NASA Names New Astronaut Class on Space Day

Melissa Mathews/Dwayne Brown
Headquarters, Washington April 29, 2004
(Phone: 202/358-1272/1726)

Doug Peterson
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 281/244-8406)

NOTE TO EDITORS: 04-061

NASA NAMES NEW ASTRONAUT CLASS ON SPACE DAY

The next generation of explorers is here. NASA will
announce a new class of astronaut candidates, including three
educator astronauts, May 6.

The announcement is part of the Space Day celebration at the
National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in
Chantilly, Va. The program begins at 9:30 a.m. EDT and will
be broadcast live on NASA Television.

Speakers include NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe, Director of
the National Air and Space Museum Gen. John Dailey, former
Senator John Glenn, current and former astronauts.

The Space Day theme is "Blazing Galactic Trails," and that is
just what this astronaut class will do. It is made up of
pilots, engineers, researchers, and educators who will focus
their careers on fulfilling the Vision for Space Exploration.
During their NASA careers, members of the 2004 astronaut
class may help develop the Crew Exploration Vehicle, study
the effects of microgravity on the human body, and possibly
help plan the first lunar missions. The class begins training
this summer at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston.

Media interested in attending Space Day should contact
Kathleen Hanser (202/633-2375) or Peter Golkin (202/633-2374)
of the National Air and Space Museum. Media can also RSVP to
the event via email at:

.

NASA TV will also feed video of the astronaut class beginning
at noon EDT May 6. The Video File will include sound bites
and b-roll of the class members. Biographies and still photos
of the astronaut candidates will be available at:

http://www.nasa.gov

NASA TV is available on AMC-9, transponder 9C, C-Band,
located at 85 degrees west longitude. The frequency is 3880.0
MHz. Polarization is vertical, and audio is monaural at 6.80
MHz. For information about NASA TV on the Internet, visit:

http://www.nasa.gov/ntv

For information about astronauts, how they are selected, and
how they train, visit:

http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/people/astronauts.html

Information about the Educator Astronaut Program is available
on the Internet at:

http://education.nasa.gov/divisions/...verview/F_path
finder_edu_astronaut.html

Space Day 2004 is the culmination of a yearlong education
initiative for middle school students. For information about
Space Day 2004 on the Internet, visit:

http://www.spaceday.org



-end-

msnbc (Oberg) -- NASA selects new class of astronauts
Sources say agency is contacting candidates, but will first post-Columbia
group ever fly on shuttle?
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4704179

MSNBC.COM EXCLUSIVE
By James Oberg, NBC News space analyst
Special to MSNBC
Updated: 7:26 p.m. ET April 09, 2004

HOUSTON - NASA has completed its selection of the next class of
astronaut candidates, and is now telephoning the selectees to confirm their
interest in moving to Houston, sources familiar with the selection process
have told MSNBC.com.

....which reminds me that I have yet to receive full answers to the
journalism standards questions posted he

http://tinyurl.com/2wu8t
. com]


~ CT

It sounds like they'll be similar to the last group of astronauts
chosen during the Apollo era. I think Mike Collins refers to them as
the "Excess Eleven" in Carrying the Fire since they were selected to
fly missions that were scheduled only in a best-case scenario. I
think that scenario included more than ten Apollo and Apollo
Applications, later Skylab, missions per year from the Cape. History
notes that few of those eleven and the previous nineteen ended up
making it into space.

That is, it's hard to imagine that all of the current and
soon-to-be-announced astronauts will be working aboard the shuttle.
That's a lot of intense, expensive training that could be put to
waste, depending on the readiness of a next-generation U.S. manned
launch vehicle.


On Thu, 29 Apr 2004 19:39:50 GMT, "JimO"
wrote:

msnbc (Oberg) -- NASA selects new class of astronauts
Sources say agency is contacting candidates, but will first post-Columbia
group ever fly on shuttle?
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/4704179

MSNBC.COM EXCLUSIVE
By James Oberg, NBC News space analyst
Special to MSNBC
Updated: 7:26 p.m. ET April 09, 2004

HOUSTON - NASA has completed its selection of the next class of
astronaut candidates, and is now telephoning the selectees to confirm their
interest in moving to Houston, sources familiar with the selection process
have told MSNBC.com.

