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{{Short description|Person trained for flights of a specific payload on a NASA Space Shuttle mission}}
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[[File:Leonid Kadenyuk.jpg|thumb|Ukrainian astronaut [[Leonid Kadenyuk]] seen with a [[United States Astronaut Badge|badge]] of payload specialist on the left side of his chest]]
|Image = <div style="position:relative; top:0px; left:0px; {{Transform-rotate|7|display=block}}">[[File:Leonid_Kadenyuk.jpg]]</div>

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|Description = The [[United States Astronaut Badge|badge]] of payload specialist and [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] [[astronaut]] [[Leonid Kadenyuk]].
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A '''payload specialist''' ('''PS''') was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific [[Payload (air and space craft)|payload]] on a [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle]] mission. People assigned as payload specialists included individuals selected by the research community, a company or consortium flying a commercial payload aboard the [[spacecraft]], and non-NASA [[astronauts]] designated by international partners.
A '''payload specialist''' ('''PS''') was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific [[Payload (air and space craft)|payload]] on a [[NASA]] [[Space Shuttle]] mission. People assigned as payload specialists included individuals selected by the research community, a company or consortium 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.
The term refers to both the individual and to the position on the Shuttle crew.
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==History==
== History ==
{{main|Astronaut ranks and positions}}
{{Main|Astronaut ranks and positions}}


The [[National Aeronautics and Space Act]] of 1958 states that NASA should provide the "widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof". The Naugle panel of 1982 concluded that carrying civilians—those not part of the [[NASA Astronaut Corps]]—on the [[Space Shuttle]] was part of "the purpose of adding to the public's understanding of space flight".{{r|pincus19860305}}
The [[National Aeronautics and Space Act]] of 1958 states that NASA should provide the "widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof". The Naugle panel of 1982 concluded that carrying civilians—those not part of the [[NASA Astronaut Corps]]—on the [[Space Shuttle]] was part of "the purpose of adding to the public's understanding of space flight".{{r|pincus19860305}}


Payload specialists usually fly for a single specific mission. Chosen outside the standard NASA [[mission specialist]] selection process, they are exempt from certain NASA requirements such as colorblindness. [[Roger Crouch]]<ref name="nasacrouch">{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Debbie |title=The Power of Persistence |url=https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/home/F_The_Power_of_Persistence_K-4.html |access-date=2020-06-21 |website=NASA |language=en}}</ref> and [[Ulf Merbold]] are examples of those who flew in space despite not meeting NASA physical requirements;{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|63}} the agency's director of crew training Jim Bilodeau said in April 1981 "we'll be able to take everybody but the walking wounded".<ref name="stevens19810406">{{Cite news |last=Stevens |first=William K. |last2=Times |first2=Special To the New York |date=1981-04-06 |title=New Generation of Astronauts Poised for Shuttle Era |language=en-US |page=A1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/06/us/new-generation-of-astronauts-poised-for-shuttle-era.html |access-date=2020-07-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Payload specialists were not required to be [[United States citizen]]s, but had to be approved by NASA and undergo rigorous but shorter training. In contrast, a Space Shuttle mission specialist was selected as a NASA astronaut first and then assigned to a mission.
Payload specialists usually fly for a single specific mission. Chosen outside the standard NASA [[mission specialist]] selection process, they are exempt from certain NASA requirements such as colorblindness. [[Roger Crouch]]<ref name="nasacrouch">{{Cite web |last=Collins |first=Debbie |title=The Power of Persistence |url=https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/home/F_The_Power_of_Persistence_K-4.html |access-date=2020-06-21 |website=NASA |language=en}}</ref> and [[Ulf Merbold]] are examples of those who flew in space despite not meeting NASA physical requirements;{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|63}} the agency's director of crew training Jim Bilodeau said in April 1981 "we'll be able to take everybody but the walking wounded".<ref name="stevens19810406">{{Cite news |last1=Stevens |first1=William K. |last2=Times |first2=Special To the New York |date=1981-04-06 |title=New Generation of Astronauts Poised for Shuttle Era |language=en-US |page=A1 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1981/04/06/us/new-generation-of-astronauts-poised-for-shuttle-era.html |access-date=2020-07-14 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Payload specialists were not required to be [[United States citizen]]s, but had to be approved by NASA and undergo rigorous but shorter training. In contrast, a Space Shuttle mission specialist was selected as a NASA astronaut first and then assigned to a mission.


Payload specialists on early missions were technical experts to join 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.
Payload specialists on early missions were technical experts to join 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), to Congressmen and the Teacher in Space program. [[Under Secretary of the Air Force]] [[Edward C. Aldridge Jr.]] was offered a seat to improve relations between NASA and the [[United States Air Force]].


NASA expected to also fly "citizen astronauts", ordinary Americans who could describe space to others. In August 1984 President [[Ronald Reagan]] announced the [[Teacher in Space Project]], the first such program. NASA expected to fly reporters ([[Journalist in Space Project]]), entertainers, and creative types later.<ref name="boffey19841109">{{Cite news |last=Boffey |first=Philip M. |date=1984-11-09 |title=A Space Inspection |language=en-US |page=A29 |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/09/us/a-space-inspection.html |access-date=2020-10-01 |issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
NASA categorized full-time international astronauts as payload specialists unless they received NASA mission specialist training, which some did.{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|63}} Bilodeau estimated that payload specialists would receive a couple of hundred hours of training over four or five weeks.{{r|stevens19810406}} 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. Both primary and backup payload specialists received mission-specific and general training. [[Michael Lampton]] estimated that about 20% of his training was general, including [[firefighter]] school, [[capsule communicator]] duty, and use of [[Personal Egress Air Pack]]s and the [[space toilet]]. He described training for Spacelab 1 as "going back to graduate school but majoring in everything"; as the first mission it tested Spacelab's versatility in "medical, metallurgical, remote sensing, astronomy, microgravity, lots more".{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|59-60}}

