Mon, Aug 13, 2007
Experienced Spacewalker, Served As Part Of First Two-Man ISS
Crew
NASA announced Monday veteran
International Space Station astronaut and space shuttle flyer Ed Lu
has left the space agency, to accept a position in the private
sector. Lu flew on two shuttle missions and lived six months aboard
the station as a member of the orbiting laboratory's seventh
crew.
"Ed has done an exceptional job as an astronaut during his
twelve years of service," said Chief of the Astronaut Office Steve
Lindsey. "He contributed greatly to the construction and operations
on the International Space Station, particularly in the very
difficult period after the Columbia tragedy. Additionally, his
involvement in development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle will
help NASA tremendously as we look forward to exploring our solar
system.
"He will be missed by the Astronaut Office and NASA. We wish him
the very best in his future endeavors."
Lu's experience includes more than six hours spacewalking. He
was the first American to launch as flight engineer of a Russian
Soyuz spacecraft as well as the first American to both launch and
land on a Soyuz. He has visited two space stations on his
missions.
Selected as an astronaut in 1994, Lu first flew in May 1997
aboard Atlantis for the STS-84 mission, the sixth shuttle mission
to visit the Russian space station Mir. He next flew in 2000 on
mission STS-106, also aboard Atlantis, performing a spacewalk
during that flight to help outfit the Zvezda module of the
International Space Station, the outpost's living quarters.
Launching on the Soyuz, Lu returned to the International Space
Station in 2003 as flight engineer and NASA science officer of
Expedition 7, the first two-person resident crew.
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