STS-55 mission and payload specialists
Signed by Ulrich H. Walter, payload specialist on STS-55/Columbia, the second German Spacelab flight. Also pictured, from left: Jerry Ross (who was at the conference); Bernard Harris, both mission specialists; and payload specialist Hans Schlegel.
Walter was in Aug. 1987 nominated as a German Science Astronaut; underwent from 1988-90 Basic Astronaut Training at the German Aerospace Center (DLR); and in Sept. 1990 assigned to the German D-2 Mission.
STS-55 (April 26 to May 6, 1993). was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Nearly 90 experiments were conducted during this German-sponsored Spacelab D-2 mission to investigate life sciences, materials sciences, physics, robotics, astronomy and the Earth and its atmosphere.
STS-55 also flew the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) making contact with students in 14 schools around the world. At mission conclusion, Astronauts traveled over 4.1 million miles in 160 Earth orbits, and logged over 239 hours in space.
STS-55 was Walter's only spaceflight.
Really happy for this as I believe I once had a portrait photo of Walter from the Johnson Space Center. A photo I sent him TTM was signed twice, apparently because the first autograph didn't adhere well to the photo.
In-person at the 29th ASE Planetary Conference, Vienna, Austria, early October 2016.
And while Jerry Ross was at the 29th ASE Planetary Conference, my friend didn't run into him. But I was able to get it signed almost two months later, at a Sinai Forum presentation at Purdue University Northwest in Westville, Indiana, 4 Dec. 2016.
Ret. Air Force Col. Jerry L. Ross was the first of two astronauts to complete seven missions - a record unlikely to be broken in the near future.
He had trained for an eighth, what was to have been his first, then his second flight - STS-1V/Mission 62A, the first launch from Vandenberg AFB on board Discovery, a mission which was canceled following the Challenger accident.
Interestingly, out of his seven flights, none of them were on Discovery!
Ross was selected as an astronaut in May 1980. His technical assignments since then have included EVA (spacewalks); Robotics; Space Shuttle Landing Chase Team; support crewman for STS-41B, 41C and 51A; spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) during STS-41B, 41C, 41D, 51A and 51D; Chief of the Mission Support Branch; member of the 1990 Astronaut Selection Board; Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office; Chief of the Astronaut Office EVA and Robotics Branch and Astronaut Office Branch Chief for Kennedy Space Center Operations Support. From 2004 to 2007, he served as the Chief Astronaut of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC).
Ross flew as a mission specialist on STS-61-B (1985), STS-27R (1988) and STS-37 (1991); was the Payload Commander on STS-55/Spacelab-D2 (1993); and served as a mission specialist on the second Space Shuttle to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir, STS-74 (1995), the first International Space Station (ISS) assembly mission, STS-88 (1998) and on another Space Station assembly mission, STS-110 (2002). A veteran of seven space flights, Ross has more than 1,393 hours in space, including 58 hours and 18 minutes of EVA on nine spacewalks.
Both his number of and time on spacewalks are all time second highest among NASA astronauts.
Ross served as Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at the Johnson Space Center from 2003 through 2011. He retired from NASA in January 2012.
STS-61-B was launched at night from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on November 26, 1985. During the mission, the crew deployed the MORELOS-B, AUSSAT II and SATCOM Ku-2 communications satellites and operated numerous experiments inside the Space Shuttle. Ross conducted two 6-hour spacewalks to demonstrate Space Station construction techniques with the EASE/ACCESS experiments. After completing 108 orbits of the Earth in 165 hours, 4 minutes and 49 seconds, STS-61-B/Atlantis landed on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 3, 1985.
STS-27R/Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 2, 1988. The mission carried a Department of Defense payload as well as a number of secondary payloads. After 68 orbits of the Earth in 105 hours, 6 minutes and 19 seconds, the mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 6, 1988.
STS-37/Atlantis launched from KSC on April 5, 1991, and deployed the 35,000-pound Gamma Ray Observatory, the heaviest civilian satellite ever launched by a Shuttle and the second of NASA's four “great observatories.” Ross performed two spacewalks totaling 10 hours and 49 minutes to manually deploy the obstructed Gamma Ray Observatory antenna and to test prototype Space Station EVA hardware. After 93 orbits of the Earth in 143 hours, 32 minutes and 44 seconds, the mission concluded with a landing on Runway 33 at Edwards Air Force Base on April 11, 1991.
