NASA Astronaut Group 6

Group 6 astronauts. Back row, L-R: Henize, England, Holmquest, Musgrave, Lenoir. Front row, L-R: Chapman, Parker, Thornton, Llewellyn. Flanking the group are Allen (left) and O'Leary (right).

Astronaut Group 6 (the 'XS-11') was announced by NASA on August 11, 1967, the second group of scientist-astronauts. Only five of the eleven were given formal assignments in the Apollo program and these were all non-flying support crew positions. (Chapman was a support crew member on Apollo 14 and Apollo 16; Parker was assigned to Apollo 15 and Apollo 17; England was assigned to the Apollo 16 support crew; and Henize and Allen rounded out the Apollo 15 support crew.) Assignments for the group were delayed by the requirement to spend a full year at UPT to become qualified as jet pilots like the Group 4 scientists before them), a process that resulted in the initial attrition of O'Leary and Llewellyn in 1968. Subsequently, Musgrave and Lenoir were assigned as backup Science Pilots in the Skylab program while Chapman and Holmquest resigned due to the dearth of NASA flight opportunities in the era. The requirement for scientists to be trained as jet pilots was eventually lifted with the creation of the Mission Specialist position in the Shuttle Program. The seven members of Group 6 who stayed with the program after Apollo went on to form the core of Shuttle Mission Specialists, accomplishing a total of 15 flights.

A chart showing Group 6 assignments in relation to other astronaut groups up through the Apollo era. This shows how Group 6 scientists earned their nickname "XS-11", with all eleven members being "excess" to the program.

Group members

STS-5 Columbia — November 1982 — Mission specialist — SBS-C and Anik C-3 satellite deployment mission[1]
STS-51-A Discovery — November 1984 — Mission specialist — Anik D-2 and Syncom IV-1 satellite deployment; Westar 6 and Palapa B2 satellite retrieval mission[1]
Served on Apollo 14 support crew as mission scientist before resigning from NASA in July 1972 due to lack of spaceflight opportunities. First Australian American to be selected as an astronaut.[2]
STS-51-F Challenger — July 1985 — Mission specialist — Spacelab mission[3]
STS-51-F Challenger — July 1985 — Mission specialist — Spacelab mission[4]
Completed initial training and work on Skylab habitability systems and medical experiments, but left NASA in September 1973 following two extended leaves (encompassing postdoctoral training in nuclear medicine at Baylor University) due to lack of spaceflight opportunities.[5]
STS-5 Columbia — November 1982 — Mission specialist — SBS-C and Anik C-3 satellite deployment mission[6]
Resigned from NASA in September 1968 for personal reasons; first Welsh American to be selected as an astronaut.[7]
STS-6 Challenger — April 1983 — Mission specialist — TDRS A satellite deployment mission[8]
STS-51-F Challenger — July 1985 — Mission specialist — Spacelab mission[8]
STS-33 Discovery — November 1989 — Mission specialist — United States Department of Defense mission; deployed USA-48 (Magnum 2)[8]
STS-44 Atlantis — November 1991 — Mission specialist — United States Department of Defense mission; deployed a DSP satellite[8]
STS-61 Endeavour — December 1993 — Payload commander — Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission # 1[8]
STS-80 Columbia — November 1996 — Mission specialist — Wake Shield Facility, ORFEUS-SPAS II, and EDO mission[8]
First of the group to serve on a backup crew (Skylab 2).
Resigned from NASA in April 1968 due to objections to perceived flight training hazards.
STS-9 Columbia — November 1983 — Mission specialist — Spacelab mission[10]
STS-35 Columbia — December 1990 — Mission specialist — Spacelab mission[10]
STS-8 Challenger — August 1983 — Mission specialist — INSAT-1B satellite deployment mission[11]
STS-51-B Challenger — April 1985 — Mission specialist — Spacelab mission[11]

References

  1. 1 2 3 NASA (December 1993). "Astronaut Bio: Joseph P. Allen". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  2. 1 2 NASA (December 1975). "Astronaut Bio: Philip Kenyon Chapman". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  3. 1 2 NASA (August 1999). "Astronaut Bio: Anthony W. England". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  4. 1 2 NASA (October 1993). "Astronaut Bio: Karl Henize". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  5. 1 2 NASA (January 1995). "Astronaut Bio: D. Holmquest". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  6. 1 2 NASA (January 1996). "Astronaut Bio: William B. Lenoir". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  7. 1 2 NASA (September 1968). "Astronaut Bio: J. Llewellyn". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 NASA (August 1997). "Astronaut Bio: Story Musgrave". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  9. ↑ NASA (August 2011). "Astronaut Bio: Brian T. O'Leary". Retrieved April 10, 2012.
  10. 1 2 3 NASA (December 2005). "Astronaut Bio: Robert Allan Ridley Parker". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  11. 1 2 3 NASA (May 1994). "Astronaut Bio: W.E. Thornton". Retrieved 2008-10-20.
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