission)
Chiaki Mukai
, John H. Glenn (Last American payload specialist)
Ilan Ramon
(first Israeli in space, last payload specialist, killed in the Columbia disaster)
Wubbo Ockels
, Michael Lampton
Robert Thirsk
George W. Simon, Diane K. Prinz
Ulf Merbold
Joseph M. Prahl, Albert Sacco
Jean-Jacques Favier
David H. Matthiesen, R. Glynn Holt
Pedro Duque
, Luca Urbani
Paul Ronney
Paul Ronney
Alexander W. Dunlap, Chiaki Mukai
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission. People assigned as Payload Specialists included individuals selected by the research community, a company or consortia flying a commercial payload aboard the spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
, and non-NASA astronauts designated by international partners.
The term refers to both the individual and to the position on the Shuttle crew.
History
Payload Specialists were generally selected for a single specific mission and were chosen outside the standard NASA astronaut selection processNASA Astronaut Corps
The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions.-History:...
. They were not required to be United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
citizens, but had to be approved by NASA and undergo rigorous training. In contrast, a Space Shuttle Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
was selected as a NASA astronaut candidate
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
first and then assigned to a mission.
Payload Specialists on early missions were technical experts to accompany specific payloads such as a commercial or scientific satellite. On Spacelab
Spacelab
Spacelab was a reusable laboratory used on certain spaceflights flown by the Space Shuttle. The laboratory consisted of multiple components, including a pressurized module, an unpressurized carrier and other related hardware housed in the Shuttle's cargo bay...
and other missions with science components, payload specialists were scientists with expertise in specific experiments. The term also applied to representatives from partner nations who were given the opportunity of a first flight on board of the Space Shuttle (such as Saudi Arabia and Mexico), and to Congressmen and the Teacher in Space program.
Other positions on board Space Shuttle were Mission Commander
Commander
Commander is a naval rank which is also sometimes used as a military title depending on the individual customs of a given military service. Commander is also used as a rank or title in some organizations outside of the armed forces, particularly in police and law enforcement.-Commander as a naval...
, Pilot
Aviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
, and Mission Specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
. Contrary to other Shuttle crew, international or scientific Payload Specialists were generally assigned a back-up who trained alongside the primary Payload Specialist and would replace him/her in the event of illness or other disability.
Payload Specialists were flown from 1983 (STS-9
STS-9
STS-9 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission which carried the first Spacelab module into orbit to conduct space-based scientific experiments. It was the sixth mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and was Columbia's last flight until STS-61-C in January 1986...
) to 2003 (STS-107
STS-107
-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Liftoff: **Orbiter Landing: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 90.1 min- Insignia :...
). The last flown payload specialist was the first Israeli astronaut Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut....
on board STS-107
STS-107
-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Liftoff: **Orbiter Landing: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 90.1 min- Insignia :...
, who was killed in the Columbia disaster
Space Shuttle Columbia disaster
The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas and Louisiana during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members...
with the rest of the crew.
Pre-Challenger
- STS-9STS-9STS-9 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission which carried the first Spacelab module into orbit to conduct space-based scientific experiments. It was the sixth mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and was Columbia's last flight until STS-61-C in January 1986...
Ulf Merbold
Ulf Merbold
Dr. Ulf Dietrich Merbold is the first West German citizen and second German native to have flown in space. He is also the first member of the European Space Agency Astronaut Corps to participate in a spaceflight mission. He holds the distinction of being the first non-US citizen to reach orbit in...
, Byron K. Lichtenberg
Byron K. Lichtenberg
Byron Kurt Lichtenberg, Sc. D. is an American engineer and fighter pilot who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a Payload Specialist. In 1983, he and Ulf Merbold became the first Payload Specialists to fly on the shuttle.-Personal:Born February 19, 1948 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania...