STS-74 was NASA's second Space Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. STS-74 launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995. During the 8-day flight the crew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis attached a permanent docking module to Mir, conducted a number of secondary experiments and transferred 3,000 pounds of supplies and experiment equipment between Atlantis and the Mir station. The STS-74 mission was accomplished in 129 orbits of the Earth, with Atlantis traveling 3.4 million miles in 196 hours, 30 minutes and 44 seconds.
STS-88/Endeavour (December 4 to December 15, 1998) was the first ISS assembly mission. During the 12-day mission, the U.S.-built Unity module was mated with the orbiting, unmanned Russian Zarya module. Ross performed three spacewalks totaling 21 hours and 22 minutes to connect umbilicals and attach tools and hardware to the exterior of the core modules of the ISS. The crew also deployed two small satellites, Mighty Sat 1 and SAC-A. The mission was accomplished in 185 orbits of the Earth in 283 hours and 18 minutes.
STS-110/Atlantis (April 8-19, 2002) was the 13th Shuttle mission to visit the ISS. This, the first mission in the final phase of the ISS assembly, included the delivery and installation of the S0 (S-Zero) Truss, the first use of the station's robotic arm to maneuver spacewalkers around the station and the first time that all of the spacewalks performed on a Shuttle mission were based from the Station's Quest Airlock. Ross performed two EVAs totaling 14 hours and 9 minutes. Mission duration was 259 hours and 42 minutes, with 171 orbits of the Earth.
Ross supported the Space Shuttle Program as an Astronaut from before the first launch in April 1981 to the last landing in July 2011. He also supported the International Space Station Program from its inception through the completion of assembly of the ISS in 2011.
Ross signed via venue, Purdue University Northwest, 4 Dec. 2016.
Harris signed in-person at the ASE Planetary Conference, late September/early October 2024.
STS-55 mission and payload specialists
Signed by Ulrich H. Walter, payload specialist on STS-55/Columbia, the second German Spacelab flight. Also pictured, from left: Jerry Ross (who was at the conference); Bernard Harris, both mission specialists; and payload specialist Hans Schlegel.
Walter was in Aug. 1987 nominated as a German Science Astronaut; underwent from 1988-90 Basic Astronaut Training at the German Aerospace Center (DLR); and in Sept. 1990 assigned to the German D-2 Mission.
STS-55 (April 26 to May 6, 1993). was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California.
Nearly 90 experiments were conducted during this German-sponsored Spacelab D-2 mission to investigate life sciences, materials sciences, physics, robotics, astronomy and the Earth and its atmosphere.
STS-55 also flew the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) making contact with students in 14 schools around the world. At mission conclusion, Astronauts traveled over 4.1 million miles in 160 Earth orbits, and logged over 239 hours in space.
STS-55 was Walter's only spaceflight.
Really happy for this as I believe I once had a portrait photo of Walter from the Johnson Space Center. A photo I sent him TTM was signed twice, apparently because the first autograph didn't adhere well to the photo.
In-person at the 29th ASE Planetary Conference, Vienna, Austria, early October 2016.
And while Jerry Ross was at the 29th ASE Planetary Conference, my friend didn't run into him. But I was able to get it signed almost two months later, at a Sinai Forum presentation at Purdue University Northwest in Westville, Indiana, 4 Dec. 2016.
Ret. Air Force Col. Jerry L. Ross was the first of two astronauts to complete seven missions - a record unlikely to be broken in the near future.
He had trained for an eighth, what was to have been his first, then his second flight - STS-1V/Mission 62A, the first launch from Vandenberg AFB on board Discovery, a mission which was canceled following the Challenger accident.
Interestingly, out of his seven flights, none of them were on Discovery!
