Nancy J. Currie
Signed in person for Kayla's adventure book during Family Day at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy facility, 25 Apr. 2015.
Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Currie completed the Astronaut Candidate Training Program in 1991.
A veteran of four space shuttle missions, she has accrued 1,000 hours in space. She flew as mission specialist 2, flight engineer, on STS 57 (1993), STS-70 (1995), STS-88 (the first International Space Station assembly mission - 1998) and STS-109 (2002).
STS-57/Endeavour (June 21 to July 1, 1993). The primary mission objective was the retrieval of the European Retrievable Carrier satellite (EURECA).
Additionally, the mission featured the first flight of Spacehab, a commercially provided middeck augmentation module to conduct microgravity experiments, as well as a spacewalk by two crewmembers, during which Currie operated the shuttle's robotic arm.
Spacehab carried 22 individual flight experiments in materials and life sciences research. STS-57 orbited the Earth 155 times and covered 4.1 million miles in 239 hours and 45 minutes.
STS-70/Discovery (July 13 to July 22, 1995). The five-member crew deployed the final NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to complete the constellation of NASA's orbiting communication satellite system.
The crew also conducted a myriad of biomedical and remote sensing experiments. STS-70 orbited the Earth 143 times, traveling 3.7 million miles in 214 hours and 20 minutes.
STS-88/Endeavour (December 4 to December 15, 1998) was the first International Space Station assembly mission. During the 12-day mission, the U.S.-built node was mated with the Russian-built Functional Cargo Block (FGB).
The crew performed three spacewalks and the initial activation and first ingress of the station, preparing it for future assembly missions and full-time occupation. The crew also deployed two satellites, Mighty Sat 1 and SAC-A.
Currie's primary role during the mission was to operate the shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm. The mission was accomplished in 185 orbits of the Earth and covered 4.7 million miles in 283 hours and 18 minutes.
STS-109/Columbia (March 1 to March 12, 2002). STS-109 was the fourth Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission and the 108th flight of the space shuttle.
Hubble's scientific capabilities and power system were significantly upgraded with the replacement of both solar arrays and the primary power control unit, the installation of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, and a scientific instrument cooling system.
Currie's primary role was to operate the shuttle's 50-foot robot arm to retrieve and redeploy the telescope during a series of five consecutive spacewalks performed by four crewmembers.
STS-109 orbited Earth 165 times, traveling 3.9 million miles in 262 hours and 10 minutes.
Nancy J. Currie
Signed in person for Kayla's adventure book during Family Day at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, Udvar-Hazy facility, 25 Apr. 2015.
Selected as an astronaut in 1990, Currie completed the Astronaut Candidate Training Program in 1991.
A veteran of four space shuttle missions, she has accrued 1,000 hours in space. She flew as mission specialist 2, flight engineer, on STS 57 (1993), STS-70 (1995), STS-88 (the first International Space Station assembly mission - 1998) and STS-109 (2002).
STS-57/Endeavour (June 21 to July 1, 1993). The primary mission objective was the retrieval of the European Retrievable Carrier satellite (EURECA).
Additionally, the mission featured the first flight of Spacehab, a commercially provided middeck augmentation module to conduct microgravity experiments, as well as a spacewalk by two crewmembers, during which Currie operated the shuttle's robotic arm.
Spacehab carried 22 individual flight experiments in materials and life sciences research. STS-57 orbited the Earth 155 times and covered 4.1 million miles in 239 hours and 45 minutes.
STS-70/Discovery (July 13 to July 22, 1995). The five-member crew deployed the final NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite to complete the constellation of NASA's orbiting communication satellite system.
The crew also conducted a myriad of biomedical and remote sensing experiments. STS-70 orbited the Earth 143 times, traveling 3.7 million miles in 214 hours and 20 minutes.
STS-88/Endeavour (December 4 to December 15, 1998) was the first International Space Station assembly mission. During the 12-day mission, the U.S.-built node was mated with the Russian-built Functional Cargo Block (FGB).
The crew performed three spacewalks and the initial activation and first ingress of the station, preparing it for future assembly missions and full-time occupation. The crew also deployed two satellites, Mighty Sat 1 and SAC-A.
Currie's primary role during the mission was to operate the shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm. The mission was accomplished in 185 orbits of the Earth and covered 4.7 million miles in 283 hours and 18 minutes.
STS-109/Columbia (March 1 to March 12, 2002). STS-109 was the fourth Hubble Space Telescope (HST) servicing mission and the 108th flight of the space shuttle.
Hubble's scientific capabilities and power system were significantly upgraded with the replacement of both solar arrays and the primary power control unit, the installation of the Advanced Camera for Surveys, and a scientific instrument cooling system.
Currie's primary role was to operate the shuttle's 50-foot robot arm to retrieve and redeploy the telescope during a series of five consecutive spacewalks performed by four crewmembers.
STS-109 orbited Earth 165 times, traveling 3.9 million miles in 262 hours and 10 minutes.