FACTBOX: Space shuttle crew includes ex-teacher
(Reuters) - The crew of the U.S. space shuttle Endeavour includes a former teacher who trained two decades ago as a backup for the teacher-astronaut on the ill-fated Challenger mission, which blew up shortly after launch in 1986.
Only one member of Endeavour's crew, which blasted off on Wednesday, has been to the International Space Station since U.S. astronauts and Russian cosmonauts moved aboard nearly seven years ago.
The shuttle crew consists of:
Commander -- Naval Cdr. Scott Kelly, 43, of Orange, New Jersey. Married, two children; identical twin brother also an astronaut. Spaceflight experience: Pilot on 1999 Hubble servicing mission. Previous life: Test pilot, head of NASA's Moscow office.
Pilot -- Marine Corps Lt. Col. Charles Hobaugh, 45, of Bar Harbor, Maine. Married, four children. Spaceflight experience: Pilot on 2001 space station mission. Nickname: Scorch and he won't say why.
Flight engineer and lead spacewalker -- Richard "Rick" Mastracchio, 47, of Waterbury, Connecticut. Single. Spaceflight experience: Flight engineer and robot arm operator on 2000 space station mission. Previous life: Software engineer for NASA, shuttle flight controller.
Spacewalker -- Canadian Space Agency astronaut Dafydd "Dave" Williams, 53, of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. Married, two children. Spaceflight experience: Scientist on 1998 life sciences mission. Previous life: Emergency room doctor.
Education mission specialist -- Barbara Morgan, 55, of Fresno, California. Married, two sons. Spaceflight experience: Rookie, trained as backup to Challenger Teacher in Space Christa McAuliffe. Career aspiration: Classroom teacher.
Mission specialist -- Tracy Caldwell, turns 38 on August 14, of Arcadia, California. Single. Spaceflight experience: Rookie Previous life: Track star, atmospheric chemist.
Mission specialist -- Air Force Col. Benjamin "Alvin" Drew, 44, of Washington, D.C. Single. Spaceflight experience: Rookie. Previous life: Helicopter pilot.
