Marsha Ivins

Last updated

Marsha Ivins
Marsha Ivins.jpg
Ivins in 1996
Born (1951-04-15) April 15, 1951 (age 72)
Education University of Colorado, Boulder (BS)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
55d 21h 48m
Selection NASA Group 10 (1984)
Missions STS-32
STS-46
STS-62
STS-81
STS-98
Mission insignia
STS-32 patch.png Sts-46-patch.png Sts-62-patch.png Sts-81-patch.png Sts-98-patch.png

Marsha Sue Ivins (born April 15, 1951) is an American retired astronaut and a veteran of five Space Shuttle missions.

Contents

Career

Ivins, born April 15, 1951, in Baltimore, Maryland, graduated from Nether Providence High School in Wallingford, Pennsylvania in 1969, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Colorado at Boulder in 1973. She is Jewish-American. [1] She went to work for NASA's Johnson Space Center, and worked mainly on orbiter displays and controls, before being assigned as a flight engineer in 1980 and co-pilot on NASA administrative aircraft. In 1984, Ivins was selected as an astronaut candidate.

She has flown aboard five space missions: STS-32 (1990), STS-46 (1992), STS-62 (1994), STS-81 (1997), and STS-98 (2001). [2] [3] Ivins retired from NASA on December 31, 2010.

Spaceflight experience

Marsha Ivins experiencing weightlessness during STS-98 Weightless hair.jpg
Marsha Ivins experiencing weightlessness during STS-98

STS-32 (January 9–20, 1990) launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on an eleven-day flight, during which crew members on board the Space Shuttle Columbia successfully deployed a Syncom satellite, and retrieved the 21,400-pound Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). Mission duration was 261 hours, 1 minute, and 38 seconds. Following 173 orbits of the Earth and 4.5 million miles, Columbia returned with a night landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California. [4]

STS-46 (July 31 – August 8, 1992) was an 8-day mission, during which crew members deployed the EURECA (European Retrievable Carrier) satellite, and conducted the first Tethered Satellite System (TSS) test flight. Mission duration was 191 hours, 16 minutes, and 7 seconds. Space Shuttle Atlantis and her crew launched and landed at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, completing 126 orbits of the Earth in 3.35 million miles. [5]

STS-62 (March 4–18, 1994) was a 14-day mission for the United States Microgravity Payload (USMP) 2 and Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology (OAST) 2 payloads. These payloads studied the effects of microgravity on materials sciences and other space flight technologies. Other experiments on board included demonstration of advanced teleoperator tasks using the remote manipulator system, protein crystal growth, and dynamic behavior of space structures. Mission duration was 312 hours, 23 minutes, and 16 seconds. Space Shuttle Columbia launched and landed at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, completing 224 orbits in 5.82 million miles. [6]

STS-81 Atlantis (January 12–22, 1997) was a 10-day mission, the fifth to dock with Russia's Space Station Mir, and the second to exchange U.S. astronauts. The mission also carried the Spacehab double module providing additional middeck locker space for secondary experiments. In five days of docked operations more than three tons of food, water, experiment equipment and samples were moved back and forth between the two spacecraft. Following 160 orbits of the Earth, the STS-81 mission concluded with a landing on Kennedy Space Center's Runway 33 ending a 3.9 million mile journey. Mission duration was 244 hours, 56 minutes. [7]

STS-98 Atlantis (February 7–20, 2001) continued the task of building and enhancing the International Space Station by delivering the U.S. laboratory module Destiny. The Shuttle spent seven days docked to the station while Destiny was attached and three spacewalks were conducted to complete its assembly. The crew also relocated a docking port, and delivered supplies and equipment to the resident Expedition-1 crew. Space Shuttle Atlantis returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California traveling 5.3 million miles in 203 orbits. Mission duration was 12 days, 21 hours, 20 minutes. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Casper</span> American astronaut (born 1943)

John Howard Casper is a former American astronaut and retired United States Air Force pilot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry L. Ross</span> NASA astronaut and engineer (born 1948)

Jerry Lynn Ross is a retired United States Air Force officer, engineer, and a former NASA astronaut. Ross is a veteran of 7 Space Shuttle missions, making him the joint record holder for most spaceflights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James D. Halsell</span> American astronaut, convicted of manslaughter (born 1956)

James Donald Halsell Jr. is a retired United States Air Force officer, a former NASA astronaut. The veteran of five Space Shuttle missions pled guilty in 2021 to two counts of manslaughter and two counts of assault as a result of a motor vehicle accident in 2016. As of February 2024, he is incarcerated in Alabama. He is the second American astronaut to spend time in jail after Lisa Nowak.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-43</span> 1991 American crewed spaceflight to deploy TDRS-5

STS-43, the ninth mission for Space Shuttle Atlantis, was a nine-day mission whose primary goal was launching the TDRS-E satellite (TDRS-5). The flight also tested an advanced heatpipe radiator for potential use on the then-future space station and conducted a variety of medical and materials science investigations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-71</span> 1995 American crewed spaceflight to Mir

As the third mission of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program, STS-71 became the first Space Shuttle to dock with the Russian space station Mir. STS-71 began on June 27, 1995, with the launch of Space Shuttle Atlantis from launchpad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The Shuttle delivered a relief crew of two cosmonauts Anatoly Solovyev and Nikolai Budarin to the station and recovered Increment astronaut Norman Thagard. Atlantis returned to Earth on July 7 with a crew of eight. It was the first of seven straight missions to Mir flown by Atlantis, and the second Shuttle mission to land with an eight-person crew after STS-61-A in 1985.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-74</span> 1995 American crewed spaceflight to Mir