NASA categorized full-time international astronauts as payload specialists unless they received NASA mission specialist training, which some did.{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|63}} Bilodeau estimated that payload specialists would receive a couple of hundred hours of training over four or five weeks.{{r|stevens19810406}} International or scientific payload specialists were generally assigned a back-up who trained alongside the primary payload specialist and would replace them in the event of illness or other disability. Both primary and backup payload specialists received mission-specific and general training. [[Michael Lampton]] estimated that about 20% of his training was general, including [[firefighter]] school, [[capsule communicator]] duty, and use of [[Personal Egress Air Pack]]s and the [[space toilet]]. He described training for Spacelab 1 as "going back to graduate school but majoring in everything"; as the first mission it tested Spacelab's versatility in "medical, metallurgical, [[remote sensing]], astronomy, microgravity, lots more".{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|59-60}}


Payload specialists operated experiments, and participated in experiments needing human subjects. [[Charles D. Walker]] recalled that Senator [[Jake Garn]] "and I were the obvious subjects" for [[Rhea Seddon]]'s [[echocardiograph]] on [[STS-51-D]]. "We really didn’t have much of a choice in whether we were going to be subjects or not. 'You're a payload specialist; you’re going to be a subject.'" Besides his own [[electrophoresis]] work, Walker operated an unrelated experiment for the [[University of Alabama Birmingham]], and helped build homemade repair tools for a satellite launched on the mission.<ref name="walker20050414">{{cite interview |title=Oral History Transcript |date=14 April 2005 |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/WalkerCD/WalkerCD_4-14-05.htm | last=Walker |first=Charles D. |interviewer=Johnson, Sandra |work=NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project}}</ref>
Payload specialists operated experiments, and participated in experiments needing human subjects. [[Charles D. Walker]] recalled that Senator [[Jake Garn]] "and I were the obvious subjects" for [[Rhea Seddon]]'s [[echocardiograph]] on [[STS-51-D]]. "We really didn’t have much of a choice in whether we were going to be subjects or not. 'You're a payload specialist; you’re going to be a subject.'" Besides his own [[electrophoresis]] work, Walker operated an unrelated experiment for the [[University of Alabama Birmingham]], and helped build homemade repair tools for a satellite launched on the mission.<ref name="walker20050414">{{cite interview |title=Oral History Transcript |date=14 April 2005 |url=https://historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov/JSCHistoryPortal/history/oral_histories/WalkerCD/WalkerCD_4-14-05.htm | last=Walker |first=Charles D. |interviewer=Johnson, Sandra |work=NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project}}</ref>
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Payload specialists were flown from 1983 ([[STS-9]]) to 2003 ([[STS-107]]). The last flown payload specialist was the first [[Israelis|Israeli]] astronaut, [[Ilan Ramon]], who was killed in the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' disaster]] on mission STS-107 with the rest of the crew.
Payload specialists were flown from 1983 ([[STS-9]]) to 2003 ([[STS-107]]). The last flown payload specialist was the first [[Israelis|Israeli]] astronaut, [[Ilan Ramon]], who was killed in the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' disaster]] on mission STS-107 with the rest of the crew.


==Criticism==
== Criticism ==
Within NASA, [[Johnson Space Center]] (JSC) controlled manned spaceflight by selecting professional, full-time astronauts. The payload specialist program gave [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] (MSFC)—which supervised Spacelab, including a contracted [[European Space Agency]]-chosen payload specialist—control as well, causing conflicts. JSC director [[Chris Kraft]] and members of the NASA astronaut corps believed that mission specialists—many with doctoral degrees or other scientific background, and all with full-time astronaut training—could operate all experiments. Rick Chappell, chief scientist of MSFC, believed that the scientific community insisted on its own scientists being able to operate experiments in exchange for support of the Space Shuttle program. While mission specialists could operate most experiments, "Since we could take passengers, why not take at least a couple of passengers who had spent their whole careers doing the kind of research they were going to do in space?" he said.<ref name="cfu2019">{{Cite book |last=Croft |first=Melvin |title=Come Fly with Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program |last2=Youskauskas |first2=John |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2019 |isbn=9781496212252 |series=Outward Odyssey: a People's History of Spaceflight}}</ref>{{rp|9-10,15,18,28-29,48}}
Within NASA, [[Johnson Space Center]] (JSC) controlled crewed spaceflight by selecting professional, full-time astronauts. The payload specialist program gave [[Marshall Space Flight Center]] (MSFC)—which supervised Spacelab, including a contracted [[European Space Agency]]-chosen payload specialist—control as well, causing conflicts. JSC director [[Chris Kraft]] and members of the NASA astronaut corps believed that mission specialists—many with doctoral degrees or other scientific background, and all with full-time astronaut training—could operate all experiments. Rick Chappell, chief scientist of MSFC, believed that the scientific community insisted on its own scientists being able to operate experiments in exchange for support of the Space Shuttle program. While mission specialists could operate most experiments, "Since we could take passengers, why not take at least a couple of passengers who had spent their whole careers doing the kind of research they were going to do in space?" he said.<ref name="cfu2019">{{Cite book |last1=Croft |first1=Melvin |title=Come Fly with Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program |last2=Youskauskas |first2=John |publisher=University of Nebraska Press |year=2019 |isbn=978-1-4962-1225-2 |series=Outward Odyssey: a People's History of Spaceflight}}</ref>{{rp|9-10,15,18,28-29,48}}