(first payload specialists, Ulf Merbold was the first international (German) payload specialist)
- STS-41-DSTS-41-DSTS-41-D was the first flight of NASA's Space Shuttle orbiter Discovery. It was the 12th mission of the Space Shuttle program, and was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 30 August 1984...
Charles Walker
- STS-41-GSTS-41-GSTS 41-G was the 13th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the sixth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger. Challenger launched on 5 October 1984, and conducted the second shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center on 13 October...
Marc Garneau
Marc Garneau
Joseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau, CC CD FCASI MP is a Canadian retired military officer, former astronaut, engineer and politician.Garneau was the first Canadian in space taking part in three flights aboard NASA Space shuttles...
, Paul D. Scully-Power
Paul D. Scully-Power
Paul Desmond Scully-Power AM is an American oceanographer. While a civilian employee of the United States Naval Undersea Warfare Center, he flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-41-G as a Payload Specialist. He was the first Australian-born person to journey into space.-Personal :Scully-Power...
(Garneau was the first Canadian in space, Scully-Power the first Australian)
- 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...
Gary Payton
Gary Payton (astronaut)
Colonel Gary Eugene Payton, USAF, is a former American astronaut.-Education:Payton graduated from high school in Rock Island, Illinois, in 1966. He went on to attended Bradley University, in Peoria, Illinois...
(first military payload specialist
Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program
The Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program was an effort by the United States Air Force to train American military personnel as payload specialists for Department of Defense missions on the Space Shuttle program.-Background:...
)
- STS-51-DSTS-51-DSTS-51-D was the sixteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fourth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. The launch of STS-51-D from Kennedy Space Center , Florida, on 12 April 1985 was delayed by 55 minutes, after a boat strayed into the restricted Solid Rocket Booster recovery zone...
Charles Walker, Jake Garn
Jake Garn
Edwin Jacob "Jake" Garn is an American politician, a member of the Republican Party, and served as a U.S. Senator representing Utah from 1974 to 1993...
(first legislative branch payload specialist)
- STS-51-BSTS-51-BSTS 51-B was the seventeenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the seventh flight of Space Shuttle Challenger. The launch of Challenger on 29 April 1985 was delayed by 2 minutes and 18 seconds, due to a launch processing failure. Challenger was initially rolled out to the pad to launch on...
Lodewijk van den Berg
Lodewijk van den Berg
Lodewijk van den Berg is a Dutch American chemical engineer, specializing in crystal growth, who flew on a 1985 Space Shuttle Challenger mission as a Payload Specialist....
, Taylor G. Wang
- STS-51-GSTS-51-GSTS-51-G was the eighteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fifth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 17 June 1985...
Patrick Baudry
Patrick Baudry
Patrick Pierre Roger Baudry , is a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the French Air Force and a former CNES astronaut...
, Sultan Salman Al Saud (two international payload specialists)
- STS-51-FSTS-51-FSTS-51-F was the nineteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger...
Loren W. Acton, John-David F. Bartoe
John-David F. Bartoe
John-David Francis Bartoe is an American astrophysicist. He is the Research Manager for the International Space Station at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He provides oversight for the Program Manager concerning the research capability, research hardware, and research plans of the ISS...
- 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...
William A. Pailes
William A. Pailes
William 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:...
- STS-61-ASTS-61-ASTS-61-A was the 22nd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. It was a scientific Spacelab mission, funded and directed by West Germany – hence the non-NASA designation of D-1 . STS-61-A was the last successful mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was destroyed during STS-51-L in 1986...
Reinhard Furrer, Ernst Messerschmid, Wubbo Ockels
Wubbo Ockels
Prof. Dr. Wubbo Johannes Ockels is a Dutch physicist and a former ESA astronaut. In 1985 he participated in a flight on a space shuttle , making him the first Dutch citizen in space. He was not the first Dutch-born astronaut, as he is preceded by the naturalized American Lodewijk van den Berg, who...
