Shannon Lucid

Infobox Astronaut
name =Shannon M. W. Lucid


type =NASA Astronaut
status =Inactive
nationality =American
date_birth =birth date and age|mf=yes|1943|1|14
place_birth =Shanghai, China
occupation =Biochemist
selection =1978 NASA Group
time =223d 02h 50m
mission =STS-51-G, STS-34, STS-43, STS-58, STS-76, Mir NASA-1, STS-79
insignia =|

Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid (born January 14, 1943) is an American biochemist and a NASA astronaut. At one time, she 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.

Early life and education

Lucid was born in Shanghai, China, to Baptist missionary parents Oscar and Myrtle Wells, but grew up in Bethany, Oklahoma. She attended the University of Oklahoma and obtained a Ph.D. in biochemistry from that school in 1973.

She is married to Michael F. Lucid of Indianapolis, Indiana and they have two daughters and one son, and five granddaughters.

NASA career

Lucid was selected for the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1978.

Lucid's first space flight was in June 1985 on Space Shuttle Discovery's mission STS-51-G. She also flew on shuttle missions STS-34 in 1989, STS-43 in 1991, and STS-58 in 1993.

Lucid is best known for her fifth spaceflight, when she spent 188 days in space, from March 22 to September 26, 1996, including 179 days aboard "Mir", the Russian space station. Both to and from Mir, she travelled on Space Shuttle Atlantis, launching on STS-76 and returning on STS-79. Her stay on Mir was not expected to last so long but her return was delayed twice, extending her stay by about six weeks. During the mission she performed numerous life science and physical science experiments. As a result of her time aboard Mir, she held the record for the most hours in orbit by a non-Russian and most hours in orbit by a woman. On June 16, 2007, her record for longest duration spaceflight by a woman was exceeded by Sunita Williams aboard the International Space Station. [cite web | url = http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/sts117/news/STS-117-16.html | title = STS-117 MCC Status Report #16 | publisher = NASA] [ [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/lucid_shannon.htm Spacefacts biography of Shannon Lucid] ] [ [http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/01/26/shannon.lucid.profile/index.html CNN Article: Legendary astronaut still finds herself star-struck] ]

From 2002 to 2003, Lucid served as the Chief Scientist of NASA. Later, Lucid was a CAPCOM (capsule communicator) for STS-114 in 2005, STS-116 in 2006, STS-118 and STS-120 in 2007, and STS-122 and STS-124 in 2008.

Awards and honors

Lucid was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in December 1996, the tenth person and first woman to be given that honor.

References