Spent More Than 1,400 Hours In Space Over Three Decades
Jerry Ross, the first person to launch into space seven times,
has retired from NASA. In a career that spanned more than three
decades, Ross spent almost 1,400 hours in space and conducted nine
spacewalks to rank third on the list of most extravehicular
activity time in space.
"Jerry (pictured) has been instrumental in the success of
many of NASA's human spaceflight missions and numerous spacewalks,"
said Peggy Whitson, chief of the Astronaut Office. "Not only were
his skills and operational excellence key in major spaceflight
activities but his expertise and vigilance also helped all those
who followed in his footsteps. We are the better for his years of
dedication to the corps and NASA."
Ross joined NASA in 1979 as a payload officer and flight
controller. In 1980, he was selected as an astronaut. He and
Franklin Chang-Diaz are the only two astronauts to have flown into
space seven times. In addition to Ross' spaceflight mission
accomplishments, he went on to serve NASA in the critical role of
managing the Vehicle Integration Test Office.
"Jerry was equally invaluable leading this critical team,
especially through space station assembly, the transition to the
space shuttle retirement, and during the initial phases of our
future programs," said Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew
Operations. "He was considered a mentor to many he worked with
there. We wish him the best in his well-deserved retirement."
Of his seven flights into orbit, Ross flew on space shuttles
Endeavour and Columbia once each and a record-setting five times on
shuttle Atlantis, including his first and last missions. His first
flight was on the STS-61B mission in 1985. His final flight into
space was on the STS-110 mission in 2002.
During his seven missions, he assisted in deploying a number of
satellites and other payloads. He performed experiments in life,
material and Earth sciences, and physics, robotics and astronomy.
Ross was a member of the STS-74 mission's crew, the second mission
to dock to the Russian space station Mir. He also traveled to the
then-fledgling International Space Station, where he helped connect
the U.S.-built Unity node to the Russian Zarya module. On the
STS-110 mission, Ross' final trip to space, he was instrumental in
delivering and installing the S0 (S-Zero) truss. Ross accumulated
more than 1,393 hours in space, including 58 hours and 18 minutes
on nine spacewalks.