1990 Astronaut Class (Group 13)

The 1990 group included seven pilot candidates, including 11 civilians and 12 military officers. Among the five woman selected were three military officers, including the first woman pilot astronaut in the history of the U.S. space program, Air Force Major Eileen M. Collins. Collins was a student at the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Also in the group was the first Hispanic woman (Ellen Ochoa) and the husband of astronaut Bonnie Dunbar, Ronald M. Sega.

The Astronaut class of 1990 became full-fledge astronauts on July 29, 1991. The 23 new astronauts completed a one year training and evaluation period, making them eligible for furure flight assignments.

The People

The 23 members of the 1990 Astronaut Class are:

Daniel W. Bursch, Leroy Chiao, Michael R. Clifford, Kenneth D. Cockrell, Eileen M. Collins, William G. Gregory, James D. Halsell jr., Bernard A. Harris, Jr., Susan J. Helms, Thomas D. Jones, William S. McArthur, James H. Newman, Ellen Ochoa, Charles J. Precourt, Jr., Richard A. Searfoss, Ronald M. Sega, Nancy J. Sherlock (Currie), Donald A. Thomas, Janice E. Voss, Carl E. Walz, Terrence W. Wilcutt, Peter J. K. Wisoff, David A. Wolf.

The first of the group to fly was Rich Clifford (STS-53 in December 1992).

The Artwork

The 1990 astronaut clas patch shows the astronaut pin as the central motif, with the Earth, the Moon, Mars and an orbiting Shuttle. The XIII signifies that this is the 13th Group of NASA-astronauts. Twenty-three white stars symbolize the members of the class.

..."I designed many of the elements of the 1990 group 13 class patch. We put Earth with a Shuttle orbiting in the foreground to represent current operations, with both the moon and Mars beckoning in the background. We seriously thought then that by now we'd really be getting ready to go back to the moon and be seriously working to press on to Mars. Most of us thought people in our calss would have a great shot at going to the moon, maybe even Mars. If some of the folks stick around long enough, the moon may be possible for one of our classmates, depending what the program does"...

Spot the patch !!!

Nancy J. Currie is wearing the patch in one of her first astronaut portraits (left). Bernard Harris could be seen wearing the patch in March 1993 during STS-55 preparations (right).

Source / Availability

The remake was done by Mary and Randy Wagner at Cargo Bay Emblems, where it is still available. One of the differences with the original is that the ring of stars is not exactly centered in the original: the margin at the sides is larger than at the top.

A Relief for the Chief

The reinforcements are a welcome relief as NASA resumes Space Shuttle flight operations with an active schedule ahead, according to Chief Astronaut Dan Brandenstein. Since the last selection, three years ago, the astronaut roster has dwindled from 98 to 84. At an informal reception to introduce the candidates to news media, Brandenstein called them his "Excedrin group". "These guys are going to relieve a lot of my headaches", he said.

After being introduced by their new boss, the candidates mingled and talked with national and local news correspondents about joining the ranks of the astronaut corps, particularly at a time when NASA has come under fire both in the U.S. Congress and in the press. Enthusiasm and confidence in the agency was evident as many of the candidates spoke of mankind's need to go to space and their own ambitions to be a part of that.

While their first week on the job consisted primarily of orientation briefings and tours, they also received altitude chamber training as a prerequisite to T-38 flight training, wich was due to begin in their second week. The next several months will consist of intensive instruction in the fundamentala of aerodynamics, electronics and computers. Several trips are planned to other NASA field centers for briefings and tours, as well as for water and wilderness survival training.