During the [[Space Shuttle design process]], some said that crews should be no larger than four people; both for safety, and because a commander, pilot, mission specialist, and payload specialist were sufficient for any mission. NASA expected to fly more payload specialists so designed a larger vehicle.{{r|pincus19860305}} Only NASA astronauts piloted the space shuttle, but mission specialist astronauts worried about competing with American and international payload specialists for very limited flight opportunities. In 1984 about 45 mission specialists competed for about 15 seats on the five shuttle flights. Only three payload specialists flew that year, but in 1985 eight of nine shuttle flights carried 15 payload specialists (Walker flying twice), no doubt angering mission specialists. Some payload specialists like Walker and [[Byron Lichtenberg]] were rejected as full-time astronauts but flew as payload specialists before many selected as such, and some may have flown without understanding the level of danger. Many astronauts worried that without years of training together they would not be able to trust payload specialists in an emergency; [[Henry Hartsfield]] described their concern as "If you had a problem on orbit, am I going to have to babysit this person?" NASA's preference for its own training caused the agency to offer some international payload specialists the opportunity to become mission specialists, the first being [[Claude Nicollier]].{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|40-44,48-50,61-63}}
During the [[Space Shuttle design process]], some said that crews should be no larger than four people; both for safety, and because a commander, pilot, mission specialist, and payload specialist were sufficient for any mission. NASA expected to fly more payload specialists so it designed a larger vehicle.{{r|pincus19860305}} Only NASA astronauts piloted the space shuttle, but mission specialist astronauts worried about competing with American and international payload specialists for very limited flight opportunities. In 1984 about 45 mission specialists competed for about 15 seats on the five shuttle flights. Only three payload specialists flew that year, but in 1985 eight of nine shuttle flights carried 15 payload specialists (Walker flying twice), no doubt angering mission specialists. Some payload specialists like Walker and [[Byron Lichtenberg]] were rejected as full-time astronauts but flew as payload specialists before many selected as such, and some may have flown without understanding the level of danger. Many astronauts worried that without years of training together they would not be able to trust payload specialists in an emergency; [[Henry Hartsfield]] described their concern as "If you had a problem on orbit, am I going to have to babysit this person?" NASA's preference for its own training caused the agency to offer some international payload specialists the opportunity to become mission specialists, the first being [[Claude Nicollier]].{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|40-44,48-50,61-63}}


Those skeptical of the payload specialist program were less critical of scientists and experts like Walker than non-expert passengers ("part-timers", according to [[Mike Mullane]], who called the program public relations-driven and immoral in ''[[Riding Rockets]]'') like
Those skeptical of the payload specialist program were less critical of scientists and experts like Walker than non-expert passengers ("part-timers", according to [[Mike Mullane]], who called the program public relations-driven and immoral in ''[[Riding Rockets]]'') like
Garn, [[US Representative]] [[Bill Nelson (politician)|Bill Nelson]], and other civilians such as [[Teacher in Space Project|Teacher in Space]] [[Christa McAuliffe]]. They saw Senator [[John Glenn]] as a passenger despite being a former [[Mercury Seven]] astronaut.{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|40,51}}<ref name="Glenn">{{cite web|last1=Oberg|first1=James|title=NASA hypes "Glenn Mission" Science|url=http://www.jamesoberg.com/glenn.html|website=jamesoberg.com|access-date=4 March 2017}}</ref> A 1986 post-''Challenger'' article in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reviewed the issue, reporting that as far back as 1982, NASA was concerned with finding reasonable justifications for flying civilians on the Shuttle as was directed by the Reagan administration. The article says that "A review of records and interviews with past and present NASA and government officials shows the civilian program's controversial background, with different groups pushing for different approaches".<ref name = pincus19860305/> The article concludes with:
Garn, [[US Representative]] [[Bill Nelson (politician)|Bill Nelson]], and other civilians such as [[Teacher in Space Project|Teacher in Space]] [[Christa McAuliffe]]. They saw Senator [[John Glenn]] as a passenger despite being a former [[Mercury Seven]] astronaut.{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|40,51}}<ref name="Glenn">{{cite web|last1=Oberg|first1=James|title=NASA hypes "Glenn Mission" Science|url=http://www.jamesoberg.com/glenn.html|website=jamesoberg.com|access-date=4 March 2017}}</ref> A 1986 post-''Challenger'' article in ''[[The Washington Post]]'' reviewed the issue, reporting that as far back as 1982, NASA was concerned with finding reasonable justifications for flying civilians on the Shuttle as was directed by the Reagan administration. The article says that "A review of records and interviews with past and present NASA and government officials shows the civilian program's controversial background, with different groups pushing for different approaches".<ref name = pincus19860305 /> The article concludes with:


{{quote|text=Author [[Tom Wolfe]], who chronicled the early days of the space program in ''[[The Right Stuff (book)|The Right Stuff]],'' wrote after the ''Challenger'' explosion that support for the citizen program, and therefore McAuliffe's place aboard the ill-fated shuttle, was part of an insiders' battle. NASA civilians, pitting themselves against the professional astronauts, used the program for the "dismantling of Astropower," which Wolfe described as "the political grip the original breed of [[Fighter pilot|fighter-pilot]] [[Test pilot|test-pilot]] astronauts had on NASA."<ref name="pincus19860305">{{Cite news |last=Pincus |first=Walter |date=1986-03-05 |title=NASA's Push to Put Citizen in Space Overtook Fully 'Operational' Shuttle |language=en-US |work=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/03/05/nasas-push-to-put-citizen-in-space-overtook-fully-operational-shuttle/29fe2714-39b7-40dd-b15e-073441de636e/ |access-date=2020-07-14 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>}}
{{quote|text=Author [[Tom Wolfe]], who chronicled the early days of the space program in ''[[The Right Stuff (book)|The Right Stuff]],'' wrote after the ''Challenger'' explosion that support for the citizen program, and therefore McAuliffe's place aboard the ill-fated shuttle, was part of an insiders' battle. NASA civilians, pitting themselves against the professional astronauts, used the program for the "dismantling of Astropower," which Wolfe described as "the political grip the original breed of [[Fighter pilot|fighter-pilot]] [[Test pilot|test-pilot]] astronauts had on NASA."<ref name="pincus19860305">{{Cite news |last=Pincus |first=Walter |date=1986-03-05 |title=NASA's Push to Put Citizen in Space Overtook Fully 'Operational' Shuttle |language=en-US |newspaper=Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/03/05/nasas-push-to-put-citizen-in-space-overtook-fully-operational-shuttle/29fe2714-39b7-40dd-b15e-073441de636e/ |access-date=2020-07-14 |issn=0190-8286}}</ref>}}


