NASA

This astronaut crossed the Kármán Line (100 km), the internationally accepted boundary of space.

Crossed Kármán Line

STS-26 (Discovery)

The Space Shuttle's triumphant Return To Flight after the Challenger Disaster. Discovery's crew completed many tasks originally planned for STS-51-L/Challenger, verified all critical flight safety upgrades in the wake of the tragedy, and deployed the third TDRS satellite.

The first reusable launch and landing spacecraft, the Space Shuttle began a new chapter of human space exploration. It launched like a rocket but landed on a runway like a plane. Shuttle crews deployed dozens of commercial satellites and two interplanetary probes to Venus and Jupiter. The Shuttle served as a mini space station and hosted hundreds of biomedical, psychological, physiological, materials science, and physics experiments that have directly benefited life on Earth. The five flight-worthy Shuttles -- Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour -- flew 135 missions over 30 years. The Shuttles helped construct the Russian Mir space station and brought nearly 80% of the International Space Station to orbit. Shuttles also deployed and serviced the Hubble Space Telescope.

Space Shuttle

STS-51-A (Discovery)

This Space Shuttle Discovery mission deployed two communications satellites, one for Canada and one for the U.S., before rendezvousing with and retrieving two previously launched satellites that had been placed into incorrect orbits. This marked the first time that satellites were recovered from space and returned to Earth for repair and eventual re-launch.

STS-7 (Challenger)

STS-7 marked the first time an American woman (third woman overall) flew in space. The mission deployed two communications satellites for Canada and Indonesia and carried the West German-built Shuttle Pallet Satellite containing numerous experiments.

Frederick H. Hauck

United States of America

STS-41-G (Challenger)

The 13th flight of the space shuttle program and the sixth of Challenger, STS-41G holds many distinctions. As the first mission focused almost entirely on studying the Earth, it deployed a satellite, employed multiple instruments, cameras, and crew observations to accomplish those goals. 

The STS-41G crew set several firsts, most notably as the first seven-member space crew. Other milestones included the first astronaut to make a fourth shuttle flight, the first and only astronaut to fly on Challenger three times and on back-to-back missions on any orbiter, the first crew to include two women, the first American woman to make two spaceflights, the first American woman to conduct a spacewalk, and the first Canadian and the first Australian-born American to make spaceflights.

STS-41-C (Challenger)

The mission deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (carrying 57 science experiments) and then rendezvoused with, captured, repaired, and re-released the Solar Max satellite, marking the first-ever in-space repair of an already-launched satellite.

STS-1 (Columbia)

The first flight of the Space Shuttle Program, and the first flight of Shuttle Columbia. The mission marked the first time in history a rocket was launched on its very first test flight with people onboard. At liftoff, an overpressure wave from Solid Rocket Booster ignition damaged and bent a critical flight control surface on Columbia, nearly preventing a safe return at the end of the mission. NASA enhanced the sound suppression system at the pad and the issue never recurred.

Robert L. Crippen

STS-5 (Columbia)

This was the first operational flight of the Space Shuttle. The mission deployed two commercial communications satellites -- the first time a human mission did so -- for the U.S. and Canada.

Joseph P. Allen

STS-51-G (Discovery)

Discovery's crew deployed three satellites for Saudi Arabia, Mexico, and the U.S. They also released the Spartan 1 free-flying science platform for a few days of independent flight before re-capturing it and bringing it back to Earth. The mission marked the first time an Arab, Muslim, and member of a royal family flew to space.

John M. Fabian

This astronaut is the first woman from USA to go to space.

First Woman from USA

Sally Ride

This astronaut has spent over a month in space.

Space Resident

STS-51-B (Challenger)

A co-sponsored ESA/NASA scientific research flight of Spacelab. This was Spacelab's second flight and hosted a range of 15 scientific experiments. During launch, a second significant burn through of the O-ring seal between the Solid Rocket Booster segments occurred as it had on STS-51-C. According to the mission's Commander, the flight came within 0.3 seconds of a Challenger-like burn through event. Morton Thiokol (who built the solid rockets) and NASA upper management again dismissed concerns. The Space Shuttle kept flying.

STS-30 (Atlantis)

Atlantis' five-person crew deployed the Magellan spacecraft to study Venus. This was the first human mission to deploy a spacecraft to another planet.

STS-42 (Discovery)

This Spacelab mission focused on the effects of weightlessness on numerous organisms and crystals.

Soyuz TM-21

This mission ferried part of the EO-18 crew to Space Station Mir. It was the first Russian flight of the Shuttle-Mir Program, a lead-up to the International Space Station. Upon reaching orbit, this marked the first time 14 people were in space at the same time: three on Soyuz, three on Mir, and seven on Shuttle Endeavour's on-going STS-67 mission. The final EO-18 crewmember was an American astronaut who was delivered to Mir by Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-71.

Soyuz is a human-carrying capsule built and operated by Russia, capable of transporting up to three people to the Space Station at a time. It has been upgraded numerous times since its first use in the 1960s for the Soviet lunar program and was the only crewed vehicle for the Station from 2011 to 2020.

Soyuz

Norman E. Thagard

STS-8 (Challenger)

On this mission, the crew deployed an Indian communications satellite and performed biomedical experiments. It was the first spaceflight to use the TDRS network and marked the first night launch and landing of the Space Shuttle. Challenger ferried the first African-American (second person of African descent) to space on this flight.

Dale A. Gardner

STS-61-C (Columbia)

Space Shuttle Columbia returned to service after a major overhaul and upgrade with this mission. The crew included U.S. Congressman Bill Nelson of Florida. The flight deployed Satcom K1, which would prove to be the last commercial communications satellite launched by the Shuttle. It was the last successful human spaceflight before the Challenger Disaster. This mission was retroactively called "The End of Innocence" by its Commander.

George D. Nelson

STS-53 (Discovery)

Classified Department of Defense mission.

STS-69 (Endeavour)

This mission was largely a testbed for the International Space Station, allowing NASA to test construction tools and procedures as well as gather data on life support equipment needed for the Station.

David M. Walker

Anna L. Fisher

STS-51-I (Discovery)

The 20th Space Shuttle mission deployed three satellites for Australia, the U.S., and the Department of Defense. The crew then rendezvoused with another satellite, grabbed it, repaired it, and re-released it to perform its mission.

STS-38 (Atlantis)

STS-61 (Endeavour)

The mission to rescue Hubble. On this flight, Endeavour's seven-person crew saved Hubble by outfitting it with "glasses" to correct the telescope's blurry vision. The crew also significantly upgraded Hubble's instruments and solar arrays. The mission was a success has allowed Hubble to continue its career as a space telescope to this day.

Richard O. Covey

STS-35 (Columbia)

This astronomical mission flew a suite of telescopes as part of the Spacelab observatory mission ASTRO-1.

John M. Lounge

STS-36 (Atlantis)

Classified Department of Defense mission. This mission holds the record for highest orbital inclination ever achieved by a U.S. human spaceflight at 62 degrees.

STS-51-J (Atlantis)

The maiden flight of Space Shuttle Atlantis. This was a classified Department of Defense mission.

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