Mission 51E training
"In the summer of 1984, following the cancellation of Mission 41F, Karol “Bo” Bobko (front left) received a French payload specialist, with Patrick Baudry (front right) and Jean-Loup Chretien (back right) selected to train for the position. Behind Bobko is Dave Griggs. All four men are framed by the side hatch of the shuttle simulator."
I was looking for a photo for Jean-Loup Chretien to sign and came across this interesting picture, from the training of Mission 51E.
Slated to fly aboard Challenger in 1985, the flight was canceled a week before launch, owing to a problem with one of the satellites manifested for the mission.
Chretien, as noted, was the backup payload specialist to Patrick Baudry. Chretien would finally get his own shuttle flight, STS-86/Atlantis, a rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir, in 1997.
Earlier, in 1977-78, Chretien was appointed Deputy Commander of the South Air Defense Division in Aix en Provence, and he served in this position until his selection as a cosmonaut in June 1980.
He remained a French Air Force officer but was placed on detachment to CNES for his space flight activities ensuring his availability for future flights with the Shuttle (NASA), Mir (Soviet Union) or Spacelab (ESA).
A veteran of three space flights, Chretien was the 10th Intercosmos cosmonaut, and has spent a total of 43 days, 11 hours, 18 minutes, 42 seconds in space, including an EVA of 5 hours, 57 minutes.
In April 1979, the Soviet Union offered France the opportunity to fly a cosmonaut on board a joint Soviet-French space flight, along the same lines as the agreement to fly non-Soviet cosmonauts from member countries of the Intercosmos program. The offer was accepted, and France began a cosmonaut selection program in September 1979.
Chretien was one of two finalists named on June 12, 1980. He started training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in September 1980. The following year he was named as the research-cosmonaut for the prime crew of the Soyuz T-6 mission.
Soyuz T-6 was launched on June 24, 1982, and Chretien, Dzhanibekov and Ivanchenkov linked up with Salyut 7 and joined the crew of Berezovoi and Lebedev already on board. They spent nearly seven days carrying out a program of joint Soviet-French experiments, including a series of French echography cardiovascular monitoring system experiments, before returning to Earth after a flight lasting 7 days, 21 hours, 50 minutes, 42 seconds.
This flight made him the first Western non-American to go to space, as well as the first Western European.
Chretien made his second space flight as a research-cosmonaut on board Soyuz TM-7, which launched on November 26, 1988. Together with Volkov and Krikalev, he linked up with Mir 1 and joined the crew of Titov Manarov and Polyakov already on board.
They spent 22 days carrying out a program of joint Soviet-French experiments, including a 5 hour and 57 minute EVA by Volkov and Chretien during which the two men installed the French ERA experimental deployable structure and a panel of material samples.
In making the EVA, he became the first non-American and non-Soviet cosmonaut to walk in space. In addition, he was the first non-Soviet cosmonaut to make a second space flight aboard a Soviet spacecraft. The mission lasted 24 days, 18 hours, 7 minutes.
During 1990-93, Chretien participated in Buran spacecraft pilot training at the Moscow Joukovski Institute.
Lastly, he served on the crew of STS-86/Atlantis (September 25 to October 6, 1997) the seventh mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir.
Highlights included the delivery of a Mir attitude control computer, the exchange of U.S. crew members Mike Foale and David Wolf, a spacewalk by Scott Parazynski and Vladimir Titov to retrieve four experiments first deployed on Mir during the STS-76 docking mission, the transfer to Mir of 10,400 pounds of science and logistics, and the return of experiment hardware and results to Earth. Mission duration was 10 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes.
Chretien retired from NASA in 2001. In-person, Chester, Md., 27 Sept. 2015.
Retired Air Force Col. Karol. J. "Bo" Bobko became a NASA astronaut in September 1969. He was a crewmember on the highly successful Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test (SMEAT) -- a 56-day ground simulation of the Skylab mission, enabling crewmen to collect medical experiments baseline data and evaluate equipment, operations and procedures.
A veteran of three space flights, Bobko has logged a total of 386 hours in Space. He was the pilot on STS-6 (April 4-9, 1983); and was the mission commander on STS-51D (April 12-19, 1985) and STS-51J (October 3-7, 1985).