Payload specialists were aware of full-time astronauts' dislike of the program. Garn advised STS-51-D colleague [[Jeffrey A. Hoffman]] to not play poker because, the astronaut quoted, "'It took you a while to disguise your initial skepticism about this whole thing'". Merbold said that at JSC he was treated as an intruder. Once payload specialists were assigned to a mission, however, full-time astronauts treated them respectfully and often began long-term friendships. Mullane became less critical of them after his first mission; he and Hartsfield approved of Walker, as did Hoffman of Garn after STS-51-D.{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|40,48,50-52}}
Payload specialists were aware of full-time astronauts' dislike of the program. Garn advised STS-51-D colleague [[Jeffrey A. Hoffman]] to not play poker because, the astronaut quoted, "'It took you a while to disguise your initial skepticism about this whole thing'". Merbold said that at JSC he was treated as an intruder. Once payload specialists were assigned to a mission, however, full-time astronauts treated them respectfully and often began long-term friendships. Mullane became less critical of them after his first mission; he and Hartsfield approved of Walker, as did Hoffman of Garn after STS-51-D.{{r|cfu2019}}{{rp|40,48,50-52}}


==List of all payload specialists==
== List of all payload specialists ==
{{sticky header}}

{| class="wikitable sticky-header" style="text-align: center;"
===Until ''Challenger''===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Payload specialist
! Payload specialist
! Mission
! Mission
! Notes
! Sponsor
|-
|-
| [[Ulf Merbold]]
| [[Ulf Merbold]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-9]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-9]]
|[[European Space Agency]]
| rowspan="2" | first payload specialists, Ulf Merbold was the first international (German) payload specialist
|-
|-
| [[Byron K. Lichtenberg]]
| [[Byron K. Lichtenberg]]
|[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
|-
|-
| [[Charles D. Walker]]
| [[Charles D. Walker]]
| [[STS-41-D]]
| [[STS-41-D]]
|[[McDonnell Douglas]]
| first non government-affiliated payload specialist
|-
|-
| [[Marc Garneau]]
| [[Marc Garneau]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-41-G]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-41-G]]
|[[Canadian Space Agency]]
| rowspan="2" | Garneau was the first Canadian in space, Scully-Power the first Australian
|-
|-
| [[Paul Scully-Power]]
| [[Paul Scully-Power]]
|[[United States Navy]]
|-
|-
| [[Gary Payton (astronaut)|Gary Payton]]
| [[Gary Payton (astronaut)|Gary Payton]]
| [[STS-51-C]]
| [[STS-51-C]]
| first [[Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program|military payload specialist]]
|[[Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program]]
|-
|-
| [[Charles D. Walker]]
| [[Charles D. Walker]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-D]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-D]]
|[[McDonnell Douglas]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Jake Garn]]
| [[Jake Garn]]
|[[United States Congress]]
| then-U.S. Senator, first U.S. legislative branch payload specialist
|-
|-
| [[Lodewijk van den Berg]]
| [[Lodewijk van den Berg]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-B]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-B]]
|[[EG&G]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Taylor Wang]]
| [[Taylor Wang]]
|[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]
|-
|-
| [[Patrick Baudry]]
| [[Patrick Baudry]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-G]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-G]]
|[[CNES]] (France)
| rowspan="2" | two international payload specialists
|-
|-
| [[Sultan bin Salman Al Saud]]
| [[Sultan bin Salman Al Saud]]
|[[Royal Saudi Air Force]]
|-
|-
| [[Loren Acton]]
| [[Loren Acton]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-F]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-F]]
|[[Lockheed Corporation|Lockheed]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[John-David F. Bartoe]]
| [[John-David F. Bartoe]]
|[[United States Navy]]
|-
|-
| [[William A. Pailes]]
| [[William A. Pailes]]
| [[STS-51-J]]
| [[STS-51-J]]
|[[Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Reinhard Furrer]]
| [[Reinhard Furrer]]
| rowspan="3" | [[STS-61-A]]
| rowspan="3" | [[STS-61-A]]
|[[German Aerospace Center]]
| rowspan="3" | three international payload specialists, most payload specialists on a single flight
|-
|-
| [[Ernst Messerschmid]]
| [[Ernst Messerschmid]]
|[[German Aerospace Center]]
|-
|-
| [[Wubbo Ockels]]
| [[Wubbo Ockels]]
|[[European Space Agency]]
|-
|-
| [[Rodolfo Neri Vela]]
| [[Rodolfo Neri Vela]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-61-B]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-61-B]]
|[[Secretariat of Communications and Transportation]] (Mexico)
| first Mexican in space
|-
|-
| [[Charles D. Walker]]
| [[Charles D. Walker]]
|[[McDonnell Douglas]]
| Walker's third and final spaceflight
|-
|-
| [[Robert J. Cenker]]
| [[Robert J. Cenker]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-61-C]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-61-C]]
|[[RCA]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Bill Nelson]]
| [[Bill Nelson]]
|[[United States Congress]]
| then-U.S. Representative, second and final U.S. legislative branch payload specialist
|-
|-
| [[Gregory Jarvis]]
| [[Gregory Jarvis]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-L]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-51-L]]
|[[Hughes Aircraft Company|Hughes Space and Communications]]
| rowspan="2" | killed in the [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|''Challenger'' disaster]]
|-
|-
| [[Christa McAuliffe]]
| [[Christa McAuliffe]]
|[[Teacher in Space Project]]
|}

