HeroVets: Shuttle Astronauts

The astronauts of STS-134 came to Kennedy Space Center recently for countdown rehearsal for Endeavour's last mission, which just completed. From left, the astronauts are Commander Mark Kelly, Pilot Gregory H. Johnson and Mission Specialists Mike Fincke, Drew Feustel, Roberto Vittori and Greg Chamitoff.

With the completion of the final mission of the Space Shuttle Endeavour earlier this month, one of the longest-running chapters in American history - and the longest era for the US Space program - begins its closing act.

STS-134, as it is officially called at NASA, was the penultimate scheduled mission for the Space Shuttle program, which finally draws the curtain on 30 years of space flight in June. Mission commander and Navy Captain Mark Kelly, found himself thrust into the media spotlight for historic and personal reasons - his wife is Arizona Senator Gabrielle Giffords.

Space Shuttle Endeavour, like all the Shuttles, has a special place in history. It was built from extra parts of Atlantis and Discovery following the Challenger disaster in 1986. It was also set to be the last Shuttle flight, however approval for a subsequent STS-135 was later arranged.

And yet the mission is bringing a sense of closure to the program, while its high-profile military spouse and hundreds of thousands of estimated observers - have combined to bring an element of drama to the event.

HEROES OF STS-1 AND BEYOND

Space shuttle Endeavour Commander Mark Kelly and his wife Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords

As a tribute to the Shuttle Program, Veterans Advantage honors all the military service men and women who extended their service to our country by the pioneering challenges brought space flight. They pushed the envelope, inspired millions of children, and served as positive role models for all of America. And let’s not forget those who made the ultimate sacrifice, aboard the Challenger in 1986 and Columbia in 2003.

In 1981, at the height of the Cold War and in the face of uncertainty from the Apollo glory days, NASA chose a seasoned military and space Veteran to bridge it to the future by assigning him to command the Shuttle Columbia: John Young, the 9th human to walk on the moon.

Upon graduation from Georgia Tech, John Young entered the United States Navy. Young retired from the Navy as a Captain in September 1976, after completing 25 years of active military service, and later retired from NASA in 2004, ending a 42 year career there which also included work with Gemini, Apollo & Skylab missions.

The only other passenger on that mission was likewise a Navy man, Robert Crippen.

Since that maiden voyage, other noteworthy Active Duty military and Veterans have included:

- NASA Space Administrator Charles Bolden (U.S. Marine Corps): He piloted the Shuttle which brought the Hubble Space Telescope into space, where it continues to transmit stunning intergalactic photos today.

- Senator John Glenn (U.S. Marine Corps): An original Mercury 7 Astronaut, and former Senator from Ohio.

- Eileen Collins (US Air Force), who headed the first mission after the 2003 Columbia disaster in its 2005 “Return to Flight,” and holds the honor of being the first female commander of a U.S. Spacecraft.

- Sunita Williams (US Navy): The Space Shuttle Atlantis ferried her back to Earth in June 2007 after she set the new record for the longest duration spaceflight by a woman, 195 days.

- Douglas Wheelock (US Army): The first Active Duty Army astronaut to command the International Space Station.

- Jerry Ross (US Air Force), a co-holder of the record seven shuttle flights.

PRESERVING THE SHUTTLES

Space shuttle Endeavour stands at Launch Pad 39A near the Atlantic seashore at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The shuttle is slated to launch on its final mission, STS-134.

There has been lots of speculation this past month over where the Shuttles will be displayed, once they are decommissioned. NASA plans to transfer the three remaining space-worthy orbiters and the Enterprise test orbiter to educational institutions and museums at the conclusion of the space shuttle program. It announced its selection on April 12, 2011, choosing among twenty (20) museums that competed to display one of the retired orbiters:

♦ Atlantis will be on display at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, near Cape Canaveral, Florida

♦ Discovery will be sent to the Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum in Chantilly, Virginia, near Washington, D.C.

♦ Endeavour will be sent to the California Science Center in Los Angeles, California

♦ Enterprise, currently displayed at the National Air and Space Museum's Udvar-Hazy Center, will be moved to the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum in New York, New York