Mission specialist
Mission Specialist ( Engl. Mission Specialist ) is a name for the job function of astronauts in space missions. This designation was mostly used for the space shuttle missions of NASA , while the term flight engineer is used for the missions of the Russian Soyuz missions .
Activity on space shuttle missions
A mission specialist was responsible for the trouble-free operation on board the space shuttle and supported the commander and the pilot. While they took care of all matters related to the navigation and control of the orbiter, the mission specialist was entrusted with the specific tasks of the respective mission. For example, he supervised the scientific experiments on board, carried out space missions and deployed satellites . In contrast, payload specialists were responsible for a specific payload.
Mission specialists were trained by NASA itself and made up most of the shuttle crew. A specially trained mission specialist was able to assist the pilots as a flight engineer. In this role he helped the commander and the pilot monitor the instruments during take-off and landing and observed the shuttle's systems.
A few NASA astronauts who were trained as pilots had the function of mission specialists during their first space flight, see table below.
| astronaut | First flight as a mission specialist | Further flights as a pilot | Further flights as commander |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Griggs | STS-51-D (1984) | intended for STS-33 (1989) | |
| Steven Nagel | STS-51-G (1985) | STS-61-A (1985) | STS-37 (1991), STS-55 (1993) |
| Donald McMonagle | STS-39 (1991) | STS-54 (1993) | STS-66 (1994) |
| William Readdy | STS-42 (1992) | STS-51 (1993) | STS-79 (1996) |
| Kenneth Cockrell | STS-56 (1993) | STS-69 (1995) | STS-80 (1996), STS-98 (2001), STS-111 (2002) |
| Charles Precourt | STS-55 (1993) | STS-71 (1995) | STS-84 (1997), STS-91 (1998) |
| Ronald Garan | STS-124 (2008) |
See also
Individual evidence
- ^ Astronaut Requirements. NASA, January 29, 2004, accessed February 6, 2016 .