===Post-''Challenger'' to ''Columbia''===
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"
|-
! Payload specialist
! Mission
! Notes
|-
|-
| [[Samuel T. Durrance]]
| [[Samuel T. Durrance]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-35]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-35]]
|[[Johns Hopkins University]]
| rowspan="2" | first post-''Challenger'' payload specialists
|-
|-
| [[Ronald A. Parise]]
| [[Ronald A. Parise]]
|[[Computer Sciences Corporation]]
|-
|-
| [[F. Drew Gaffney]]
| [[F. Drew Gaffney]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-40]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-40]]
|NASA
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Millie Hughes-Fulford]]
| [[Millie Hughes-Fulford]]
|[[United States Department of Veterans Affairs]]
|-
|-
| [[Thomas J. Hennen]]
| [[Thomas J. Hennen]]
| [[STS-44]]
| [[STS-44]]
|[[United States Army]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Roberta Bondar]]
| [[Roberta Bondar]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-42]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-42]]
|[[Canadian Space Agency]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Ulf Merbold]]
| [[Ulf Merbold]]
|[[European Space Agency]]
|-
|-
| [[Byron K. Lichtenberg]]
| [[Byron K. Lichtenberg]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-45]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-45]]
|[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Dirk Frimout]]
| [[Dirk Frimout]]
|[[European Space Agency]]
| first Belgian in space
|-
|-
| [[Lawrence J. DeLucas]]
| [[Lawrence J. DeLucas]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-50]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-50]]
|[[University of Alabama at Birmingham]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Eugene H. Trinh]]
| [[Eugene H. Trinh]]
|[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]]
|-
|-
| [[Franco Malerba]]
| [[Franco Malerba]]
| [[STS-46]]
| [[STS-46]]
| first Italian in space
|[[Italian Space Agency]]
|-
|-
| [[Mamoru Mohri]]
| [[Mamoru Mohri]]
| [[STS-47]]
| [[STS-47]]
|[[National Space Development Agency of Japan]]
| first Japanese astronaut on board Space Shuttle
|-
|-
| [[Steve MacLean (astronaut)|Steve MacLean]]
| [[Steve MacLean (astronaut)|Steve MacLean]]
| [[STS-52]]
| [[STS-52]]
|[[Canadian Space Agency]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Ulrich Walter]]
| [[Ulrich Walter]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-55]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-55]]
|[[German Aerospace Center]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Hans Schlegel]]
| [[Hans Schlegel]]
|[[German Aerospace Center]]
|-
|-
| [[Martin J. Fettman]]
| [[Martin J. Fettman]]
| [[STS-58]]
| [[STS-58]]
|[[Colorado State University]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Chiaki Mukai]]
| [[Chiaki Mukai]]
| [[STS-65]]
| [[STS-65]]
|[[National Space Development Agency of Japan]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Samuel T. Durrance]]
| [[Samuel T. Durrance]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-67]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-67]]
|[[Johns Hopkins University]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Ronald A. Parise]]
| [[Ronald A. Parise]]
|[[Computer Sciences Corporation]]
|-
|-
| [[Frederick W. Leslie]]
| [[Frederick W. Leslie]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-73]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-73]]
|[[Marshall Space Flight Center]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Albert Sacco]]
| [[Albert Sacco]]
|[[Worcester Polytechnic Institute]]
|-
|-
| [[Umberto Guidoni]]
| [[Umberto Guidoni]]
| [[STS-75]]
| [[STS-75]]
|[[Italian Space Agency]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Jean-Jacques Favier]]
| [[Jean-Jacques Favier]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-78]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-78]]
|[[CNES]] (France)
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Robert Thirsk]]
| [[Robert Thirsk]]
|[[Canadian Space Agency]]
|-
|-
| [[Roger K. Crouch]]
| [[Roger K. Crouch]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-83]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-83]]
|[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Gregory T. Linteris]]
| [[Gregory T. Linteris]]
|[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]]
|-
|-
| [[Roger K. Crouch]]
| [[Roger K. Crouch]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-94]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-94]]
|[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]]
| rowspan="2" | mission reflight
|-
|-
| [[Gregory T. Linteris]]
| [[Gregory T. Linteris]]
|[[National Institute of Standards and Technology]]
|-
|-
| [[Bjarni Tryggvason]]
| [[Bjarni Tryggvason]]
| [[STS-85]]
| [[STS-85]]
|[[Canadian Space Agency]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Leonid Kadeniuk]]
| [[Leonid Kadeniuk]]
| [[STS-87]]
| [[STS-87]]
|[[State Space Agency of Ukraine]]
| Ukrainian payload specialist
|-
|-
| [[Jay C. Buckey]]
| [[Jay C. Buckey]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-90]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-90]]
|[[Dartmouth Medical School|Dartmouth College]]
| rowspan="2" | final [[Spacelab]] mission
|-
|-
| [[James A. Pawelczyk]]
| [[James A. Pawelczyk]]
|[[Pennsylvania State University]]
|-
|-
| [[Chiaki Mukai]]
| [[Chiaki Mukai]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-95]]
| rowspan="2" | [[STS-95]]
|[[National Space Development Agency of Japan]]
|
|-
|-
| [[John Glenn]]
| [[John Glenn]]
|[[United States Congress]]
| final American payload specialist
|-
|-
| [[Ilan Ramon]]
| [[Ilan Ramon]]
| [[STS-107]]
| [[STS-107]]
|[[Israel Space Agency]]
| first [[Israel]]i in space, final payload specialist, killed in the [[Space Shuttle Columbia disaster|''Columbia'' disaster]]
|}
|}


==Alternate and back-up (not flown) payload specialists==
== Backup payload specialists ==
The following list are people who were named as backup (also known as alternate) payload specialists. These people typically received the same training as the "prime" crew payload specialist, but did not fly on the mission. However, many would go on to fly on other missions as "prime" crew payload or mission specialists.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;"

|-
{{Sticky header}}
{| class="wikitable sticky-header" style="text-align: center;"
! Payload specialist
! Payload specialist
! Mission
! Mission
Line 299: Line 305:
| rowspan="2" |
| rowspan="2" |
|-
|-
| [[Diane K. Prinz]]
| [[Dianne K. Prinz]]
|-
|-
| [[Ulf Merbold]]
| [[Ulf Merbold]]
Line 311: Line 317:
| [[Robert W. Phillips]]
| [[Robert W. Phillips]]
| [[STS-40]]
| [[STS-40]]
|
|
|-
|-
| [[Michael Lampton]]
| [[Michael Lampton]]
Line 355: Line 361:
| [[Paul Ronney]]
| [[Paul Ronney]]
|-
|-

| [[Yaroslav Pustovyi]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramsay |first1=Janis |title=Barrie astronaut continues to keep eye on skies |url=https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/5344893-barrie-astronaut-continues-to-keep-eye-on-skies/ |access-date=10 January 2019 |work=Barrie Advance |date=21 February 2015}}</ref>
| [[Yaroslav Pustovyi]]<ref>{{cite news |last1=Ramsay |first1=Janis |title=Barrie astronaut continues to keep eye on skies |url=https://www.simcoe.com/news-story/5344893-barrie-astronaut-continues-to-keep-eye-on-skies/ |access-date=10 January 2019 |work=Barrie Advance |date=21 February 2015}}</ref>
| [[STS-87]]
| [[STS-87]]
|
|-
|-
| [[Alexander W. Dunlap]]
| [[Alexander W. Dunlap]]
Line 368: Line 374:
|}
|}