Bobko was pilot for STS-6, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 4, 1983. During this maiden voyage of the spacecraft Challenger, the crew deployed a large communications satellite (TDRS) and the rocket stage (IUS) required to boost it to geosynchronous orbit.
The STS-6 crew also conducted the first shuttle spacewalk (EVA) and additionally conducted numerous other experiments in materials processing and the recording of lightning activities from space. There were also three Getaway Specials activated on the flight.
After 120 hours of orbital operations STS-6 landed on the concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on April 9, 1983.
On his second mission Bobko was the commander of STS-51-D/Discovery which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 12, 1985.
The mission was to deploy two communications satellites, perform electrophoresis and echocardiograph operations in space, in addition to accomplishing other experiments. When one of the communications satellites malfunctioned, a daring attempt was made to activate the satellite which required an additional EVA, rendezvous, and operations with the remote manipulator arm.
After 168 hours of orbital operations Discovery landed on Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center on April 19, 1985.
Bobko was next commander of STS-51-J, the second Space Shuttle Department of Defense mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 3, 1985. This was the maiden voyage of the Atlantis.
After 98 hours of orbital operations, Atlantis landed on Edwards Air Force Base Lakebed Runway 23 on October 7, 1985.
In 1988, Bobko retired from NASA and the Air Force to join the firm of Booz Allen & Hamilton Inc., in Houston, Texas.
Bobko was born in New York, and was living in Seaford at the time of his selection as an astronaut. His parents used to own a soda distributorship on Sunrise Highway, he told me.
Even though I had a signed crew (launch) photo of the 51J mission, I like getting in-person signed photos of the astronauts I have met - and even though I'm sure of the authenticity of the 51J photo, I had bought that on the secondary market. (This in-person signature replaces an in-person portrait shot that I obtained myself - I rarely have more than one signed photo of a particular astro/cosmonaut.) In-person, Titusville, Fl., as part of the Atlantis 30th anniversary celebration, 3 Oct. 2015.
Mission 51E training
"In the summer of 1984, following the cancellation of Mission 41F, Karol “Bo” Bobko (front left) received a French payload specialist, with Patrick Baudry (front right) and Jean-Loup Chretien (back right) selected to train for the position. Behind Bobko is Dave Griggs. All four men are framed by the side hatch of the shuttle simulator."
I was looking for a photo for Jean-Loup Chretien to sign and came across this interesting picture, from the training of Mission 51E.
Slated to fly aboard Challenger in 1985, the flight was canceled a week before launch, owing to a problem with one of the satellites manifested for the mission.
Chretien, as noted, was the backup payload specialist to Patrick Baudry. Chretien would finally get his own shuttle flight, STS-86/Atlantis, a rendezvous with the Russian space station Mir, in 1997.
Earlier, in 1977-78, Chretien was appointed Deputy Commander of the South Air Defense Division in Aix en Provence, and he served in this position until his selection as a cosmonaut in June 1980.
He remained a French Air Force officer but was placed on detachment to CNES for his space flight activities ensuring his availability for future flights with the Shuttle (NASA), Mir (Soviet Union) or Spacelab (ESA).
A veteran of three space flights, Chretien was the 10th Intercosmos cosmonaut, and has spent a total of 43 days, 11 hours, 18 minutes, 42 seconds in space, including an EVA of 5 hours, 57 minutes.
In April 1979, the Soviet Union offered France the opportunity to fly a cosmonaut on board a joint Soviet-French space flight, along the same lines as the agreement to fly non-Soviet cosmonauts from member countries of the Intercosmos program. The offer was accepted, and France began a cosmonaut selection program in September 1979.
Chretien was one of two finalists named on June 12, 1980. He started training at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in September 1980. The following year he was named as the research-cosmonaut for the prime crew of the Soyuz T-6 mission.
Soyuz T-6 was launched on June 24, 1982, and Chretien, Dzhanibekov and Ivanchenkov linked up with Salyut 7 and joined the crew of Berezovoi and Lebedev already on board. They spent nearly seven days carrying out a program of joint Soviet-French experiments, including a series of French echography cardiovascular monitoring system experiments, before returning to Earth after a flight lasting 7 days, 21 hours, 50 minutes, 42 seconds.