(three international payload specialists, most payload specialists on a single flight)
- STS-61-BSTS-61-BSTS-61-B was NASA's 23rd Space Shuttle mission, and its second using Space Shuttle Atlantis. The shuttle was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 26 November 1985. During STS-61-B, the shuttle crew deployed three communications satellites, and tested techniques of constructing...
Rodolfo Neri Vela
Rodolfo Neri Vela
Rodolfo Neri Vela is a Mexican scientist and astronaut who flow aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission in 1985. He is the first and only Mexican, and then the second Latin-American, to have traveled to space.-Personal :...
, Charles Walker (third and final flight of Charles Walker, Neri Vela was the first Mexican in space)
- STS-61-CSTS-61-C-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter liftoff: **Orbiter landing: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 91.2 min-Mission background:...
Robert J. Cenker
Robert J. Cenker
Robert Joseph Cenker is an engineer and aerospace systems consultant who flew aboard Space Shuttle mission STS-61-C as Payload Specialist for RCA.-Personal :...
, Bill Nelson
Bill Nelson
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson is the senior United States Senator from the state of Florida and a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former U.S. Representative and former Treasurer and Insurance Commissioner of Florida...
- STS-51-LSTS-51-LSTS-51-L was the twenty-fifth flight of the American Space Shuttle program, which marked the first time an ordinary civilian, schoolteacher Christa McAuliffe, had flown aboard the Space Shuttle. The mission used Space Shuttle Challenger, which lifted off from the Launch Complex 39-B on 28 January...
Gregory Jarvis
Gregory Jarvis
Gregory Bruce Jarvis was an American engineer who died during the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L, where he was serving as Payload Specialist.-Education:...
, Christa McAuliffe
Christa McAuliffe
Christa McAuliffe was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire, and was one of the seven crew members killed in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster....
(killed in the Challenger disaster)
From Challenger to Columbia
- STS-35STS-35-Crew notes:Prior to the Challenger disaster, this mission was slated to launch in March 1986 as STS-61-E. Jon McBride was originally assigned to command this mission, which would have been his second spaceflight. He chose to retire from NASA in May 1989 and was replaced as mission commander by...
Samuel T. Durrance
Samuel T. Durrance
Samuel Thornton Durrance is an American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist.-Background:Durrance was born September 17, 1943, in Tallahassee, Florida, but considers Tampa, Florida his hometown...
, Ronald A. Parise
Ronald A. Parise
Ronald Anthony Parise, Ph.D. was an Italian American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist....
(first post-Challenger payload specialists)
- STS-40STS-40-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 90.4 min-Mission highlights:Launch originally set for 22 May 1991...
F. Drew Gaffney
F. Drew Gaffney
Francis Andrew "Drew" Gaffney, M.D. is an American doctor who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist.-Biography:Gaffney was born June 9, 1946, in Carlsbad, New Mexico. He is married to Elizabeth Burgo Sims of Berkeley, California...
, Millie Hughes-Fulford
Millie Hughes-Fulford
Millie Elizabeth Hughes-Fulford is an American medical investigator and molecular biologist who flew aboard a NASA Space Shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist.-Background:Hughes-Fulford was born December 21, 1945, in Mineral Wells, Texas...
- 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...
Thomas J. Hennen
Thomas J. Hennen
Thomas John Hennen is an American military officer who flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-44 as a Payload Specialist.-Personal:...
- STS-42STS-42STS-42 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission with the Spacelab module. Liftoff which was originally scheduled for 8:45 EST 22 January 1992, but the launch was delayed due to weather constraints. Discovery successfully lifted off an hour later at 9:52 EST . The main goal of the mission was to study...
Roberta L. Bondar, Ulf Merbold
Ulf Merbold
Dr. Ulf Dietrich Merbold is the first West German citizen and second German native to have flown in space. He is also the first member of the European Space Agency Astronaut Corps to participate in a spaceflight mission. He holds the distinction of being the first non-US citizen to reach orbit in...
