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Image above: Expedition 17 Commander Sergei Volkov (center), and Flight Engineers Oleg Kononenko (right) and Greg Chamitoff. Photo credit: NASA+ Read more about the Expedition 17 crew aboard the space station
Features
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Dan Tani Visits the Chicago Cubs
Dan Tani's Aug. 20 visit to his hometown of Chicago was the sixth stop on NASA's Hometown Heroes 2008 campaign.
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Col. Bob Cabana Visits the Minneapolis Twins
Col. Bob Cabana's Aug. 11 visit to his hometown of Minneapolis was the fourth stop on NASA's Hometown Heroes 2008 campaign.
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Spacious in Seattle
Recently the city of Seattle, Wash., extended its connection to space beyond the Space Needle tower when it received a visit from astronaut Clay Anderson.
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Astronaut Terry Virts Visits Baltimore
NASA astronaut Terry Virts throws out the first pitch at a Baltimore Orioles game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
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Astronaut Clay Anderson Receives the Royal Treatment
NASA astronaut Clay Anderson appears in Kansas City, Mo., for NASA's Hometown Heroes 2008 Campaign.
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Hall Welcomes Four New Astronauts
The U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame inducted Loren Shriver, Bryan O'Connor, John Blaha and Robert Cabana into its elite ranks of space explorers.
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Everest Expedition
Follow Scott Parazynski's most recent expedition, and learn more about the parallels of mountain climbing and space exploration.
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Astronauts Earn Honors
NASA astronauts are inducted into the Hall of Fame.
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Clay Anderson: The Little Engine That Flew
Clay Anderson could replace The Little Engine That Could as the mascot for persistence.
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Astronaut job: Icing on the Cake
Becoming an astronaut is hard – a lot harder than Danny Olivas ever thought it would be. But hard in a good way.
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Astronaut by Chemistry
Leland Melvin never meant to become an astronaut. What impressed him was chemistry.
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An Astronaut's Endless Endeavor
For Eileen Collins, who retired in May, it seems an astronaut’s work is never done.
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Her Time for Discovery
Twists in her path lead Joan Higginbotham to space.
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Becoming an Astronaut Kicking and Swimming
For Stephanie Wilson, becoming an astronaut meant learning to swim before learning to soar.
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As Chance Would Have It
Happenstance is Suni Williams’ answer to the question of how she became an astronaut.
Shuttle and Station Features
Resources
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Astronaut Video and Audio
Astronauts are hard at work whether in space or here on Earth. View astronaut video, audio and PSAs here to learn more about what they are up to.
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Astronaut Journals
Space missions and spaceflight training often inspire astronauts to write about their experiences. Here is a collection of letters, reports and other writings by astronauts.
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Astronaut Biographies →
The Astronaut Office at the Johnson Space Center maintains official biographies for all active duty flight personnel and maintains an archive of bios for former astronauts.
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Astronaut Selection and Training →
NASA accepts applications for the Astronaut Candidate Program on a continuous basis. Candidates are selected as needed, normally every two years, for pilot and mission specialist categories. Both civilian and military personnel are considered for the program.
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Flight Crew Operations Directorate
The Flight Crew Operations Directorate (FCOD) is responsible for overall planning, direction and management of flight crew operations and Johnson Space Center aircraft program activities.
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Astronaut Fact Book →
Last updated January 2005, the Astronaut Fact Book contains data about more than 200 space explorers. Requires the Adobe Acrobat Reader, which can be downloaded here.
Resources
Interactive Features
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Interactive Space Station Reference Guide
Take a virtual tour of the orbital outpost.
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STS-120: Discovery's Mission in Photos
Discovery's crew installed the Harmony module on the International Space Station.
Multimedia
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In Their Own Words: Michael Foale
A veteran of six space flights talks about being an astronaut.
› View This Video -
In Their Own Words: Julie Payette
Canadian astronaut Julie Payette is interviewed.
› View This Video
 "Astronaut C. Michael Foale")
 "Canadian astronaut, Julie Payette")
Related NASA Sites
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NEEMO
NEEMO, or NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations, is a project that takes place at an underwater laboratory off the coast of Florida. Engineers and astronauts test concepts for future space exploration here.
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Astronaut Candidates →
The astronaut candidates of 2004 are pictured here during training and other activities. Selections include both American and Japanese astronauts.