- James Hansen
James E. Hansen (born March 29, 1941 in Denison, Iowa), heads the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies in New York City, a part of the Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, Earth Sciences Division. He is currently an adjunct professor in the Earth and Environmental Sciences department at Columbia University.
- Lisa Nowak
Lisa Marie Nowak (née Caputo, is a United States Naval officer and a former NASA astronaut. She was selected by NASA in 1996 and qualified as a mission specialist in robotics. Nowak flew aboard the Space Shuttle during mission STS-121 in July 2006. She was responsible for operating the robotic arms of the shuttle and the International Space Station. On February 5, 2007, Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Florida, …
- Wayne Hale
Wayne Hale is a NASA engineer. A former flight director, he now serves as head of the space shuttle program. Born on July 5, 1954 in Clovis, New Mexico, Hale earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Rice University in 1976, and a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Purdue University in 1978. Hale began his career with NASA in 1978 as a propulsion officer in the Propulsion Systems Section, …
- Barbara Morgan
Barbara Radding Morgan (born November 28, 1951) is the first NASA astronaut designated as an Educator Mission Specialist or "teacher in space", and is scheduled to fly on STS-118. Morgan initially trained as the backup to Christa McAuliffe for the ill-fated STS-51-L mission of Space Shuttle Challenger and has remained involved in the space program since.
- Alan Stern
S. Alan Stern is the Associate Administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Formerly a scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, he remains the Principal Investigator of the New Horizons mission to Pluto. He was Executive Director of the Southwest Research Institute's Space Science and Engineering Division until leaving for NASA on March 21, 2007.
- Peggy Whitson
Peggy Annette Whitson (born 9 February 1960) is an American biochemistry researcher and a NASA astronaut. Her experience with NASA includes an extended stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS) as a member of Expedition 5, and she is scheduled to be commander of ISS Expedition 16. She will be the first woman to command an ISS Expedition. In addition, if the STS-120 mission, which will be commanded by female astronaut Pam Melroy, launches on schedule, …
- Burt Rutan
Elbert Leander "Burt" Rutan (born June 17, 1943 in Estacada, Oregon) is an American aerospace engineer noted for his originality in designing light, strong, unusual-looking, energy-efficient aircraft. He is most famous for his design of the record-breaking Voyager, which was the first plane to fly around the world without stopping or refueling, and the suborbital rocket plane SpaceShipOne, which won the Ansari X-Prize in 2004.
- Clayton Anderson
Clayton Conrad Anderson (born February 23, 1959 in Omaha, Nebraska) is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. Launched on STS-117, he replaced Sunita Williams on June 10, 2007 as a member of the ISS Expedition 15 crew
- Christa McAuliffe
Sharon Christa Corrigan McAuliffe, better known simply as Christa McAuliffe, and prior to her marriage, Christa Corrigan, was an American teacher from Concord, New Hampshire who was selected from among more than 11,000 applicants to be the first teacher in space. She died in the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
- Wernher von Braun
Dr. Wernher Magnus Maximilian Freiherr von Braun (March 23 1912 - June 16 1977) was one of the leading figures in the development of rocket technology in Germany and the United States. The German scientist, who led Germany's rocket development program (V-2) before and during World War II, entered the United States at the end of the war through the then-secret Operation Paperclip.
- Edgar Mitchell
Edgar Dean Mitchell, Sc.D. (born September 17, 1930) was the sixth man to walk on the Moon. He did this with Alan Shepard as part of the Apollo 14 mission on February 9 1971. The mission was NASA's third manned Moon landing. Mitchell was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. He obtained a Doctor of Science degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics at MIT. He also has two Bachelor of Science degrees, …
- Phil Plait
Philip Plait (a.k.a. The Bad Astronomer) is an astronomer who runs the website Badastronomy.com. He formerly worked at the physics and astronomy department at Sonoma State University. In early 2007 he resigned his job to write on his new book "Death from the Skies".
- Robert Zubrin
Robert Zubrin is an American aerospace engineer and author, best known for his advocacy of manned Mars exploration. He was the driving force behind Mars Direct-a proposal intended to produce significant reductions in the cost and complexity of such a mission. The key idea was to use the Martian atmosphere to produce oxygen, water, and rocket propellant for the surface stay and return journey.
