Catherine Coleman

Last updated

Cady Coleman
Catherine Coleman 2009.jpg
Coleman in 2009
Born
Catherine Grace Coleman

(1960-12-14) December 14, 1960 (age 63)
Charleston, South Carolina, U.S.
Education Massachusetts Institute of Technology (BS)
University of Massachusetts, Amherst (MS, PhD)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank Colonel, USAF (ret.)
Time in space
180d 4h 0m
Selection NASA Group 14 (1992)
Missions STS-73
STS-93
Soyuz TMA-20 (Expedition 26/27)
Mission insignia
 Sts-73-patch.png Sts-93-patch.jpg ISS Expedition 26 Patch.png ISS Expedition 27 Patch.png

Catherine Grace "Cady" Coleman (born December 14, 1960) is an American chemist, engineer, former United States Air Force colonel, and retired NASA astronaut. [1] She is a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions, and departed the International Space Station on May 23, 2011, as a crew member of Expedition 27 after logging 159 days in space.

Contents

Education

Coleman graduated from Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School, Fairfax, Virginia, in 1978. [1] In 1978–1979, she was an exchange student at Røyken Upper Secondary School in Norway with the AFS Intercultural Programs. She received a B.S. degree in chemistry from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in 1983 and was commissioned as graduate of the Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (Air Force ROTC)., [2] then received a Ph.D. degree in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1991. [3] [1] She was advised by Professor Thomas J. McCarthy on her doctorate. [4] [5] As an undergraduate, she was a member of the intercollegiate rowing crew and was a resident of Baker House. [6]

Military career

Coleman continued to pursue her PhD at the University of Massachusetts Amherst as a second lieutenant. In 1988, she entered active duty at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a research chemist. During her work, she participated as a surface analysis consultant on the NASA Long Duration Exposure Facility experiment. In 1991, she received her doctorate in polymer science and engineering. [1] She retired from the Air Force in November 2009 as a colonel. [1]

NASA career

Coleman in the ISS in 2011 Catherine (Cady) Coleman, Expedition 26 flight engineer.jpg
Coleman in the ISS in 2011
Coleman and Valentina Tereshkova at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in December 2010 Valentina Tereshkova and Catherine Coleman.jpg
Coleman and Valentina Tereshkova at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in December 2010

Coleman was selected by NASA in 1992 to join the NASA Astronaut Corps. In 1995, she was a member of the STS-73 crew on the scientific mission USML-2 with experiments including biotechnology, combustion science, and the physics of fluids. During the flight, she reported to Houston Mission Control that she had spotted an Unidentified flying object (UFO). She also trained for the mission STS-83 to be the backup for Donald A. Thomas; however, as he recovered on time, she did not fly that mission. STS-93 was Coleman's second space flight in 1999. She was mission specialist in charge of deploying the Chandra X-ray Observatory and its Inertial Upper Stage out of the shuttle's cargo bay. [1]

Coleman served as Chief of Robotics for the Astronaut Office, to include robotic arm operations and training for all Space Shuttle and International Space Station missions. [7] In October 2004, Coleman served as an aquanaut during the NEEMO 7 mission aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory, living and working underwater for eleven days. [8] [9]

Coleman was assigned as a backup U.S. crew member for Expeditions 19, 20 and 21 and served as a backup crew member for Expeditions 24 and 25 as part of her training for Expedition 26.

Coleman launched on December 15, 2010 (December 16, 2010 Baikonur time), aboard Soyuz TMA-20 to join the Expedition 26 mission aboard the International Space Station. [10] She retired from NASA on December 1, 2016.

Spaceflight experience

Coleman playing a flute inside the International Space Station in 2011 ISS27 Catherine Coleman plays a flute.jpg
Coleman playing a flute inside the International Space Station in 2011

STS-73 on Space Shuttle Columbia (October 20 to November 5, 1995) was the second United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) mission. The mission focused on materials science, biotechnology, combustion science, the physics of fluids, and numerous scientific experiments housed in the pressurized Spacelab module. In completing her first space flight, Coleman orbited the Earth 256 times, traveled over 6 million miles, and logged a total of 15 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes and 21 seconds in space.

