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NASA Astronaut Group 16

NASA Astronaut Group 16 is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand NASA Astronaut Group 16 rather than just read about it. In short: NASA Astronaut Group 16 ("The Sardines") was a group of 44 astronauts announced by NASA on May 1, 1996. The class was nicknamed "The Sardines" for being such a large class, humorously implying that their training sessions would be as tightly packed as sardines in a can.

NASA Astronaut Group 16 — main illustration
NASA Astronaut Group 16 — illustration

Key takeaways

  • NASA Astronaut Group 16 belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
  • Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
  • Connect NASA Astronaut Group 16 to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
  • Reproduce the core statement of NASA Astronaut Group 16 from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

NASA Astronaut Group 16 ("The Sardines") was a group of 44 astronauts announced by NASA on May 1, 1996. The class was nicknamed "The Sardines" for being such a large class, humorously implying that their training sessions would be as tightly packed as sardines in a can. These 44 candidates compose the largest astronaut class to date. NASA selected so many candidates in preparation for the anticipated need for ISS crew members, along with regular shuttle needs. Nine of the 44 astronauts selected were from other countries, including 1 each from 5 European nations and 2 each from Canada and Japan. Three members of this group, William C. McCool, David M. Brown, and Laurel B. Clark, died in the 2003 Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, during STS-107. These three received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. The group includes identical twins Mark and Scott J. Kelly. The group also includes Lisa Nowak, who was expelled from the astronaut corps in 2007.

Pilots Duane G. Carey (1 flight) Pilot, STS-109 Columbia (Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission; Columbia's last successful flight) Stephen Frick (2 flights) Pilot, STS-110 Atlantis (ISS assembly mission – launched the S0 Truss Segment) Commander, STS-122 Atlantis (ISS assembly mission – launched the Columbus Laboratory) Charles O. Hobaugh (3 flights) Pilot, STS-104 Atlantis (ISS assembly mission – launched the Quest Joint Airlock) Pilot, STS-118 Endeavour (ISS assembly mission – launched the S5 Truss Segment) Commander, STS-129 Atlantis James M. Kelly (2 flights) Pilot, STS-102 Discovery (ISS resupply mission) Pilot, STS-114 Discovery (the first "Return to Flight" mission after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) Mark Kelly (4 flights; fellow astronaut Scott Kelly is his twin brother) Pilot, STS-108 Endeavour (ISS supply mission) Pilot, STS-121 Discovery (ISS resupply mission; second "Return to Flight" mission after the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) Commander, STS-124 Discovery (ISS assembly mission – launched the Japanese Experiment Module) Commander, STS-134 Endeavour (ISS assembly mission – launched AMS-02 and ELC-3) Scott Kelly (4 flights; fellow astronaut Mark Kelly is his twin brother) Pilot, STS-103 Discovery (Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission) Commander, STS-118 Endeavour (ISS assembly mission – launched the S5 Truss Segment) Soyuz TMA-01M (Expedition 25/26) Soyuz TMA-16M/TMA-18M (Expedition 43/44/45/46) – ISS year long mission Paul Lockhart (2 flights) Pilot, STS-111 Endeavour (ISS resupply mission) Pilot, STS-113 Endeavour (launched the P1 Truss Segment, last flight before the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) Christopher Loria (0 flights) Assigned as the pilot for STS-113 but suffered herniated lumbar discs during mission training. Ultimately the injury resulted in his medical disqualification from further spaceflight assignments. William C. McCool (1 flight; died in the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster) Pilot, STS-107 Columbia (orbital science mission; last flight of Space Shuttle Columbia – RCC panel damage resulted in disintegration of Columbia) Mark L. Polansky (3 flights) Pilot, STS-98 Atlantis (ISS assembly mission – launched Destiny) Commander, STS-116 Discovery (ISS assembly mission – launched the P5 Truss Segment) Commander, STS-127 Endeavour

… excerpt ends here. Continue reading the full article.

Illustrations

NASA Astronaut Group 16 illustration
NASA Astronaut Group 16: Class patch
Class patch

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with NASA Astronaut Group 16

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what NASA Astronaut Group 16 claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to NASA Astronaut Group 16 before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about NASA Astronaut Group 16 ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of NASA Astronaut Group 16

In research
NASA Astronaut Group 16 appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry
Engineering practice reuses NASA Astronaut Group 16 in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom
NASA Astronaut Group 16 is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1996 establishments in the United States, 1996 in spaceflight, Lists of astronauts, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life
Look for NASA Astronaut Group 16 outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.
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How to study NASA Astronaut Group 16 in 20 minutes

  1. Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
  2. Close the page and write down what NASA Astronaut Group 16 means in your own words.
  3. Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
  4. Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
  5. Explain NASA Astronaut Group 16 out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is NASA Astronaut Group 16 in simple terms?

NASA Astronaut Group 16 ("The Sardines") was a group of 44 astronauts announced by NASA on May 1, 1996. The class was nicknamed "The Sardines" for being such a large class, humorously implying that their training sessions would be as tightly packed as sardines in a can.

Why does NASA Astronaut Group 16 matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study NASA Astronaut Group 16?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on NASA Astronaut Group 16.

Tags

  • 1996 establishments in the United States
  • 1996 in spaceflight
  • Lists of astronauts
  • NASA Astronaut Corps

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