- Richard Lindzen
Richard Siegmund Lindzen, Ph.D., (born February 8, 1940) is an atmospheric physicist and the Alfred P. Sloan Professor of Meteorology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lindzen is known for his research in dynamic meteorology, especially planetary waves. He has been a critic of some anthropogenic global warming theories and the political pressures surrounding climate scientists. He wrote an op-ed for the "Wall Street Journal" in April, 2006, …
- John Young
John Watts Young (born September 24, 1930) is a former NASA astronaut who walked on the Moon on April 21, 1972 during the Apollo 16 mission. Young enjoyed one of the longest and busiest careers of any astronaut in the American space program. He was the first person to fly into space six times, twice journeyed to the Moon, and as of 2007, …
- Sally Ride
Sally Kristen Ride (born May 26 1951) is an American former astronaut who in 1983 became the first American woman to reach outer space. She was preceded by two Soviet women, Valentina Tereshkova (1963) and Svetlana Savitskaya (1982). She was also the youngest American to enter outer space. She was married for a time to NASA Astronaut Steve Hawley. Sally Ride was born in Los Angeles, the oldest child of Dale and Joyce Ride.
- Sunita Williams
Sunita Lyn "Suni" Williams (born September 19 1965 in Euclid, Ohio) is a United States Naval officer and a NASA astronaut. She was assigned to the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and then joined Expedition 15. Williams is the second woman of Indian heritage to have been selected by NASA for a space mission after Kalpana Chawla and the second astronaut of Slovenian heritage after Ronald M. Sega.
- Garrett Reisman
Garrett Erin Reisman (born February 10, 1968 in Morristown, New Jersey) is an American engineer and a NASA astronaut. He was a backup crew member for Expedition 15 and is currently scheduled to be a prime crew member for Expedition 16. Reisman is a 1986 graduate of Parsippany High School. Currently, Reisman is assigned asa a long duration crewmember on the International Space Station.
- Gus Grissom
Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom was a United States Air Force pilot and a NASA astronaut. A native of Mitchell, Indiana, he was the second American to fly in space and the first person to fly in space twice. He was killed during a training exercise for the Apollo One mission on January 27, 1967, at Launch Complex 34 at Cape Kennedy, along with fellow astronauts Ed White and Roger Chaffee.
- Kalpana Chawla
Kalpana Chawla (Punjabi:ਕਲਪਨਾ ਚਾਵਲਾ) (7 March 1962 – 1 February 2003), was an Indian-born American astronaut and space shuttle mission specialist. She was one of seven crewmembers lost aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during mission STS-107 when the shuttle disintegrated upon reentry into the Earth's atmosphere. Kalpana Chawla is a posthumous recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
- Jim Lovell
James 'Jim' Arthur Lovell, Jr., Captain, USN, Ret. (born March 25, 1928) is a former NASA astronaut, most famous as the commander of Apollo 13, which suffered an explosion enroute to the Moon but was brought back safely to Earth by the efforts of the crew and mission control. Lovell was also the command module pilot of Apollo 8, the first Apollo mission to enter lunar orbit.
- Hans Schlegel
Hans Wilhelm Schlegel (born 3 August 1951) is a German physicst, an ESA astronaut, and a veteran of one NASA Space Shuttle mission. Schlegel, born and raised in Germany, graduated as an international exchange student from Lewis Central High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa before studying physics at the University of Aachen in his home country. He conducted research in semiconductor physics before being trained as an astronaut in the late 1980s.
- Dennis Tito
Dennis Anthony Tito (born August 8, 1940 in Queens, New York) is a United States multimillionaire who gained celebrity status by becoming the first space tourist to pay for his own ticket, although he himself opposes being called "tourist" and asks to be called an "independent researcher" since he performed several scientific experiments in orbit. Tito has a Bachelor of Science in Astronautics and Aeronautics from New York University, …
- Ilan Ramon
Ilan Ramon (June 20 1954 - February 1 2003;) was a combat pilot in the Israeli Air Force, and later the first Israeli astronaut. Ramon was the space shuttle payload specialist of STS-107, the fatal mission of "Columbia", where he and the other crew were killed in a re-entry accident over Texas. Ramon is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.
- Gordon Cooper
Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr. was an American astronaut. He was one of the original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned-space effort by the United States.
- Carolyn Porco
Carolyn C. Porco is an American planetary scientist and the leader of the imaging science team on the Cassini mission <sup>,<;/sup> <sup>,<;/sup> presently in orbit around Saturn. In late 1999, she was selected by the London Sunday Times as one of 18 scientific leaders of the 21st century, and by Industrial Week as one of "50 Stars to Watch". Porco was responsible for the epitaph and proposal to honor the late renowned planetary geologist, Eugene Shoemaker, …
- Alan Bean
Captain Bean shows why as human beings from the Planet Earth we are the most extraordinary creatures in the universe. We are unique because as far as we know we are the only beings in the universe whose only limits are those we place on ourselves. As a NASA Astronaut, Bean learned that people did not have to be extra gifted or extra talented to do something great.
