Mark Hess/Ed Campion

Headquarters, Washington, DC December 12, 1994

(Phone: 202/358-1778)

Kyle Herring
Johnson Space Center, Houston
(Phone: 713/483-5111)

RELEASE: 94-208

SPACE SHUTTLE CREW NAMED FOR STS-72 MISSION

A crew of six astronauts under the command of U.S. Air

Force Colonel Brian Duffy will launch next fall on Space
Shuttle mission STS-72 to retrieve a satellite, deploy and
retrieve another, and conduct two spacewalks.

Joining Duffy on the nine-day flight are Navy

Lieutenant Commander Brent W. Jett, Jr., pilot, and mission
specialists Leroy Chiao, Daniel T. Barry, Navy Commander
Winston E. Scott and Japanese National Space Development
Agency (NASDA) mission specialist, Koichi Wakata.

STS-72 mission objectives include retrieval of an

octagonally shaped science satellite carrying 14
experiments that is scheduled to be launched aboard a
Japanese H-2 rocket in early 1995. The Space Flyer Unit
(SFU) was developed jointly by NASDA, the Institute of
Space and Astronautical Science and the Ministry of Trade
and Industry.

In addition to the SFU retrieval, the crew will use

the Shuttle's robot arm to deploy and retrieve another
science satellite, the Shuttle Pointed Autonomous Research
Tool for Astronomy (SPARTAN). This multi-use spacecraft
flies free of the Shuttle for several days, gathering
astronomical data prior to its retrieval.

Also during the flight, Chiao and Barry will conduct

two spacewalks designed to evaluate and better understand
assembly requirements and techniques for the International
Space Station.
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Duffy, 41, will be making his third flight on the

Shuttle. He was pilot on STS-45 in March 1992 and STS-57
in June 1993. He was born in Boston, MA, and is a 1975
graduate of the Air Force Academy with a mathematics
degree. Duffy earned a master of science degree in systems
management from the University of Southern California in
1981.

Jett, 35, was born in Pontiac, MI, but considers Ft.

Lauderdale, FL, his hometown. He received a bachelor of
science degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval
Academy in 1981 and a master of science degree in
aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School
in 1989. Jett, a member of the astronaut class of 1992,
will be making his first Shuttle flight.

Chiao, 34, will be making his second space flight

having served as a mission specialist on July's STS-65
mission of Columbia. He was born in Milwaukee, WI, but
considers Danville, CA, his hometown. Chiao received a
bachelor of science degree in chemical engineering from the
University of California, Berkeley, in 1983 and master of
science and doctorate degrees in chemical engineering from
the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1985 and
1987, respectively.

Barry, 40, was born in Norwalk, CT, but considers

South Hadley, MA, his hometown. He received a bachelor of
science degree in electrical engineering from Cornell
University in 1975; a master of engineering degree and a
master of arts degree in electrical engineering/computer
science from Princeton University in 1977; a doctorate in
electrical engineering/computer science from Princeton in
1980; and a doctorate in medicine from the University of
Miami in 1982. STS-72 will be the first Shuttle flight for
Barry, a member of the astronaut class of 1992.

Scott, 44, was born in Miami, FL, and earned a

bachelor of arts degree in music from Florida State
University in 1972. He received a master of science degree
in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate
School in 1980. Scott will be making his first Shuttle
flight and is a member of the astronaut class of 1992.

Wakata, 31, was born in Omiya, Saitama, Japan. He

earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical
engineering in 1987 and a master of science degree in
applied mechanics in 1989, both from Kyushu University. A
member of the astronaut class of 1992, Wakata will be
making his first Shuttle flight.

- end -

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