Shuttlenauts
The faces of the Space Shuttle Era.
- By Tony Reichhardt
- Photographs by Robert Seale
- Air & Space magazine, January 2011
To understand just how long the space shuttle has been flying, and how many generations of astronauts it has ferried to orbit, consider this: Of the six men assigned to the 134th and next-to-last mission (pictured), four weren’t even born when the first shuttle commander, John Young, joined NASA in 1962.
Young, 80 (photo, left), and his STS-1 pilot Bob Crippen, 73, are now retired, as are almost all the original shuttle astronauts — the Apollo-era holdovers as well as the “Thirty-Five New Guys,” as they called themselves, hired in 1978 to fly the new reusable spaceplane. The younger pilots, engineers, and scientists who replaced those first shuttlenauts had the same fire for space travel, says Crippen. They were “Type-A personalities who want to press forward and do something adventurous.”
They were also a diverse bunch. What’s most surprising about the first group portrait in our gallery is how similar the shuttle’s first and last crews appear: all white men, mostly ex-military pilots. Thirty years ago, that was expected. Now it looks odd. The people who flew on the shuttle — 363 altogether — came from many backgrounds, races, and nationalities. They changed the face of spaceflight.
Air & Space Senior Editor Tony Reichhardt has been writing about the shuttle since the launch of STS-1 in 1981. He is the editor of the 2002 book Space Shuttle, The First 20 Years: The Astronauts’ Experiences in Their Own Words.
After working as a photojournalist at several newspapers and as a staff photographer at a national sports magazine, Robert Seale now specializes in location portraits for magazines and corporations.
Comments (15)
Now the shuttle is finished, I wonder how long before the next shuttle is, and if the Orion is not on now, what will replace it.
Posted by John Christopher Sunol on November 16,2010 | 09:47 AM
does anyone know why they did away with Navy Wings on the Shuttle flightsuits? I recently noticed that there is now some sort of generic wing emlbem on the suits, instead of the military branch-specific wings that the astronauts used to display. I imagine the AF pilots whined about letting the Navy Wings of Gold be displayed, since they were so over-represented in the astronaut program.
Posted by BARRETT CRAIG on November 17,2010 | 06:44 AM
Wonderful piece, and I love the first 2011 cover! Great photo gallery as well, very gracefully done =) I do hope they add STS-135 to the lineup... we'll know soon.
Posted by Pillownaut on November 23,2010 | 09:34 PM
I will build and fly the next Space Shuttle.
Posted by Mike Kruger on November 26,2010 | 11:10 PM
Has anyone heard of the Lockheed VentureStar? It was supposed to be the Shuttle follow on, look it up.
Posted by Bjorn Hansen on November 30,2010 | 12:31 PM
This is most interesting and reminds me how long ago it was when two airplane loads of us from JSC flew to Rockwell (North American aviation) to start the imense job of negotiating out enough requirements to develop the program with half the amount that had been determined it would take to do the program through DDT&E. The program had been approved with limits on the annual budget but with the same schedule that had been proposed without annual limits. Wow I am getting old too.
Posted by on December 1,2010 | 11:12 AM
Great Piece!
The last line of the article speaks volumes about our space program. Crippen has it right...
I have great sadness thinking about our Human Spaceflight Program.
Posted by on December 2,2010 | 10:06 AM
Excellent article! I am happy for the astronauts and mission specialists who where able to fly in the Space Shuttle. I am also sad that I was not part of this elite group. I followed the Space Shuttle development during my high school days, and I even flew model rockets with Shuttle simulations using my Radio Shack TRS-80 Model I for the school's science fairs. Unfortunately, I never received the financial aid papers back from my biological father (asked twice), so I could not afford to go to college in the U.S. Basically, I did not have the money to go to college to start pursuing my "dream career".
The irony about this is that I am working in my "hobby" field (with computers) since high school. Now, I am an IT project manager and an information security specialist, and I do enjoy my work. I have a bachelors and masters degrees, with several industry certifications and associated experiences since 1983. If I was a Space Shuttle astronaut or mission specialist, would I still have a job now that the fleet is retiring next year? I guess God had other plans for me... :-)
Posted by George on December 18,2010 | 10:26 PM
I remember the excitement in Florida when our first Shuttle launched April 12, 1981 over Titusville. Friends and family's of the NASA contractors buzzed about an era of 'shirt sleeves rocket flight'. We thought it would never end. We toast their indomitable spirit.
Posted by Goddard on December 27,2010 | 10:52 AM
@BARRETTCRAIG, the wings that you're asking about are the "generic" NASA astronaut wings, which are awarded to non-military astronauts. USAF, USN/USMC, and USA (Army) astronauts continue to wear the appropriate military astronaut wings for their service.
Posted by Andres Goldberg on December 27,2010 | 04:14 PM
Shame no talks about the rest of the ORIGINAL group of Experimental Test Pilots-Abrams,Truley and Crippen-pilots who were the FIRST "shuttlenauts".
Posted by Ted Klaus on December 29,2010 | 05:41 PM
Where is astronaut Shannon Lucid -- the last of the Class of '78 TFNG-er still working both Mission Control centers?
A real loss not to include her and her long space flight history.
Also, the four crew members of 135 will fly this Autumn 2011.
EDITORS' REPLY: A mission STS-135 has not been funded.
Posted by Charles Atkeison on December 29,2010 | 07:30 PM
Great article and terrific photos. As one who grew up watching Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, and the Shuttle missions, I always wanted to be in the group. Next best thing was to have two good friends, Tom Jones and Jim Reilly, make it instead and to vicariously enjoy their time on orbit. With a birthday of July 20, I'll always be reminded of the dream of space.
Posted by David Waldrup on January 11,2011 | 12:23 PM
As a proud retired member of the USBI/USA Solid Rocket Booster Team, I thank the Shuttlenauts for their vision and bravery that enabled my generation to continue the inspiring work and accomplishments of the Apollo Era. We must encourage our representatives in Washington to fund further space exploration. We owe that to those that gave their all.
Posted by Jack Selman on January 18,2011 | 07:53 AM
Long story short, I worked in Downey and Palmdale doing weld inspections on all of the orbiters from 1981 to 2002, my 2 brothers are STILL at Rocketdyne in a similar function on the engines. Met my wife at Downey (stress engineer) SO, is this all close to home for me? D-ya think? Best and most fulfilling job I have ever had, climbing in and around the orbiter components every day. Very sad to see it go, but I suppose it is time. I hope one day soon the U.S will return to the glory days of our space program. Right now there is a huge void looming.
Posted by Steve Harte on January 18,2011 | 06:49 PM