Space Shuttle: 20 years inside page
There have been seven other astronauts whom I have met or seen and who initially did not sign the book: Ellen Baker (who said she was signing only for the children at the event); John Young (who at that time didn't sign - whether in person or not); Kathy Thornton and Ken Mattingly (who both left the event after their respective talks); Jim Wetherbee (who said he wasn't signing) and Bill Nelson (I didn't have my book with me.)
The seventh, Jim Lovell, did not fly on the Shuttle but wrote the foreword. He would not sign at one event, but he did at another. Interestingly, getting Mattingly, when I already have Lovell and Haise would mean I would have the original Apollo 13 crew in the book.
Of the others, eight years later I met Bill Nelson and got his signature following an interview for an article on the 25th anniversary of Challenger. Kathy Thornton I met during the transfer of Discovery to the Smithsonian and Ellen Baker during the opening of the Enterprise pavilion on the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
That leaves in addition to Mattingly, Young and Wetherbee. There were a few other astronauts I saw or talked to at the Discovery transfer event who also did not sign the book, and I'm working on them as well - Joe Allen, Don Williams and Janet Kavandi included.
Another astronaut, Dan Brandenstein, left before I was able to interview him. At a later time, Don Thomas also had to leave a conference early before I got there. In both instances I was eventually able to get their autographs in the book - Brandenstein through a friend, Thomas in person.
I was delayed by weather in interviewing Franklin Chang-Diaz, but met him in person (and thus got his autograph) at a different occasion. And I met (at least) Story Musgrave, Sally Ride, Garrett Reisman, Marsha Ivins, Mike Massimino and Winston Scott (possibly also Guy Bluford) prior to my obtaining the book but was also able to see them again.
The signatures on this page:
Leroy Chiao. While commanding ISS Expedition 10, Chiao became the first American to vote in space. I consider myself fortunate to get his signature - he charges what I think is a lot for a signed photo. (The cost of the event where I met him included meeting a private spaceflight traveler, other explorer notables and writers, and lunch.)
Owen Garriott. One of two (Lousma is the other) Skylab astronauts to fly on Shuttle, on STS-9. Was to have been on the mission where some Spacelab 1 experiments were reflown, but the flight was postponed twice. Garriott left NASA before the mission finally flew.
Hank Hartsfield. On the "original" Mission 41D, had the first on-pad main engine abort.
Charlie Walker. The first commercial Payload Specialist. Eventually flew more times than some career astronauts.
Jon McBride. Was to have commanded Mission 61E/Astro 1, the mission right after Challenger. He was named as its commander in 1989 but left before it eventually flew.
Andrew Allen. Flew on the Tethered Satellite System mission (STS-46) and its reflight (STS-75).
Terrence "Tom" Henricks: First astronaut to log more than 1,000 hours as a Shuttle pilot/commander.
Kevin Kregel: On STS-70, deployed the last TDRS satellite. He was an attendee at a museum event, not a speaker. Henricks pointed out his commander in the crowd, and only myself and another space enthusiast took notice.
David Hilmers: Also assigned to one of the "Death Star" flights, Mission 61F. My supposition is that because the next scheduled flight after Challenger (61E) was a Spacelab flight, and because NASA would no longer fly a liquid-fueled rocket stage in Shuttle, Hilmers was therefore assigned to the 1988 Return to Flight mission, STS-26R. (Until I asked, Hilmers forget he had been assigned to 61F.)
Mike Mullane. Was named to the first Vandenberg flight (STS-1V/Mission 62A) prior to Challenger. Some of the crew, including him, was named to STS-27R, the second Shuttle mission after the 1988 Return to Flight.
Jim Pawelczyk. Flew on the last Spacelab flight, STS-90.
Sally Ride. First American woman in space, on STS-7.
Guy Bluford. First African-American in space, on STS-8.
Scott Altman. Since his signing, he flew on STS-125, the last Hubble Space Telescope mission. Altman also did some of the flying in the "Top Gun" movie.
Dan Brandenstein. Flew the first night launch of a Shuttle (STS-8).
Karol "Bo" Bobko. The only astronaut to fly the maiden launch of two different orbiters, Challenger (STS-6) and Atlantis (Mission 51J.)
Total this page: 16 signatures, seven contributors: Walker, Allen, Henricks, Mullane, Pawelczyk, Bluford, Brandenstein.
