Reported by Scott Harris
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -- This next shuttle mission is crucial for the construction of the International Space Station, and Endeavour’s astronauts have been through some extensive training to make sure it’s a success.
With only five space shuttle missions remaining, NASA had some tough decisions on naming crewmembers for the final flights.
Most of the astronauts on the last missions are veterans of spaceflight.
IN DEPTH
Endeavour’s Mission | STS-130 Facts
Mission STS-130 is being led by Commander George Zamka, who said he is very happy with his crewmembers.
“They are a very special group of people,” Zamka said.
Pilot Terry Virts is the lone crewmember making his first trip into space.
“Colonel Virts, from the Air Force, Terry [is an] excellent pilot,” Zamka said. “He knows his side of the cockpit inside and out, so he’s a great person to be sitting up in the front with me.”
Mission Specialists
1. Kathryn “Kay” Hire
“She’s also a captain in the Navy reserves,” Zamka explained. “She’s a very organized and meticulous person, and a great source of information. In fact, I have a nickname for her: That’s ‘Rogue,’ which stands for ‘retainer of all gouge’ -- gouge is a navy term for ‘information’ -- but she knows basically everything about everything.”
2. Steve Robinson
“He’s our heavy flight-experienced astronaut,” Zamka said of Robinson, who is making his fourth spaceflight. “He’s also a genius in aerodynamics and airplanes, and also in safety.”
“He’s had the safety job in our office for quite a while,” the commander continued. “He’s a great source about questions and judgment, and just about everything. He’ll be the person conducting the spacewalks from the flight deck of Endeavour.”
3. Nick Patrick
“He’s going to be EV-2 [second spacewalker], and Nick, when you talk to him and you realize he’s from a different system -- he was born in Great Britian,” Zamka said. “He’s wonderful for offering a different perspective on things. I value that greatly.”
4. Bob Behnken
“Our lead spacewalker, he’s EV-1,” Zamka said. “Very smart and gifted individual, a great communicator. I trust him to do everything with spacewalks, including working with other organizations, and communicating and making training decisions.”
More About the Crew
» Explore Atlantis’ Mission, then under Mission, select Crew to learn more about the astronauts.
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