Latest news with #SpaceShuttleAtlantis
Yahoo
07-08-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
One of two NASA astronauts on troubled Boeing Starliner mission announces retirement
HOUSTON – After more than two decades of service with Nasa and four spaceflights, including the troubled Boeing Starliner mission, astronaut Barry "Butch" Wilmore has decided to retire, the space agency announced. During Wilmore's 25-year-long career, the veteran astronaut conducted five spacewalks and spent more than 460 days in space during missions involving the Space Shuttle Atlantis, the Russian Soyuz, SpaceX's Crew Dragon and most recently, Boeing's Starliner. "Butch's commitment to NASA's mission and dedication to human space exploration is truly exemplary," Steve Koerner, acting director of NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, said in a statement. "His lasting legacy of fortitude will continue to impact and inspire the Johnson workforce, future explorers, and the nation for generations." Future Of Nasa's Mega Moon Rocket Appears In Doubt Following Major Boeing Announcement Wilmore's final mission was aboard the Boeing Starliner spacecraft, which launched in June 2024. While the trip to the International Space Station was originally expected to last around eight days, the event turned into a nearly year-long saga, with NASA electing to return the Starliner spacecraft to Earth without Wilmore or his fellow astronaut, Suni Williams. At the time, the space agency was concerned about issues surrounding Starliner's propulsion system, including whether the spacecraft could safely re-enter Earth's atmosphere. Instead of risking the astronauts' well-being, NASA opted to return Wilmore and Williams to Earth aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon, which essentially acted as a rescue mission. During the extended mission, Wilmore performed many experiments and added more than 5 hours to his 32-hour spacewalk career. In a statement, Wilmore reflected on his journey to space and the deep sense of awe he felt while exploring beyond Earth. "From my earliest days, I have been captivated by the marvels of creation, looking upward with an insatiable curiosity. This curiosity propelled me into the skies, and eventually to space, where the magnificence of the cosmos mirrored the glory of its creator in ways words can scarcely convey," Wilmore stated. "Even as I ventured beyond Earth's limits, I remained attuned to the beauty and significance of the world below, recognizing the same intricate design evident among the stars is also woven into the fabric of life at home." See The Objects Humans Left Behind On The Moon Williams has been an astronaut since 1998 and continues to be active with the space agency. The retired U.S. Navy officer first flew to the ISS aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 2006 and has clocked more than 600 days in space. The total falls just short of the female spaceflight record held by astronaut Peggy Whitson, who has spent approximately 695 days in space and now works with the privately funded Axiom Space article source: One of two NASA astronauts on troubled Boeing Starliner mission announces retirement
India Today
07-08-2025
- Science
- India Today
Nasa astronaut Butch Willmore, stuck with Sunita Williams in space, retires
After an illustrious 25-year career at Nasa, veteran astronaut and test pilot Butch Wilmore has officially known for his extensive time in space and pioneering missions, leaves behind a remarkable legacy of dedication and achievement in human space from Tennessee, Wilmore holds a bachelor's and master's degree in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University, along with a master's degree in aviation systems from the University of His distinguished service as a US Navy captain saw him flying tactical aircraft during both peacetime and combat operations aboard four aircraft carriers. A graduate of the US Naval Test Pilot School, he was selected as a Nasa astronaut in 2000. Astronaut Butch Willmore with Sunita Williams in space. (Photo: Nasa) Reflecting on Wilmore's career, Steve Koerner, acting director of Nasa's Johnson Space Center, praised his commitment: 'Butch's dedication to Nasa's mission and human space exploration is truly exemplary. His lasting legacy will inspire future explorers and the nation for generations.'Throughout his tenure at Nasa, Wilmore flew on four different spacecraft: the Space Shuttle Atlantis, Russia's Soyuz capsule, Boeing's Starliner, and the SpaceX Dragon. Over the course of his missions, he accumulated an impressive 464 days in space and conducted five spacewalks totaling 32 hours outside the International Space Station (ISS).Wilmore's most recent mission saw him launch aboard Boeing's Starliner on June 5, 2024, for its first crewed flight test. While aboard the ISS, he performed critical tasks including a spacewalk to remove a radio frequency group antenna assembly and collecting samples from the Destiny laboratory and Quest airlock. Fellow astronaut Joe Acaba noted, 'Butch exemplifies the technical excellence required of an astronaut, inspiring all of us with his adaptability and steadfast mission focus.'In his own words, Wilmore shared a profound reflection on his journey: 'From an early age, my curiosity about the cosmos drove me to explore the skies and beyond. Even as I ventured into space, I remained connected to the beauty of Earth, seeing the intricate design of creation woven between the stars and life at home.'As Butch Wilmore steps into retirement, his contributions to spaceflight and exploration continue to influence Nasa's mission and inspire future generations of astronauts.- EndsMust Watch