Space Shuttle: 20 years inside page
There have been seven other astronauts whom I have met or seen and who initially did not sign the book: Ellen Baker (who said she was signing only for the children at the event); John Young (who at that time didn't sign - whether in person or not); Kathy Thornton and Ken Mattingly (who both left the event after their respective talks); Jim Wetherbee (who said he wasn't signing) and Bill Nelson (I didn't have my book with me.)
The seventh, Jim Lovell, did not fly on the Shuttle but wrote the foreword. He would not sign at one event, but he did at another. Interestingly, getting Mattingly, when I already have Lovell and Haise would mean I would have the original Apollo 13 crew in the book.
Of the others, eight years later I met Bill Nelson and got his signature following an interview for an article on the 25th anniversary of Challenger. Kathy Thornton I met during the transfer of Discovery to the Smithsonian and Ellen Baker during the opening of the Enterprise pavilion on the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum.
That leaves in addition to Mattingly, Young and Wetherbee. There were a few other astronauts I saw or talked to at the Discovery transfer event who also did not sign the book, and I'm working on them as well - Joe Allen, Don Williams and Janet Kavandi included.
Another astronaut, Dan Brandenstein, left before I was able to interview him. At a later time, Don Thomas also had to leave a conference early before I got there. In both instances I was eventually able to get their autographs in the book - Brandenstein through a friend, Thomas in person.
I was delayed by weather in interviewing Franklin Chang-Diaz, but met him in person (and thus got his autograph) at a different occasion. And I met (at least) Story Musgrave, Sally Ride, Garrett Reisman, Marsha Ivins, Mike Massimino and Winston Scott (possibly also Guy Bluford) prior to my obtaining the book but was also able to see them again.
The signatures on this page:
Leroy Chiao. While commanding ISS Expedition 10, Chiao became the first American to vote in space. I consider myself fortunate to get his signature - he charges what I think is a lot for a signed photo. (The cost of the event where I met him included meeting a private spaceflight traveler, other explorer notables and writers, and lunch.)
Owen Garriott. One of two (Lousma is the other) Skylab astronauts to fly on Shuttle, on STS-9. Was to have been on the mission where some Spacelab 1 experiments were reflown, but the flight was postponed twice. Garriott left NASA before the mission finally flew.
Hank Hartsfield. On the "original" Mission 41D, had the first on-pad main engine abort.
Charlie Walker. The first commercial Payload Specialist. Eventually flew more times than some career astronauts.
Jon McBride. Was to have commanded Mission 61E/Astro 1, the mission right after Challenger. He was named as its commander in 1989 but left before it eventually flew.
Andrew Allen. Flew on the Tethered Satellite System mission (STS-46) and its reflight (STS-75).
Terrence "Tom" Henricks: First astronaut to log more than 1,000 hours as a Shuttle pilot/commander.
Kevin Kregel: On STS-70, deployed the last TDRS satellite. He was an attendee at a museum event, not a speaker. Henricks pointed out his commander in the crowd, and only myself and another space enthusiast took notice.
David Hilmers: Also assigned to one of the "Death Star" flights, Mission 61F. My supposition is that because the next scheduled flight after Challenger (61E) was a Spacelab flight, and because NASA would no longer fly a liquid-fueled rocket stage in Shuttle, Hilmers was therefore assigned to the 1988 Return to Flight mission, STS-26R. (Until I asked, Hilmers forget he had been assigned to 61F.)
Mike Mullane. Was named to the first Vandenberg flight (STS-1V/Mission 62A) prior to Challenger. Some of the crew, including him, was named to STS-27R, the second Shuttle mission after the 1988 Return to Flight.
Jim Pawelczyk. Flew on the last Spacelab flight, STS-90.
Sally Ride. First American woman in space, on STS-7.
Guy Bluford. First African-American in space, on STS-8.
Scott Altman. Since his signing, he flew on STS-125, the last Hubble Space Telescope mission. Altman also did some of the flying in the "Top Gun" movie.
Dan Brandenstein. Flew the first night launch of a Shuttle (STS-8).
Karol "Bo" Bobko. The only astronaut to fly the maiden launch of two different orbiters, Challenger (STS-6) and Atlantis (Mission 51J.)
Total this page: 16 signatures, seven contributors: Walker, Allen, Henricks, Mullane, Pawelczyk, Bluford, Brandenstein.