Crew during descent: STS-116 Crew
In addition to ESA astronauts Christer Fuglesang and Thomas Reiter, the STS-116 crew will be composed of the following NASA astronauts:
Mark Polansky is the commander of the STS-116 mission. This is his second spaceflight mission having served on the STS-98 mission in 2001, which brought the US Destiny laboratory to the ISS.
William Oefelein is the pilot on the STS-116 mission. He will be responsible for systems operations and assisting in the rendezvous for docking to the Station.
Robert Curbeam is a Mission Specialist for the STS-116 mission. This is his third spaceflight mission having served on the STS-85 mission in 1997 and the STS-98 mission in 2001. During the STS-116 mission he is scheduled to carry out EVAs with ESA astronaut Christer Fuglesang.
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| Joan Higginbotham (Mission Specialist), Nicholas Patrick (Mission Specialist). Credit: NASA. | |
Joan Higginbotham is a Mission Specialist for the STS-116 mission. Her primary task will be to operate the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS).
Nicholas Patrick is also assigned as a Mission Specialist for the STS-116 mission.