==Other statistics==
== Other statistics ==


===Multiple flights===
=== Multiple flights ===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Flights
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! Payload specialist
| '''Flights'''
|-
| '''Payload specialist'''
|-
! 3
| bgcolor="#efefef"| 3
| [[Charles D. Walker|Charles Walker]]
| [[Charles D. Walker|Charles Walker]]
|-
|-
! 2
| bgcolor="#efefef"| 2
| [[Ulf Merbold]], [[Byron K. Lichtenberg]], [[Samuel T. Durrance]], [[Ronald A. Parise]], [[Chiaki Mukai]], [[Roger Crouch]], [[Greg Linteris]]
| [[Ulf Merbold]], [[Byron K. Lichtenberg]], [[Samuel T. Durrance]], [[Ronald A. Parise]], [[Chiaki Mukai]], [[Roger Crouch]], [[Greg Linteris]]
|}
|}


=== Nationalities ===
{| class="wikitable"
{| class="wikitable"
! Flights
|- bgcolor="#efefef"
! Country
| '''No. of payload specialists flights'''
|-
| '''Country'''
! 36
|-
| {{USA}}
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 36
|-
| [[Image:Flag of the United States.svg|20px]] [[United States]]
|-
! 6
| {{GER}}{{efn|[[West Germany]] until 1990.}}
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 6
|-
| [[Image:Flag of Germany.svg|20px]] [[Germany]]
|-
! 5
| {{CAN}}
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 5
|-
| [[Image:Flag of Canada.svg|20px]] [[Canada]]
|-
! 3
| {{JPN}}
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 3
|-
| [[Image:Flag of Japan.svg|20px]] [[Japan]]
! rowspan="2" | 2
|-
| {{FRA}}
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 2
|-
| [[Image:Flag of France.svg|20px]] [[France]]
| {{ITA}}
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 2
! rowspan="6" | 1
| [[Image:Flag of Italy.svg|20px]] [[Italy]]
| {{SAU}}
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 1
| {{NLD}}
| [[Image:Flag of Saudi Arabia.svg|20px]] [[Saudi Arabia]]
|-
|-
| {{MEX}}
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 1
|-
| [[Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|20px]] [[The Netherlands]]
| {{BEL}}
|-
|-
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 1
| {{UKR}}
| [[Image:Flag of Mexico.svg|20px]] [[Mexico]]
|-
|-
| {{ISR}}
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 1
| [[Image:Flag of Belgium.svg|20px]] [[Belgium]]
|-
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 1
| [[Image:Flag of Ukraine.svg|20px]] [[Ukraine]]
|-
| bgcolor="#efefef" | 1
| [[Image:Flag of Israel.svg|20px]] [[Israel]]
|-
| bgcolor="#efefef" | Total
| 60 payload specialist flight opportunities
|}
|}
=== Payload specialists who later trained as mission specialists ===

===Payload specialists who trained later as mission specialists===

All were international astronauts.
All were international astronauts.
*[[Marc Garneau]] – flew on [[STS-77]], [[STS-97]]
*[[Marc Garneau]] – mission specialist on [[STS-77]], [[STS-97]]
*[[Mamoru Mohri]] – flew on [[STS-99]]
*[[Mamoru Mohri]] – mission specialist on [[STS-99]]
*[[Steven MacLean (astronaut)|Steven MacLean]] – flew on [[STS-115]]
*[[Steven MacLean (astronaut)|Steven MacLean]] – mission specialist on [[STS-115]]
*[[Hans Schlegel]] – flew on [[STS-122]]
*[[Hans Schlegel]] – mission specialist on [[STS-122]]
*[[Umberto Guidoni]] – flew on [[STS-100]]
*[[Umberto Guidoni]] – mission specialist on [[STS-100]]
*[[Robert Thirsk]] – flew on [[Soyuz TMA-15]]
*[[Robert Thirsk]] – flight engineer on [[Soyuz TMA-15]] and [[Expedition 20]]
*[[Bjarni Tryggvason]] – retired in June 2008 without flying again
*[[Bjarni Tryggvason]] – completed training, retired in June 2008 without flying again


==See also==
== See also ==
*[[List of human spaceflights]]
*[[List of human spaceflights]]
*[[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
*[[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
*[[List of Space Shuttle crews]]
*[[List of Space Shuttle crews]]
*[[Shenzhou 16]] – the first time of mission has the position of Payload specialist in [[China Manned Space Program]]
** [[Gui Haichao]] – the first payload specialist and the first civilian taikonaut in this Program

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}


==References==
== References ==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
== External links ==
*[http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/PS/index.html Biographies of Payload Specialists on NASA web site.]
*[http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/PS/index.html Biographies of Payload Specialists on NASA web site.]


Latest revision as of 11:05, 3 August 2024

Ukrainian astronaut Leonid Kadenyuk seen with a badge of payload specialist on the left side of his chest

A payload specialist (PS) 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 consortium 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.

History

[edit]
Main article: Astronaut ranks and positions

The National Aeronautics and Space Act of 1958 states that NASA should provide the "widest practicable and appropriate dissemination of information concerning its activities and the results thereof". The Naugle panel of 1982 concluded that carrying civilians—those not part of the NASA Astronaut Corps—on the Space Shuttle was part of "the purpose of adding to the public's understanding of space flight".[1]

Payload specialists usually fly for a single specific mission. Chosen outside the standard NASA mission specialist selection process, they are exempt from certain NASA requirements such as colorblindness. Roger Crouch[2] and Ulf Merbold are examples of those who flew in space despite not meeting NASA physical requirements;[3]: 63  the agency's director of crew training Jim Bilodeau said in April 1981 "we'll be able to take everybody but the walking wounded".[4] Payload specialists were not required to be United States citizens, but had to be approved by NASA and undergo rigorous but shorter training. In contrast, a Space Shuttle mission specialist was selected as a NASA astronaut first and then assigned to a mission.