- STS-45STS-45STS-45 was a 1992 spaceflight using Space Shuttle Atlantis.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 57.0°*Period: 90.3 min...
Byron K. Lichtenberg
Byron K. Lichtenberg
Byron Kurt Lichtenberg, Sc. D. is an American engineer and fighter pilot who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a Payload Specialist. In 1983, he and Ulf Merbold became the first Payload Specialists to fly on the shuttle.-Personal:Born February 19, 1948 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania...
, Dirk D. Frimout (first Belgian in space)
- STS-50STS-50-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.6 min- Mission highlights:...
Lawrence J. DeLucas
Lawrence J. DeLucas
James "Larry" DeLucas is an American biochemist who flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-50 as a Payload Specialist. He was born on July 11, 1950 in Syracuse, New York, and is currently married with three children...
, Eugene H. Trinh
Eugene H. Trinh
Eugene Huu-Chau "Gene" Trinh is a Vietnamese-American biochemist who flew aboard NASA Space Shuttle mission STS-50 as a Payload Specialist. He is the first Vietnamese-French-American to travel into outer space.-Biography:Born in Saigon, South Vietnam, Trinh moved with his parents to Paris,...
- STS-46STS-46STS-46 was a NASA space shuttle mission using orbiter Atlantis and launched on 31 July 1992 at 9:56:48 am EDT.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee:...
Franco Malerba
Franco Malerba
Franco Egidio Malerba is an Italian astronaut. He was the first citizen of Italy to travel to space....
(first Italian in space)
- STS-47STS-47STS-47 was the 50th Space Shuttle mission of the program, as well as the second mission of Space Shuttle Endeavour. The mission mainly involved conducting experiments in life and material sciences.-Crew:-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:* Mass:...
Mamoru Mohri
Mamoru Mohri
is a Japanese scientist, a former NASDA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA space shuttle missions.-Biography:Born in Yoichi, Hokkaidō, Japan, Mohri earned degrees in chemistry from Hokkaido University and a Doctorate from Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1976.Most of Mohri's...
(first Japanese astronaut on board the Shuttle)
- STS-52STS-52-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.6 min-Mission highlights:...
Steven MacLean
Steven MacLean (astronaut)
Steven Glenwood MacLean is a Canadian astronaut. He is the current President of the Canadian Space Agency, appointed on September 1, 2008....
- STS-55STS-55-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.7 min-Mission highlights:...
Ulrich Walter
Ulrich Walter
Prof. Dr. Ulrich Hans Walter is a German physicist/engineer and a former DFVLR astronaut.Walter was born in Iserlohn, Germany. After finishing secondary school there and two years in the Bundeswehr, he studied physics at the University of Cologne...
, Hans Schlegel
Hans Schlegel
Hans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:...
- STS-58STS-58STS-58 shuttle mission of Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 18 October 1993. It was also the last time Columbia would land at Edwards Air Force Base.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:...
Martin Fettman
- STS-65STS-65STS-65 is a Space Shuttle program mission of Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 8 July 1994. The flight was commanded by Robert D...
Chiaki Mukai
Chiaki Mukai
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...
- STS-67STS-67STS-67 was a human spaceflight mission using that launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 2 March 1995.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: payload*Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 91.5 min...
Samuel T. Durrance
Samuel T. Durrance
Samuel Thornton Durrance is an American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist.-Background:Durrance was born September 17, 1943, in Tallahassee, Florida, but considers Tampa, Florida his hometown...
, Ronald A. Parise
Ronald A. Parise
Ronald Anthony Parise, Ph.D. was an Italian American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist....
- STS-73STS-73STS-73 was a Space Shuttle program mission, during October–November 1995. The mission was the second mission for the United States Microgravity Laboratory. The crew, who spent 16 days in space, were broken up into 2 teams, the red team and the blue team...
Fred W. Leslie, Albert Sacco Jr.