Ross was selected as an astronaut in May 1980. His technical assignments since then have included EVA (spacewalks); Robotics; Space Shuttle Landing Chase Team; support crewman for STS-41B, 41C and 51A; spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) during STS-41B, 41C, 41D, 51A and 51D; Chief of the Mission Support Branch; member of the 1990 Astronaut Selection Board; Acting Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office; Chief of the Astronaut Office EVA and Robotics Branch and Astronaut Office Branch Chief for Kennedy Space Center Operations Support. From 2004 to 2007, he served as the Chief Astronaut of the NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC).
Ross flew as a mission specialist on STS-61-B (1985), STS-27R (1988) and STS-37 (1991); was the Payload Commander on STS-55/Spacelab-D2 (1993); and served as a mission specialist on the second Space Shuttle to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir, STS-74 (1995), the first International Space Station (ISS) assembly mission, STS-88 (1998) and on another Space Station assembly mission, STS-110 (2002). A veteran of seven space flights, Ross has more than 1,393 hours in space, including 58 hours and 18 minutes of EVA on nine spacewalks.
Both his number of and time on spacewalks are all time second highest among NASA astronauts.
Ross served as Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at the Johnson Space Center from 2003 through 2011. He retired from NASA in January 2012.
STS-61-B was launched at night from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on November 26, 1985. During the mission, the crew deployed the MORELOS-B, AUSSAT II and SATCOM Ku-2 communications satellites and operated numerous experiments inside the Space Shuttle. Ross conducted two 6-hour spacewalks to demonstrate Space Station construction techniques with the EASE/ACCESS experiments. After completing 108 orbits of the Earth in 165 hours, 4 minutes and 49 seconds, STS-61-B/Atlantis landed on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 3, 1985.
STS-27R/Atlantis launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 2, 1988. The mission carried a Department of Defense payload as well as a number of secondary payloads. After 68 orbits of the Earth in 105 hours, 6 minutes and 19 seconds, the mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 6, 1988.
STS-37/Atlantis launched from KSC on April 5, 1991, and deployed the 35,000-pound Gamma Ray Observatory, the heaviest civilian satellite ever launched by a Shuttle and the second of NASA's four “great observatories.” Ross performed two spacewalks totaling 10 hours and 49 minutes to manually deploy the obstructed Gamma Ray Observatory antenna and to test prototype Space Station EVA hardware. After 93 orbits of the Earth in 143 hours, 32 minutes and 44 seconds, the mission concluded with a landing on Runway 33 at Edwards Air Force Base on April 11, 1991.
STS-74 was NASA's second Space Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. STS-74 launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995. During the 8-day flight the crew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis attached a permanent docking module to Mir, conducted a number of secondary experiments and transferred 3,000 pounds of supplies and experiment equipment between Atlantis and the Mir station. The STS-74 mission was accomplished in 129 orbits of the Earth, with Atlantis traveling 3.4 million miles in 196 hours, 30 minutes and 44 seconds.
STS-88/Endeavour (December 4 to December 15, 1998) was the first ISS assembly mission. During the 12-day mission, the U.S.-built Unity module was mated with the orbiting, unmanned Russian Zarya module. Ross performed three spacewalks totaling 21 hours and 22 minutes to connect umbilicals and attach tools and hardware to the exterior of the core modules of the ISS. The crew also deployed two small satellites, Mighty Sat 1 and SAC-A. The mission was accomplished in 185 orbits of the Earth in 283 hours and 18 minutes.
STS-110/Atlantis (April 8-19, 2002) was the 13th Shuttle mission to visit the ISS. This, the first mission in the final phase of the ISS assembly, included the delivery and installation of the S0 (S-Zero) Truss, the first use of the station's robotic arm to maneuver spacewalkers around the station and the first time that all of the spacewalks performed on a Shuttle mission were based from the Station's Quest Airlock. Ross performed two EVAs totaling 14 hours and 9 minutes. Mission duration was 259 hours and 42 minutes, with 171 orbits of the Earth.
Ross supported the Space Shuttle Program as an Astronaut from before the first launch in April 1981 to the last landing in July 2011. He also supported the International Space Station Program from its inception through the completion of assembly of the ISS in 2011.
Ross signed via venue, Purdue University Northwest, 4 Dec. 2016.
Harris signed in-person at the ASE Planetary Conference, late September/early October 2024.