Payload specialists on early missions were technical experts to join 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), to Congressmen and the Teacher in Space program. Under Secretary of the Air Force Edward C. Aldridge Jr. was offered a seat to improve relations between NASA and the United States Air Force.

NASA expected to also fly "citizen astronauts", ordinary Americans who could describe space to others. In August 1984 President Ronald Reagan announced the Teacher in Space Project, the first such program. NASA expected to fly reporters (Journalist in Space Project), entertainers, and creative types later.[5]

NASA categorized full-time international astronauts as payload specialists unless they received NASA mission specialist training, which some did.[3]: 63  Bilodeau estimated that payload specialists would receive a couple of hundred hours of training over four or five weeks.[4] International or scientific payload specialists were generally assigned a back-up who trained alongside the primary payload specialist and would replace them in the event of illness or other disability. Both primary and backup payload specialists received mission-specific and general training. Michael Lampton estimated that about 20% of his training was general, including firefighter school, capsule communicator duty, and use of Personal Egress Air Packs and the space toilet. He described training for Spacelab 1 as "going back to graduate school but majoring in everything"; as the first mission it tested Spacelab's versatility in "medical, metallurgical, remote sensing, astronomy, microgravity, lots more".[3]: 59–60 

Payload specialists operated experiments, and participated in experiments needing human subjects. Charles D. Walker recalled that Senator Jake Garn "and I were the obvious subjects" for Rhea Seddon's echocardiograph on STS-51-D. "We really didn’t have much of a choice in whether we were going to be subjects or not. 'You're a payload specialist; you’re going to be a subject.'" Besides his own electrophoresis work, Walker operated an unrelated experiment for the University of Alabama Birmingham, and helped build homemade repair tools for a satellite launched on the mission.[6]

Payload specialists were flown from 1983 (STS-9) to 2003 (STS-107). The last flown payload specialist was the first Israeli astronaut, Ilan Ramon, who was killed in the Columbia disaster on mission STS-107 with the rest of the crew.

Criticism

[edit]

Within NASA, Johnson Space Center (JSC) controlled crewed spaceflight by selecting professional, full-time astronauts. The payload specialist program gave Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC)—which supervised Spacelab, including a contracted European Space Agency-chosen payload specialist—control as well, causing conflicts. JSC director Chris Kraft and members of the NASA astronaut corps believed that mission specialists—many with doctoral degrees or other scientific background, and all with full-time astronaut training—could operate all experiments. Rick Chappell, chief scientist of MSFC, believed that the scientific community insisted on its own scientists being able to operate experiments in exchange for support of the Space Shuttle program. While mission specialists could operate most experiments, "Since we could take passengers, why not take at least a couple of passengers who had spent their whole careers doing the kind of research they were going to do in space?" he said.[3]: 9–10, 15, 18, 28–29, 48 

During the Space Shuttle design process, some said that crews should be no larger than four people; both for safety, and because a commander, pilot, mission specialist, and payload specialist were sufficient for any mission. NASA expected to fly more payload specialists so it designed a larger vehicle.[1] Only NASA astronauts piloted the space shuttle, but mission specialist astronauts worried about competing with American and international payload specialists for very limited flight opportunities. In 1984 about 45 mission specialists competed for about 15 seats on the five shuttle flights. Only three payload specialists flew that year, but in 1985 eight of nine shuttle flights carried 15 payload specialists (Walker flying twice), no doubt angering mission specialists. Some payload specialists like Walker and Byron Lichtenberg were rejected as full-time astronauts but flew as payload specialists before many selected as such, and some may have flown without understanding the level of danger. Many astronauts worried that without years of training together they would not be able to trust payload specialists in an emergency; Henry Hartsfield described their concern as "If you had a problem on orbit, am I going to have to babysit this person?" NASA's preference for its own training caused the agency to offer some international payload specialists the opportunity to become mission specialists, the first being Claude Nicollier.[3]: 40–44, 48–50, 61–63 

Those skeptical of the payload specialist program were less critical of scientists and experts like Walker than non-expert passengers ("part-timers", according to Mike Mullane, who called the program public relations-driven and immoral in Riding Rockets) like Garn, US Representative Bill Nelson, and other civilians such as Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe. They saw Senator John Glenn as a passenger despite being a former Mercury Seven astronaut.[3]: 40, 51 [7] A 1986 post-Challenger article in The Washington Post reviewed the issue, reporting that as far back as 1982, NASA was concerned with finding reasonable justifications for flying civilians on the Shuttle as was directed by the Reagan administration. The article says that "A review of records and interviews with past and present NASA and government officials shows the civilian program's controversial background, with different groups pushing for different approaches".[1] The article concludes with:

Author Tom Wolfe, who chronicled the early days of the space program in The Right Stuff, wrote after the Challenger explosion that support for the citizen program, and therefore McAuliffe's place aboard the ill-fated shuttle, was part of an insiders' battle. NASA civilians, pitting themselves against the professional astronauts, used the program for the "dismantling of Astropower," which Wolfe described as "the political grip the original breed of fighter-pilot test-pilot astronauts had on NASA."[1]

Payload specialists were aware of full-time astronauts' dislike of the program. Garn advised STS-51-D colleague Jeffrey A. Hoffman to not play poker because, the astronaut quoted, "'It took you a while to disguise your initial skepticism about this whole thing'". Merbold said that at JSC he was treated as an intruder. Once payload specialists were assigned to a mission, however, full-time astronauts treated them respectfully and often began long-term friendships. Mullane became less critical of them after his first mission; he and Hartsfield approved of Walker, as did Hoffman of Garn after STS-51-D.[3]: 40, 48, 50–52 