- STS-75STS-75STS-75 was a United States Space Shuttle mission, the 19th mission of the Columbia orbiter.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: payload*Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.5 min-Mission objective:...
Umberto Guidoni
Umberto Guidoni
Umberto Guidoni is an Italian politician and a former ESA astronaut. He is a veteran of two NASA space shuttle missions...
- STS-78STS-78STS-78 was the fifth dedicated Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission for the Space Shuttle program, flown partly in preparation for the International Space Station project...
Jean-Jacques Favier
Jean-Jacques Favier
Jean-Jacques Favier is a French engineer and a former CNES astronaut who flew aboard the STS-78 NASA Space Shuttle mission.-Personal data:Born in Kehl, Germany, he later married Michèle Jean. They have four children...
, Robert Brent Thirsk
- STS-83STS-83STS-83 was a mission of the United States Space Shuttle Columbia.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Landing with payload: **MSL-1 Spacelab Module: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°...
Roger Crouch, Greg Linteris
- STS-94STS-94STS-94 was a mission of the United States Space Shuttle Columbia, launched on 1 July 1997.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Landing with payload: **MSL-1 Spacelab Module: *Perigee: *Apogee:...
Roger Crouch, Greg Linteris (Mission reflight)
- STS-85STS-85STS-85 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission to perform multiple space science packages. It was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 7 August 1997.-Crew:-Crew notes:...
Bjarni Tryggvason
- STS-87STS-87STS-87 was a Space Shuttle mission launched from KSC pad 39-B on 19 November 1997. It was the 88th flight of the Space Shuttle, and the 24th flight of Columbia...
Leonid Kadeniuk
Leonid Kadeniuk
Leonid Kostyantynovych Kadenyuk , born 28 January 1951 in Klishkivtsi, Chernivtsi Oblast of the Ukrainian SSR) is the only astronaut of independent Ukraine. He made his flight on NASA's Columbia in 1997 as part of the international mission STS-87. Kadeniuk holds the rank of Ukrainian Air Force...
(Ukrainian payload specialist)
- STS-90STS-90-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 89.7 min-Mission highlights:...
Jay C. Buckey
Jay C. Buckey
Jay Clark Buckey, Jr. is an American physician, engineer, and astronaut who flew aboard one space shuttle mission as a Payload Specialist. Buckey briefly ran for the Democratic nomination to challenge New Hampshire Senator John E. Sununu, a first term Republican, when he was up for re-election...
, James A. Pawelczyk (Final Spacelab mission)
- STS-95STS-95STS-95 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 29 October 1998. It was the 25th flight of Discovery and the 92nd mission flown since the start of the Space Shuttle program in April 1981. It was a highly publicized mission due to former Project Mercury...
Chiaki Mukai
Chiaki Mukai
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...
, John H. Glenn (Last American payload specialist)
- STS-107STS-107-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Liftoff: **Orbiter Landing: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 90.1 min- Insignia :...
Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon was a fighter pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut....
(first Israeli in space, last payload specialist, killed in the Columbia disaster)
Alternate and back-up (not flown) Payload Specialists
This section needs to be completed- STS-9STS-9STS-9 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission which carried the first Spacelab module into orbit to conduct space-based scientific experiments. It was the sixth mission of the Space Shuttle Columbia, and was Columbia's last flight until STS-61-C in January 1986...
Wubbo Ockels
Wubbo Ockels
Prof. Dr. Wubbo Johannes Ockels is a Dutch physicist and a former ESA astronaut. In 1985 he participated in a flight on a space shuttle , making him the first Dutch citizen in space. He was not the first Dutch-born astronaut, as he is preceded by the naturalized American Lodewijk van den Berg, who...
, Michael Lampton
- STS-41-GSTS-41-GSTS 41-G was the 13th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program and the sixth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger. Challenger launched on 5 October 1984, and conducted the second shuttle landing at Kennedy Space Center on 13 October...