- Bill Nelson
Clarence William "Bill" Nelson is the senior U.S. Senator from Florida. Nelson is a Democrat. Nelson became the second sitting member of the United States Congress to fly in space when he flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia as a Payload Specialist during NASA mission STS-61-C (January 12–18, 1986).
- David Scott
Colonel David Randolph Scott (born June 6, 1932) is a former NASA astronaut, was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963, and as commander of the Apollo 15 mission is one of only twelve men who have walked on the moon. He was born on Randolph Air Force Base (after which he was named) near San Antonio, Texas and was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout.
- Frank Borman
Frank Borman retired from the Air Force in 1970, but is well remembered as a part of this nation's history, a pioneer in the exploration of space and veteran of both the Gemini 7, 1965 Space Orbital Rendezvous with Gemini 6 and the first manned lunar orbital mission, Apollo 8, in 1968. Borman's retirement from the Air Force in 1970 did not end his aviation career.
- James Oberg
James Edward Oberg (b. 1944) (often known as Jim Oberg) is an American space journalist and historian, regarded as an expert on the Russian space program. After service in the US Air Force, he joined NASA in 1975, where he worked until 1997 at Johnson Space Center on the Space Shuttle program. He worked in the Mission Control Center for several Space Shuttle missions from STS-1 on, specialising in orbital rendezvous techniques.
- Daniel Goldin
Daniel S. Goldin (1940- ) initiated a revolution to transform America's aeronautics and space program. To date, he is NASA's longest serving Administrator. Before coming to NASA, Goldin was vice president and general manager of the TRW Space and Technology Group in Redondo Beach, California.
- Roy Spencer
Roy Spencer is a principal research scientist for University of Alabama in Huntsville. In the past, he served as Senior Scientist for Climate Studies at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama. Dr. Spencer is the recipient of NASA's Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement. He is principally known for his satellite-based temperature monitoring work, for which he was awarded the American Meteorological Society's Special Award.
- Miles O'Brien
Miles O'Brien (b. June 9, 1959) is a technology and environmental correspondent for CNN. He formerly co-hosted "American Morning", a weekday morning news program, alongside Soledad O'Brien (no relation), and co-hosted "Live From", a weekday afternoon show on CNN's North American feed, alongside Kyra Phillips prior to AM. A licensed aircraft pilot, O'Brien is widely recognized as CNN's in-house expert on aviation, space exploration and space technology.
- Leroy Chiao
Dr. Leroy Chiao, Ph.D. (born August 28, 1960) is a former American NASA astronaut who was stationed on board the International Space Station between 2004 and 2005.
- Michael Foale
Colin Michael 'Mike' Foale, CBE, PhD, (born 6 January 1957) is an Anglo-American astrophysicist and a NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of six space shuttle missions and extended stays on both Mir and the International Space Station. He was the first Briton to perform a space walk, and holds the record for most time spent in space by a UK and US citizen: 374 days, 11 hours, 19 minutes. Born in Louth and raised in Cambridge, Foale was educated at The King's School, …
- Scott Carpenter
Malcolm Scott Carpenter is a retired American Naval officer and was one of the original seven astronauts selected in 1959 for Project Mercury. Created by the newly formed National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), Project Mercury was the United States' answer to the Soviet Union's space program. This rivalry eventually became the space race — a contest between the two superpowers to land the first men on the moon and return them safely to earth.
- Elliott See
Elliott McKay See, Jr. (July 23, 1927 - February 28, 1966), was an American astronaut, selected in the second group of astronauts. Elliott See was born in Dallas, Texas. After initially attending The University of Texas where he was a member of Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity, he then attended the United States Merchant Marine Academy, graduating in 1949. He later obtained a masters degree from UCLA. He was married to Marilyn Denahy See, and had three children, Sally, …
- Eugene Cernan
Eugene Andrew Cernan (born March 14, 1934) is a former American astronaut of Czech and Slovak ancestry. He has been into space three times: as co-pilot of Gemini 9A in June 1966; as lunar module pilot of Apollo 10 in May 1969; and as commander of Apollo 17 in December 1972. In that final lunar landing mission, Cernan became "the last man on the moon" since he was the last to re-enter the Apollo Lunar Module during its third and final extra-vehicular activity (EVA).
- Shannon Lucid
Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid (born January 14, 1943) is an American astronaut who previously held the record for the longest duration stay in space by a woman. She has flown in space five times including a prolonged mission aboard the Mir space station. Lucid was born in Shanghai, China, to Baptist missionary parents Oscar and Myrtle Wells, but grew up in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.