List of all payload specialists

[edit]
Payload specialist Mission Sponsor
Ulf Merbold STS-9 European Space Agency
Byron K. Lichtenberg Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Charles D. Walker STS-41-D McDonnell Douglas
Marc Garneau STS-41-G Canadian Space Agency
Paul Scully-Power United States Navy
Gary Payton STS-51-C Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program
Charles D. Walker STS-51-D McDonnell Douglas
Jake Garn United States Congress
Lodewijk van den Berg STS-51-B EG&G
Taylor Wang Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Patrick Baudry STS-51-G CNES (France)
Sultan bin Salman Al Saud Royal Saudi Air Force
Loren Acton STS-51-F Lockheed
John-David F. Bartoe United States Navy
William A. Pailes STS-51-J Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program
Reinhard Furrer STS-61-A German Aerospace Center
Ernst Messerschmid German Aerospace Center
Wubbo Ockels European Space Agency
Rodolfo Neri Vela STS-61-B Secretariat of Communications and Transportation (Mexico)
Charles D. Walker McDonnell Douglas
Robert J. Cenker STS-61-C RCA
Bill Nelson United States Congress
Gregory Jarvis STS-51-L Hughes Space and Communications
Christa McAuliffe Teacher in Space Project
Samuel T. Durrance STS-35 Johns Hopkins University
Ronald A. Parise Computer Sciences Corporation
F. Drew Gaffney STS-40 NASA
Millie Hughes-Fulford United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Thomas J. Hennen STS-44 United States Army
Roberta Bondar STS-42 Canadian Space Agency
Ulf Merbold European Space Agency
Byron K. Lichtenberg STS-45 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dirk Frimout European Space Agency
Lawrence J. DeLucas STS-50 University of Alabama at Birmingham
Eugene H. Trinh Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Franco Malerba STS-46 Italian Space Agency
Mamoru Mohri STS-47 National Space Development Agency of Japan
Steve MacLean STS-52 Canadian Space Agency
Ulrich Walter STS-55 German Aerospace Center
Hans Schlegel German Aerospace Center
Martin J. Fettman STS-58 Colorado State University
Chiaki Mukai STS-65 National Space Development Agency of Japan
Samuel T. Durrance STS-67 Johns Hopkins University
Ronald A. Parise Computer Sciences Corporation
Frederick W. Leslie STS-73 Marshall Space Flight Center
Albert Sacco Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Umberto Guidoni STS-75 Italian Space Agency
Jean-Jacques Favier STS-78 CNES (France)
Robert Thirsk Canadian Space Agency
Roger K. Crouch STS-83 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gregory T. Linteris National Institute of Standards and Technology
Roger K. Crouch STS-94 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Gregory T. Linteris National Institute of Standards and Technology
Bjarni Tryggvason STS-85 Canadian Space Agency
Leonid Kadeniuk STS-87 State Space Agency of Ukraine
Jay C. Buckey STS-90 Dartmouth College
James A. Pawelczyk Pennsylvania State University
Chiaki Mukai STS-95 National Space Development Agency of Japan
John Glenn United States Congress
Ilan Ramon STS-107 Israel Space Agency

Backup payload specialists

[edit]

The following list are people who were named as backup (also known as alternate) payload specialists. These people typically received the same training as the "prime" crew payload specialist, but did not fly on the mission. However, many would go on to fly on other missions as "prime" crew payload or mission specialists.

Payload specialist Mission Notes
Wubbo Ockels STS-9 flew on STS-61-A
Michael Lampton
Robert Thirsk STS-41-G flew on STS-78
Robert E. Stevenson
Keith Wright STS-51-C
Mary Johnston STS-51-B
Eugene H. Trinh flew on STS-50
Jean-Loup Chrétien STS-51-G flew on STS-86 as a mission specialist
Abdulmohsen Al-Bassam
George W. Simon STS-51-F
Dianne K. Prinz
Ulf Merbold STS-61-A flew on STS-9, STS-42
Barbara Morgan STS-51-L flew on STS-118 as a mission specialist
Robert W. Phillips STS-40
Michael Lampton STS-45
Charles R. Chappell
Joseph M. Prahl STS-50
Albert Sacco flew on STS-73
Jean-Jacques Favier STS-65 flew on STS-78
David H. Matthiesen STS-73
R. Glynn Holt
Pedro Duque STS-78 flew on STS-95 as a mission specialist
Luca Urbani
Alan Johnston STS-83
Paul Ronney
Alan Johnston STS-94
Paul Ronney
Yaroslav Pustovyi[8] STS-87
Alexander W. Dunlap STS-90
Chiaki Mukai flew on STS-65, STS-95

Other statistics

[edit]

Multiple flights

[edit]
Flights Payload specialist
3 Charles Walker
2 Ulf Merbold, Byron K. Lichtenberg, Samuel T. Durrance, Ronald A. Parise, Chiaki Mukai, Roger Crouch, Greg Linteris

Nationalities

[edit]
Flights Country
36  United States
6  Germany[a]
5  Canada
3  Japan
2  France
 Italy
1  Saudi Arabia
 Netherlands
 Mexico
 Belgium
 Ukraine
 Israel

Payload specialists who later trained as mission specialists

[edit]

All were international astronauts.

See also

[edit]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ West Germany until 1990.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d Pincus, Walter (1986-03-05). "NASA's Push to Put Citizen in Space Overtook Fully 'Operational' Shuttle". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  2. ^ Collins, Debbie. "The Power of Persistence". NASA. Retrieved 2020-06-21.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g Croft, Melvin; Youskauskas, John (2019). Come Fly with Us: NASA's Payload Specialist Program. Outward Odyssey: a People's History of Spaceflight. University of Nebraska Press. ISBN 978-1-4962-1225-2.
  4. ^ a b Stevens, William K.; Times, Special To the New York (1981-04-06). "New Generation of Astronauts Poised for Shuttle Era". The New York Times. p. A1. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-07-14.
  5. ^ Boffey, Philip M. (1984-11-09). "A Space Inspection". The New York Times. p. A29. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-10-01.
  6. ^ Walker, Charles D. (14 April 2005). "Oral History Transcript". NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project (Interview). Interviewed by Johnson, Sandra.
  7. ^ Oberg, James. "NASA hypes "Glenn Mission" Science". jamesoberg.com. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
  8. ^ Ramsay, Janis (21 February 2015). "Barrie astronaut continues to keep eye on skies". Barrie Advance. Retrieved 10 January 2019.
[edit]
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