STS-74 was the fourth mission of the US/Russian Shuttle-Mir Program, and the second docking of the Space Shuttle with Mir. Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A on 12 November 1995. The mission ended 8 days later with the landing of Atlantis back at Kennedy. It was the second in a series of seven straight missions to the station flown by Atlantis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-76</span> 1996 American crewed spaceflight to Mir

STS-76 was NASA's 76th Space Shuttle mission, and the 16th mission for Atlantis. STS-76 launched on 22 March 1996 at 08:13:04 UTC from Kennedy Space Center, launch pad 39B. STS-76 lasted over 9 days, traveled about 6,100,000 km (3,800,000 mi) while orbiting Earth an estimated 145 times, and landing at 13:28:57 UTC on 31 March 1996 at Edwards Air Force Base, runway 22.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-79</span> 1996 American crewed spaceflight to Mir

STS-79 was the 17th flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis, and the 79th mission of the Space Shuttle program. The flight saw Atlantis dock with the Russian space station Mir to deliver equipment, supplies and relief personnel. A variety of scientific experiments were also conducted aboard Atlantis by her crew. It was the first shuttle mission to rendezvous with a fully assembled Mir, and the fourth rendezvous of a shuttle to the space station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Hieb</span> American astronaut (born 1955)

Richard James Hieb is a former NASA astronaut and a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions. He was a mission specialist on STS-39 and STS-49, and was a payload commander on STS-65. After leaving NASA he worked at AlliedSignal and Orbital before spending 14 years as an executive at Lockheed Martin. He is currently a faculty member in the University of Colorado Boulder Smead Aerospace Engineering Sciences Department.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ellen S. Baker</span> American physician and astronaut (born 1953)

Ellen Louise Shulman Baker is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Baker is a veteran of three shuttle flights and logged more than 686 hours in space. Baker served as Chief of the Education/Medical Branch of the NASA Astronaut Office until her retirement in 2011 after more than 30 years of service to NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael A. Baker</span> American astronaut (born 1953)

Michael Allen Baker is a retired captain in the United States Navy, former NASA astronaut, and the International Space Station Program Manager for International and Crew Operations, at NASA's Johnson Space Center. He is responsible for the coordination of program operations, integration and flight crew training and support activities with the International Partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles D. Gemar</span> American astronaut and lieutenant colonel (born 1955)

Charles Donald "Sam" Gemar is an American former astronaut with NASA and a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Gemar has flown on three Space Shuttle missions. Gemar has completed 385 orbits of the Earth and over 581 hours in space. He has also served in different positions in NASA, including as a CAPCOM for Shuttle missions. Gemar was the first astronaut to be born in the state of South Dakota.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ronald J. Grabe</span> American astronaut (born 1945)

Ronald John Grabe, , is a former NASA astronaut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linda M. Godwin</span> American astronaut (born 1952)

Linda Maxine Godwin is an American scientist and retired NASA astronaut. Godwin joined NASA in 1980 and became an astronaut in July 1986. She retired in 2010. During her career, Godwin completed four space flights and logged over 38 days in space. Godwin also served as the assistant to the director for exploration, Flight Crew Operations Directorate at the Johnson Space Center. Since retiring from NASA, she accepted the position of professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Missouri.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pierre J. Thuot</span> American astronaut (born 1955)

Pierre Joseph Thuot is a retired United States Navy captain and NASA astronaut. He went into space three times, spending over 650 hours in space, including over 15 hours in three space walks. He is a former U.S. record holder for time spent on one spacewalk, and participated in the first three-person spacewalk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Wisoff</span> American astronaut (born 1958)

Peter Jeffrey Kelsay Wisoff is an American physicist and former NASA astronaut. Wisoff qualified as mission specialist and flew in four Space Shuttle missions, with his first launch in 1993 and his last in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald A. Thomas</span>

Donald Alan Thomas is an American engineer and a former NASA astronaut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soyuz TM-23</span> 1996 Russian crewed spaceflight to Mir

Soyuz TM-23 was a Soyuz spaceflight which launched on February 21, 1996, to Mir. The spacecraft launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome, and after two days of flight, Yuri Onufrienko and Yury Usachov docked with Mir and became the 21st resident crew of the Station. On September 2, 1996, after 191 days docked with Mir, the ship undocked with the launch crew and Claudie André-Deshays onboard, before eventually landing 107 km (66 mi) south west of Akmola, Kazakhstan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-129</span> 2009 American crewed spaceflight to the ISS

STS-129 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis was launched on November 16, 2009, at 14:28 EST, and landed at 09:44 EST on November 27, 2009, on runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center's Shuttle Landing Facility. It was also the last Shuttle mission of the 2000s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Astronaut Group 10</span>

NASA Astronaut Group 10 was a group of 17 astronauts that were announced on May 23, 1984 and consisted of seven pilots and ten mission specialists. Although selected in 1984, no member of the group would fly until 1988 due to the Challenger disaster and the resulting grounding of the Space Shuttle fleet.

References

  1. Jewish Faith in America By Shelley M. Buxbaum, Sara E. Karesh, p.71
  2. "Astronaut Bio: Marsha S. Ivins" (PDF). www.nasa.gov. January 2011. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
  3. Becker, Joachim. "Astronaut Biography: Marsha Ivins". www.spacefacts.de.
  4. "NASA - STS-32". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  5. "NASA - STS-46". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  6. "NASA - STS-62". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  7. "NASA - STS-81". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2020.
  8. "NASA - STS-98". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved July 20, 2020.

Interviews