NASA Astronaut Group 13 (the Hairballs) was a group of 23 astronauts announced by NASA on 17 January 1990. The group name came from its selection of a black cat as a mascot, to play against the traditional unlucky connotations of the number 13.
Pilots Kenneth Cockrell (born 1950), U.S. Navy (5 flights) STS-56 Discovery (Science Mission; Flew as a Mission specialist) STS-69 Endeavour (2nd flight of the Wake Shield Facility) STS-80 Columbia (3rd flight of the Wake Shield Facility) STS-98 Atlantis (ISS Assembly Mission - Launched the Destiny Laboratory Module) STS-111 Endeavour (ISS Resupply Mission; Launched Expedition 5) Eileen Collins (born 1956), U.S. Air Force (4 flights) STS-63 Discovery (Shuttle-Mir Mission; became the first female pilot of a U.S. Spacecraft) STS-84 Atlantis (Shuttle-Mir Mission) STS-93 Columbia (Deployed Chandra X-Ray Observatory; became the first female commander of a U.S. Spacecraft) STS-114 Discovery (Return to Flight) William G. Gregory (born 1957), U.S. Air Force (1 flight) STS-67 Endeavour (2nd flight of the ASTRO telescope) James D. Halsell (born 1956), U.S. Air Force (5 flights) STS-65 Columbia (Science Mission) STS-74 Atlantis (Shuttle-Mir Mission) STS-83 Columbia (Intended to be a Science Mission; Mission cut short due to fuel cell problems) STS-94 Columbia (Science Mission using experiments intended to be conducted on STS-83) STS-101 Atlantis (ISS Supply Mission) Charles J. Precourt (born 1955), U.S. Air Force (4 flights) STS-55 Columbia (German Spacelab Mission) STS-71 Atlantis (Shuttle-Mir Mission) STS-84 Atlantis (Shuttle-Mir Mission) STS-91 Discovery (Shuttle-Mir Mission) Richard A. Searfoss (1956–2018), U.S. Air Force (3 flights) STS-58 Columbia (Science Mission) STS-76 Atlantis (Shuttle-Mir Mission) STS-90 Columbia (Science Mission) Terrence W. Wilcutt (born 1949), U.S. Marine Corps (4 flights) STS-68 Endeavour (Science Mission) STS-79 Atlantis (Shuttle-Mir Mission) STS-89 Endeavour (Shuttle-Mir Mission) STS-106 Atlantis (ISS Supply Mission)
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