STS-93 on Columbia (July 22 to 27, 1999) was a five-day mission during which Coleman was the lead mission specialist for the deployment of the Chandra X-ray Observatory. Designed to conduct comprehensive studies of the universe, the telescope will enable scientists to study exotic phenomena such as exploding stars, quasars, and black holes. Mission duration was 118 hours and 50 minutes.

Soyuz TMA-20 / Expedition 26/27 (December 15, 2010, to May 23, 2011) was an extended duration mission to the International Space Station. [11]

Personal

Coleman is married to glass artist Josh Simpson who lives in Massachusetts. [12] They have one son. She is part of the band Bandella, which also includes fellow NASA astronaut Stephen Robinson, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, and Micki Pettit (wife of the astronaut Donald Pettit). Coleman is a flute player and has taken several flutes with her to the ISS, including a pennywhistle from Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains, an old Irish flute from Matt Molloy of The Chieftains, and a flute from Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull (band). On February 15, 2011, she played one of the instruments live from orbit on National Public Radio. [13] On April 12, 2011, she played live via video link for the audience of Jethro Tull's show in Russia in honour of the 50th anniversary of Yuri Gagarin's flight, playing in orbit while Anderson played on the ground. [14] [15] On May 13 of that year, Coleman delivered a taped commencement address to the class of 2011 at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. [16]

As do many other astronauts, Coleman holds an amateur radio license (callsign: KC5ZTH).

As of 2015, she is also known to be working as a guest speaker at the Baylor College of Medicine, for the children's program "Saturday Morning Science".

In 2018, she gave a graduation address to Carter Lynch, the sole graduate of Cuttyhunk Elementary School, on Cuttyhunk Island, Massachusetts. [17]

In 2019 the Irish postal service An Post issued a set of commemorative stamps for the 50th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landings, Catherine Coleman is featured alongside fellow astronauts Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Eileen Collins. [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Thirsk</span> Canadian engineer, astronaut and physician (born 1953)

Robert Brent "Bob" Thirsk, is a Canadian retired engineer and physician, and a former Canadian Space Agency astronaut. He holds the Canadian record for the most time spent in space. He became an officer of the Order of Canada (OC) in 2013 and was named to the Order of British Columbia (OBC) in 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Bowersox</span> American astronaut (born 1956)

Kenneth Dwane "Sox" Bowersox is a United States Navy officer, and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five Space Shuttle launches and an extended stay aboard the International Space Station. When he launched on STS-73 at the age of 38 years and 11 months, he became the youngest person to command a Space Shuttle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael López-Alegría</span> Spanish-American astronaut (born 1958)

Michael López-Alegría is an astronaut, test pilot and commercial astronaut with dual nationality, American and Spanish; a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission. He is known for having performed ten spacewalks so far in his career, presently holding the second longest all-time EVA duration record and having the fifth-longest spaceflight of any American at the length of 215 days; this time was spent on board the ISS from September 18, 2006, to April 21, 2007. López-Alegría commanded Axiom-1, the first ever all-private team of commercial astronaut mission to the International Space Station, which launched on April 8, 2022, and spent just over 17 days in Earth's orbit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sandra Magnus</span> American astronaut and engineer (born 1964)

Sandra Hall Magnus is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut. She returned to Earth with the crew of STS-119 Discovery on March 28, 2009, after having spent 134 days in orbit. She was assigned to the crew of STS-135, the final mission of the Space Shuttle. She is also a licensed amateur radio operator with the call sign KE5FYE. From 2012 until 2018 Magnus was the executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Koichi Wakata</span> Japanese engineer and astronaut (born 1963)

Koichi Wakata is a Japanese engineer and an astronaut working for Axiom Space. He retired from JAXA in 2024. Wakata is a veteran of four NASA Space Shuttle missions, a Russian Soyuz mission, and a long-duration stay on the International Space Station. During a nearly two-decade career in spaceflight, he has logged more than eleven months in space. During Expedition 39, he became the first Japanese commander of the International Space Station. Wakata flew on the Soyuz TMA-11M/Expedition 38/Expedition 39 long duration spaceflight from 7 November 2013 to 13 May 2014. During this spaceflight he was accompanied by Kirobo, the first humanoid robot astronaut. As of 2023, he is the longest active astronaut in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Kelly (astronaut)</span> American engineer and astronaut (born 1964)