Yahoo
31-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Quarantined ahead of 5th trip to space, Whitson inducted with trailblazer Harris to Astronaut Hall of Fame
MERRITT ISLAND — Four-time spaceflight veteran Peggy Whitson had a good excuse for not showing up Saturday for her own induction ceremony to the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame. She's in quarantine to go to space again. Whitson is slated to command the private Axiom Space Ax-4 mission flying in a new SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft set to launch as early as June 8. So her presence at the ceremony held under the suspended Space Shuttle Atlantis at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex was purely virtual. 'Please know that my heart is with you. It is a privilege to be a part of such an esteemed group of individuals who have dedicated their lives to exploring the unknown,' she said in a message recorded at an undisclosed location nearby. Fellow inductee and two-time space shuttle astronaut Bernard Harris, who became the first Black person to perform a spacewalk, was on hand, though. He was joined by dozens of former astronauts and NASA officials as both his and Whitson's plaques were revealed — becoming the 110th and 111th members of the hall of fame created in 1990 by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation and represented at the visitor complex with its own building honoring inductees. While both had significant careers with NASA, Whitson has spent a little bit more time in space — 37 times more. Chosen as an astronaut candidate in 1996, Whitson's first trip to space was in 2002 on Space Shuttle Endeavour on STS-111 for her first of four stays on board the International Space Station. She flew home on STS-113, also on Endeavour, and then returned twice on Soyuz missions in 2007 and 2016. She became the first female commander of the space station — and to date is its only two-time commander. After retiring from NASA she joined private company Axiom Space and commanded its second commercial mission Axiom 2 in 2023. The four trips have amounted to more than 675 days in space — giving her the the all-time record for women in space, as well the record for an American astronaut. That total is set to grow by another two weeks once Ax-4 is completed. 'I applied to NASA's astronaut training program four times over nine years, and was denied. After 10 years and my fifth try of applying, I finally made it. It's only in retrospect that I can say those years of rejection were good for me,' she said. 'Those years of being refused a chance at my dream gave me an incredible experience as a leader, a builder of teams and a member of international partnerships. 'As it turned out, all of those were critical to my career as an astronaut — each mission, each spacewalk and each experiment conducted on board the International Space Station has been a step toward understanding our universe and improving life here on Earth.' Harris was chosen as an astronaut candidate in 1990 and flew his first mission — STS-55 — on Space Shuttle Columbia in 1993 followed by STS-63 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in 1995. The second flight, a dress rehearsal flight for docking missions with the Russian space station Mir, wasn't supposed to feature a spacewalk but the dominoes fell into place setting up Harris' landmark experience. 'In truth, I didn't know i was the first African American until I got back inside and I got the call that President Clinton wanted to talk to me,' he said. 'I kind of went like, 'What for?'' Both 68-year-old Harris born in Temple, Texas in 1956, and 65-year-old Whitson, born in Beaconsfield, Iowa in 1960, cited the Apollo 11 moonwalk by Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as their inspiration to become astronauts. 'The moon landing, when I was 9 years old, seemed to make space attainable,' Whitson said. 'My 9-year-old self thought that astronaut had to be the ultimate job. 'So thanks to the moon landing, maybe even a little bit Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock, as well as my first ride in the Cessna 150 with my Dad, that spark grew into a passion for space exploration.' Harris, who was 13 when history was made, said he wrestled with other events of the time. 'I was old enough to go through the early 60s, the civil rights movement,' he said. 'I could turn one channel and see some of the greatest accomplishments of human beings at that time and turn the channel and see Blacks fighting for their right to vote or to exist depending on what part of the country that they were in.' He said he still marvels at how his 13-year-old mind was able to meld those events together. 'I came to the conclusion that even though I didn't see anybody who looked like me in the program — there were no women in the program, no people of color in the program that we could see … But I decided that if I didn't see someone who looked like me I would be the first to try and go break that ceiling.'