Robert Thirsk
Robert Thirsk
Robert Brent "Bob" Thirsk is a Canadian engineer and physician, and a former Canadian Space Agency astronaut. He holds the Canadian records for the longest space flight and the most time spent in space .-Personal life:Thirsk is from New Westminster, British Columbia and is married to Brenda...
- STS-51-FSTS-51-FSTS-51-F was the nineteenth flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the eighth flight of Space Shuttle Challenger...
George W. Simon, Diane K. Prinz
- STS-61-ASTS-61-ASTS-61-A was the 22nd mission of NASA's Space Shuttle program. It was a scientific Spacelab mission, funded and directed by West Germany – hence the non-NASA designation of D-1 . STS-61-A was the last successful mission of the Space Shuttle Challenger, which was destroyed during STS-51-L in 1986...
Ulf Merbold
Ulf Merbold
Dr. Ulf Dietrich Merbold is the first West German citizen and second German native to have flown in space. He is also the first member of the European Space Agency Astronaut Corps to participate in a spaceflight mission. He holds the distinction of being the first non-US citizen to reach orbit in...
- STS-50STS-50-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 90.6 min- Mission highlights:...
Joseph M. Prahl, Albert Sacco
Albert Sacco
Albert Sacco, Jr. is an American chemical engineer who flew as a Payload Specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia on shuttle mission STS-73 in 1995....
- STS-65STS-65STS-65 is a Space Shuttle program mission of Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, 8 July 1994. The flight was commanded by Robert D...
Jean-Jacques Favier
Jean-Jacques Favier
Jean-Jacques Favier is a French engineer and a former CNES astronaut who flew aboard the STS-78 NASA Space Shuttle mission.-Personal data:Born in Kehl, Germany, he later married Michèle Jean. They have four children...
- STS-73STS-73STS-73 was a Space Shuttle program mission, during October–November 1995. The mission was the second mission for the United States Microgravity Laboratory. The crew, who spent 16 days in space, were broken up into 2 teams, the red team and the blue team...
David H. Matthiesen, R. Glynn Holt
- STS-78STS-78STS-78 was the fifth dedicated Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission for the Space Shuttle program, flown partly in preparation for the International Space Station project...
Pedro Duque
Pedro Duque
Pedro Duque Duque is a Spanish astronaut and a veteran of two space missions.Duque earned a degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Universidad Politécnica de Madrid in 1986. He worked for GMV and for the European Space Agency for six years before being selected as an astronaut candidate in...
, Luca Urbani
Luca Urbani
Luca Urbani was born May 11, 1957, in Rome, Italy. He was an ASI astronaut and was assigned as an alternate payload specialist for mission STS-78.-Personal :...
- STS-83STS-83STS-83 was a mission of the United States Space Shuttle Columbia.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Landing with payload: **MSL-1 Spacelab Module: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°...
Paul Ronney
- STS-94STS-94STS-94 was a mission of the United States Space Shuttle Columbia, launched on 1 July 1997.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter Landing with payload: **MSL-1 Spacelab Module: *Perigee: *Apogee:...
Paul Ronney
- STS-90STS-90-Backup crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 89.7 min-Mission highlights:...
Alexander W. Dunlap, Chiaki Mukai
Chiaki Mukai
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...