Scott Joseph Kelly is an American engineer, retired astronaut, and naval aviator. A veteran of four space flights, Kelly commanded the International Space Station (ISS) on Expeditions 26, 45, and 46.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Daniel M. Tani</span> American astronaut and engineer (born 1961)

Daniel M. Tani is an American engineer and retired NASA astronaut. He was born in Ridley Park, Pennsylvania, but considers Lombard, Illinois, to be his hometown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soichi Noguchi</span> Japanese astronaut and engineer (born 1965)

Soichi Noguchi is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and former JAXA astronaut. His first spaceflight was as a mission specialist aboard STS-114 on 26 July 2005 for NASA's first "return to flight" Space Shuttle mission after the Columbia disaster. He was also in space as part of the Soyuz TMA-17 crew and Expedition 22 to the International Space Station (ISS), returning to Earth on 2 June 2010. He is the sixth Japanese astronaut to fly in space, the fifth to fly on the Space Shuttle, and the first to fly on Crew Dragon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Douglas H. Wheelock</span> American engineer and astronaut (born 1960)

Douglas Harry "Wheels" Wheelock is an American engineer and astronaut. He has flown in space twice, logging 178 days on the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Russian Soyuz. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced that he would be returning to active duty with the United States Army in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. He is currently working with NASA to test the Orion spacecraft at the Glenn Research Center in Plum Brook, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Kopra</span> Engineer, colonel in the United States Army, and astronaut

Timothy Lennart "Tim" Kopra is an engineer, a Colonel in the United States Army and a retired NASA astronaut. He served aboard the International Space Station as a flight engineer for Expedition 20, returning to Earth aboard Space Shuttle Discovery on the STS-128 mission on September 11, 2009. He returned to the ISS for the second time in December 2015, as part of Expedition 46 and as the commander of 47.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paolo Nespoli</span> Italian astronaut and engineer (born 1957)

Major Paolo Angelo Nespoli is an Italian astronaut and engineer of the European Space Agency (ESA). In 2007, he first traveled into space aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery as a mission specialist of STS-120. In December 2010 he again traveled into space aboard the Soyuz TMA-20 spacecraft as an Expedition 26/27 flight engineer. Nespoli's third spaceflight was on board Soyuz MS-05, which launched in July 2017 for Expedition 52/53. He was also the European Space Agency's oldest active astronaut prior to his retirement in 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garrett Reisman</span> American engineer and former NASA astronaut (born 1968)

Garrett Erin Reisman is an American engineer and former NASA astronaut. He was a backup crew member for Expedition 15 and joined Expedition 16 aboard the International Space Station for a short time before becoming a member of Expedition 17. He returned to Earth on June 14, 2008 on board STS-124 on Space Shuttle Discovery. He was a member of the STS-132 mission that traveled to the International Space Station aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis from May 14 to 26, 2010. He is a consultant at SpaceX and a Professor of Astronautics Practice at the University of Southern California's Viterbi School of Engineering.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timothy Creamer</span> NASA flight director, astronaut and US Army officer

Timothy John "T. J." Creamer is a NASA flight director, retired astronaut and a colonel in the United States Army. Creamer was born in Fort Huachuca, Arizona, but considers Upper Marlboro, Maryland, to be his hometown. He is married to the former Margaret E. Hammer. They have two children.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karen Nyberg</span> American mechanical engineer and NASA astronaut

Karen LuJean Nyberg is an American mechanical engineer and retired NASA astronaut. Nyberg became the 50th woman in space on her first mission in 2008. Nyberg holds a Ph.D in mechanical engineering. She started her space career in 1991 and spent a total of 180 days in space in 2008 and 2013 as a mission specialist on STS-124 and a flight engineer on Soyuz TMA-09M.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shannon Walker</span> American scientist and NASA astronaut

Shannon Walker is an American physicist and a NASA astronaut selected in 2004. She launched on her first mission into space on June 25, 2010, onboard Soyuz TMA-19 and spent over 163 days in space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randolph Bresnik</span> United States Marine Corps officer and a NASA astronaut on three expeditions