This flight made him the first Western non-American to go to space, as well as the first Western European.
Chretien made his second space flight as a research-cosmonaut on board Soyuz TM-7, which launched on November 26, 1988. Together with Volkov and Krikalev, he linked up with Mir 1 and joined the crew of Titov Manarov and Polyakov already on board.
They spent 22 days carrying out a program of joint Soviet-French experiments, including a 5 hour and 57 minute EVA by Volkov and Chretien during which the two men installed the French ERA experimental deployable structure and a panel of material samples.
In making the EVA, he became the first non-American and non-Soviet cosmonaut to walk in space. In addition, he was the first non-Soviet cosmonaut to make a second space flight aboard a Soviet spacecraft. The mission lasted 24 days, 18 hours, 7 minutes.
During 1990-93, Chretien participated in Buran spacecraft pilot training at the Moscow Joukovski Institute.
Lastly, he served on the crew of STS-86/Atlantis (September 25 to October 6, 1997) the seventh mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir.
Highlights included the delivery of a Mir attitude control computer, the exchange of U.S. crew members Mike Foale and David Wolf, a spacewalk by Scott Parazynski and Vladimir Titov to retrieve four experiments first deployed on Mir during the STS-76 docking mission, the transfer to Mir of 10,400 pounds of science and logistics, and the return of experiment hardware and results to Earth. Mission duration was 10 days, 19 hours, 21 minutes.
Chretien retired from NASA in 2001. In-person, Chester, Md., 27 Sept. 2015.
Retired Air Force Col. Karol. J. "Bo" Bobko became a NASA astronaut in September 1969. He was a crewmember on the highly successful Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test (SMEAT) -- a 56-day ground simulation of the Skylab mission, enabling crewmen to collect medical experiments baseline data and evaluate equipment, operations and procedures.
A veteran of three space flights, Bobko has logged a total of 386 hours in Space. He was the pilot on STS-6 (April 4-9, 1983); and was the mission commander on STS-51D (April 12-19, 1985) and STS-51J (October 3-7, 1985).
Bobko was pilot for STS-6, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 4, 1983. During this maiden voyage of the spacecraft Challenger, the crew deployed a large communications satellite (TDRS) and the rocket stage (IUS) required to boost it to geosynchronous orbit.
The STS-6 crew also conducted the first shuttle spacewalk (EVA) and additionally conducted numerous other experiments in materials processing and the recording of lightning activities from space. There were also three Getaway Specials activated on the flight.
After 120 hours of orbital operations STS-6 landed on the concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on April 9, 1983.
On his second mission Bobko was the commander of STS-51-D/Discovery which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 12, 1985.
The mission was to deploy two communications satellites, perform electrophoresis and echocardiograph operations in space, in addition to accomplishing other experiments. When one of the communications satellites malfunctioned, a daring attempt was made to activate the satellite which required an additional EVA, rendezvous, and operations with the remote manipulator arm.
After 168 hours of orbital operations Discovery landed on Runway 33 at Kennedy Space Center on April 19, 1985.
Bobko was next commander of STS-51-J, the second Space Shuttle Department of Defense mission, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 3, 1985. This was the maiden voyage of the Atlantis.
After 98 hours of orbital operations, Atlantis landed on Edwards Air Force Base Lakebed Runway 23 on October 7, 1985.
In 1988, Bobko retired from NASA and the Air Force to join the firm of Booz Allen & Hamilton Inc., in Houston, Texas.
Bobko was born in New York, and was living in Seaford at the time of his selection as an astronaut. His parents used to own a soda distributorship on Sunrise Highway, he told me.
Even though I had a signed crew (launch) photo of the 51J mission, I like getting in-person signed photos of the astronauts I have met - and even though I'm sure of the authenticity of the 51J photo, I had bought that on the secondary market. (This in-person signature replaces an in-person portrait shot that I obtained myself - I rarely have more than one signed photo of a particular astro/cosmonaut.) In-person, Titusville, Fl., as part of the Atlantis 30th anniversary celebration, 3 Oct. 2015.