From: Kirk Kittell anks

Much that is inaccuratein this post:

It sounds like they'll be similar to the last group of astronauts
chosen during the Apollo era.

In terms of composition, not at all. The last group of the Apollo era was seven
transferee pilots from the canceled military MOL program. Group 19 has two
pilots, six mission specialists, three educator astronauts and three JAXA
astronauts. It has been suggested that the three educators may get into the
pipeline for flights earlier than the others.

That was not the last group selected in the Apollo era (which was Group 7).

I think Mike Collins refers to them as
the "Excess Eleven" in Carrying the Fire since they were selected to
fly missions that were scheduled only in a best-case scenario.

Group 6 was the "Excess 11", not Group 7.

History
notes that few of those eleven and the previous nineteen ended up
making it into space.

As I noted to someone else about a week ago, history does not show that. Seven
of then eleven flew at least one flight. One flew six times. Seventeen of the
previous nineteen alos made it into space, so you may wish to check your
history books.

DF

On 30 Apr 2004 12:59:07 GMT, ojunk (Dave Fowler)
wrote:

In terms of composition, not at all.
Hi there. I wasn't considering the composition of the the astronaut
groups. I was really only considering two things. First, the groups
were chosen near the relative ends of their programs. Second, when
the groups were chosen, many flights were envisioned for the new crews
to fly on. Many of the projected flights for Apollo and followup
programs were later canceled. I feel that the same may happen with
the Shuttle program and other envisioned manned missions. This
feeling isn't based on any hard data -- just a gut feeling.


Seventeen of the
previous nineteen alos made it into space, so you may wish to check your
history books.
This was my mistake; thank you for the correction. I thought that
only 15 of the 19 made it to space, making a total of 73% of the
entrants from Groups 5 and 6 (not 6 and 7 as I mentioned). The real
percentage would have been 80%. I would still argue about that number
being low, but then again, I am quite biased since I would give almost
anything to make it into orbit.

Don't take my comments as being negative toward the Shuttle program.
When I meet the minimum requirements in a few years, I plan on
applying to the astronaut corps. I'm curious to see what vehicle they
will be planning to fly then.

Kirk

It sounds like they'll be similar to the last group of
astronauts chosen during the Apollo era. I think Mike
Collins refers to them as the "Excess Eleven" in Carrying
the Fire since they were selected to fly missions that
were scheduled only in a best-case scenario. I think that
scenario included more than ten Apollo and Apollo
Applications, later Skylab, missions per year from the
Cape. History notes that few of those eleven and the
previous nineteen ended up making it into space.

Better note-takers than I are probably typing a response
simultaneously with mine, but most of the X/S 11 did fly -
and multiple times. Such as Story Musgrave; they were
exceedingly patient.

They were also very flexible people - they were military
test pilots, scientists, etc. All of them (that could excel
at basic pilot training) could go on to fly. If the new
class includes several people that do not have advanced
degrees they may not fit into the new space program.

That is, it's hard to imagine that all of the current and
soon-to-be-announced astronauts will be working aboard the
shuttle. That's a lot of intense, expensive training that
could be put to waste, depending on the readiness of a
next-generation U.S. manned launch vehicle.

Certainly most of the Shuttle flight opportunities are
evaporating as we speak - of course this is likely to change
some after the election, etc. But the expected steady flow
of astronauts flying in the Shuttle is almost certainly
history.

We will now increasingly depend on the Russian Soyuz to get
Americans into orbit - and we will spend money on the older
Russian vehicles instead of newer American vehicles.


Charles Phillips
"Drink Upstream Of The Herd, Get A Macintosh"
note feeble anti-spam attempt on Reply-To address

They were also very flexible people - they were military
test pilots, scientists, etc. All of them (that could excel
at basic pilot training) could go on to fly. If the new
class includes several people that do not have advanced
degrees they may not fit into the new space program.

Though two didn't make it...

What I find interesting is how many of the Excess 11 got pegged for Spacelab
missions. Musgrave, Allen and Lenoir got flights involving EVA's granted and
Thornton first got assigned to a non-spacelab flight, but the addition of him
and Thagard to STS 7 and 8 seemed last minute because NASA wanted doctors
aboard to do some space-sickness studies.

Despite the fact they all got certified as military jet pilots (not test
pilots), it seems their scientific backgrounds (combined maybe with age) were
still their main qualifier come the 1980's.

-A.L.