Randolph James "Komrade" Bresnik is a retired officer in the United States Marine Corps and an active NASA astronaut. A Marine Aviator by trade, Bresnik was selected as a member of NASA Astronaut Group 19 in May 2004. He first launched to space on STS-129, then served as flight engineer for Expedition 52, and as ISS commander for Expedition 53.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Marshburn</span> American physician and NASA astronaut

Thomas Henry Marshburn is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of three spaceflights to the International Space Station and holds the record for the oldest person to perform a spacewalk at 61 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Barratt (astronaut)</span> American aerospace medicine physician and astronaut born 1959

Michael Reed Barratt is an American physician and a NASA astronaut. Specializing in aerospace medicine, he served as a flight surgeon for NASA before his selection as an astronaut and has played a role in developing NASA's space medicine programs for both the Shuttle-Mir Program and International Space Station. His first spaceflight was a long-duration mission to the International Space Station, as a flight engineer in the Expedition 19 and 20 crew. In March 2011, Barratt completed his second spaceflight as a crew member of STS-133. Barratt pilots the SpaceX Crew-8 mission that launched on 4 March 2024.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expedition 21</span>

Expedition 21 was the 21st long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The expedition began on 11 October 2009, with Frank de Winne becoming the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Expedition 28</span> Long-duration mission to the International Space Station

Expedition 28 was the 28th long-duration expedition to the International Space Station, and began on 23 May 2011 with the departure of the members of Expedition 27. The first three members of Expedition 28 arrived on the ISS aboard the Soyuz TMA-21 spacecraft on 4 April 2011, and were joined on 9 June 2011 by the three other crew members, who arrived aboard Soyuz TMA-02M. The expedition saw a number of significant events, including the final Space Shuttle mission, STS-135, which took place in July 2011. Expedition 28 was superseded by Expedition 29 on 16 September 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : "Biographical Data: Catherine "Cady" Coleman, Ph.D. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) NASA Astronaut" (PDF). NASA. December 2016. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  2. ↑ PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : "Preflight Interview: Catherine Coleman". NASA. October 28, 2010. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  3. ↑ McCarthy Research Group – website of the University of Massachusetts Amherst
  4. ↑ "UMass Amherst Alumna Cady Coleman Returning to Space as Part of Shuttle Crew". Office of News & Media Relations | UMass Amherst. Archived from the original on October 11, 2019. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  5. ↑ "UMass grad Catherine "Cady" Coleman ready for blastoff". masslive.com. Retrieved October 8, 2016.
  6. ↑ McGann, Matt (July 20, 2009). "Celebrating the Moon Landing". MIT Admissions. MIT. Archived from the original on April 27, 2021. Retrieved April 27, 2021. Some background on Cady Coleman: She graduated MIT with a bachelor's degree in Chemistry, lived in my dorm, Baker House, and rowed on the Varsity Crew Team.
  7. ↑ PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : "NASA – Preflight Interview: Catherine Coleman". nasa.gov. Archived from the original on November 2, 2012. Retrieved December 9, 2010.
  8. ↑ PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : "NEEMO 7". NASA. October 13, 2004. Archived from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  9. ↑ "CSA – Neemo 7 Mission". Canadian Space Agency. August 9, 2004. Archived from the original on March 9, 2012. Retrieved September 23, 2011.
  10. ↑ PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain : NASA Television Will Air Next Soyuz Landing And Launch – Media Advisory : M10-164A – November 18, 2010.
  11. ↑ "Blogger". spaceports.blogspot.com.
  12. ↑ "Josh Simpson – Contemporary Glass".
  13. ↑ "Flutes in Space: Astronaut Plays Aboard Space Station". NPR . Retrieved February 17, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Space flutes salute Yuri Gagarin". The Register .
  15. ↑ "Ian Anderson + Cady Coleman flute duet in space". YouTube . Archived from the original on November 24, 2021.
  16. ↑ "NASA astronaut Catherine 'Cady' Coleman has message from space for 2011 UMass graduates: Work as a team to solve nation's problems". masslive.com.
  17. ↑ Taylor, Derrick Bryson (June 5, 2019). "Jenny Slate Will Give a Graduation Speech to a Class of One". The New York Times. Retrieved June 5, 2019.
  18. ↑ Robert Pearlman (July 23, 2019). "Touch Down for Astronaut to unveil Space Exploration stamps". collectspace.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.