Multiple flights
| Flights | Payload specialist |
| 3 | Charles Walker |
| 2 | Ulf Merbold Ulf Merbold Dr. Ulf Dietrich Merbold is the first West German citizen and second German native to have flown in space. He is also the first member of the European Space Agency Astronaut Corps to participate in a spaceflight mission. He holds the distinction of being the first non-US citizen to reach orbit in... , Byron K. Lichtenberg Byron K. Lichtenberg Byron Kurt Lichtenberg, Sc. D. is an American engineer and fighter pilot who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a Payload Specialist. In 1983, he and Ulf Merbold became the first Payload Specialists to fly on the shuttle.-Personal:Born February 19, 1948 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania... , Samuel T. Durrance Samuel T. Durrance Samuel Thornton Durrance is an American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist.-Background:Durrance was born September 17, 1943, in Tallahassee, Florida, but considers Tampa, Florida his hometown... , Ronald A. Parise Ronald A. Parise Ronald Anthony Parise, Ph.D. was an Italian American scientist who flew aboard two NASA Space Shuttle missions as a payload specialist.... , Chiaki Mukai Chiaki Mukai 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... , Roger Crouch, Greg Linteris |
| # of payload specialists flights | Country |
| 36 |  United States The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... |
| 6 |  Germany Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... |
| 5 |  Canada Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean... |
| 3 |  Japan Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south... |
| 2 |  France The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... |
| 2 |  Italy Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and... |
| 1 |  Saudi Arabia The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia , commonly known in British English as Saudi Arabia and in Arabic as as-Sa‘ūdiyyah , is the largest state in Western Asia by land area, constituting the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and the second-largest in the Arab World... |
| 1 |  |
| 1 |  Mexico The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of... |
| 1 |  Belgium Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many... |
| 1 |  Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia... |
| 1 |  Israel The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea... |
| Total | 60 Payload Specialist flight opportunities |
Payload Specialists who trained later as Mission Specialists
All were international astronauts.- Marc GarneauMarc GarneauJoseph Jean-Pierre Marc Garneau, CC CD FCASI MP is a Canadian retired military officer, former astronaut, engineer and politician.Garneau was the first Canadian in space taking part in three flights aboard NASA Space shuttles...
- flew on STS-97STS-97STS-97 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. The crew installed the first set of solar arrays to the ISS, prepared a docking port for arrival of the Destiny Laboratory Module, and delivered supplies for the station's crew.-Crew:-Mission... - Mamoru MohriMamoru Mohriis a Japanese scientist, a former NASDA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA space shuttle missions.-Biography:Born in Yoichi, Hokkaidō, Japan, Mohri earned degrees in chemistry from Hokkaido University and a Doctorate from Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia, in 1976.Most of Mohri's...
- flew on STS-99STS-99STS-99 was a Space Shuttle Endeavour mission, that launched on 11 February 2000 from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The primary objective of the mission was the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission project.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:... - Steven MacLeanSteven MacLean (astronaut)Steven Glenwood MacLean is a Canadian astronaut. He is the current President of the Canadian Space Agency, appointed on September 1, 2008....
- flew on STS-115STS-115Note:The P3/P4 Truss segment and batteries were so heavy that the crew count was reduced from seven to six.-Crew notes:... - Hans SchlegelHans SchlegelHans Wilhelm Schlegel is a German physicist, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of two NASA Space Shuttle missions.-Early life and education:...
- flew on STS-122STS-122STS-122 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station , flown by the Space Shuttle Atlantis. STS-122 marked the 24th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 121st space shuttle flight since STS-1.... - Umberto GuidoniUmberto GuidoniUmberto Guidoni is an Italian politician and a former ESA astronaut. He is a veteran of two NASA space shuttle missions...
- flew on STS-100STS-100STS-100 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour. STS-100 installed the ISS Canadarm2 robotic arm.- Crew :- Mission parameters :* Mass:** Orbiter liftoff:... - Robert ThirskRobert ThirskRobert Brent "Bob" Thirsk is a Canadian engineer and physician, and a former Canadian Space Agency astronaut. He holds the Canadian records for the longest space flight and the most time spent in space .-Personal life:Thirsk is from New Westminster, British Columbia and is married to Brenda...
- flew on Soyuz TMA-15Soyuz TMA-15Soyuz TMA-15 was a manned spaceflight to the International Space Station. Part of the Soyuz programme, it transported three members of the Expedition 20 crew to the space station. TMA-15 was the 102nd manned flight of a Soyuz spacecraft, since Soyuz 1 in 1967. The Soyuz spacecraft remain docked to... - Bjarni Tryggvason - retired in June 2008 without flying again