Author Topic: Who will be the 500th person in space? thump

Member Posts: 575

From: washington dc usa

Registered: May 2004 posted 12-18-2007 09:53 AM If my math is correct, we now have had 467 people to go into space. So who will be #500? cspg

Member Posts: 6210

From: Geneva, Switzerland

Registered: May 2006 posted 12-18-2007 10:02 AM Glad my record matches yours! Delta7

Member Posts: 1505

From: Bluffton IN USA

Registered: Oct 2007 posted 12-18-2007 10:08 AM Too soon to tell exactly. IF the current schedule holds, with current rookie assignments, AND assuming the Chinese launch their 3rd manned flight next year with 3 rookies, it should happen during STS-127, STS-128, or Soyuz TMA-14, all currently scheduled for the 1st quarter of 2009. Currently, first-time fliers tentatively scheduled on those launches are Timothy Kopra (STS-127); Nicole Stott (STS-128), and Michael Barratt (Soyuz TMA-14). There likely will be a few more rookies assigned to those missions once complete crew assignments are made, so it might not be one single crewmember you can point to. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-18-2007 10:12 AM Here's what we know so far: 468. Alan Poindexter

469. Stanley Love

470. Leland Melvin

471. Gregory H. Johnson

472. Michael Foreman

473. Robert Behnken

474. Garrett Reisman

475. Sergei Volkov

477. Oleg Kononenko

478. San Ko

479. Kenneth Ham

480. Karen Nyberg

481. Ronald Garan

482. Akihiko Hoshide

483. Gregory Chamitoff

484. Gregory C. Johnson

485. Michael Good

486. Megan McArthur

487. Andrew Feustel

488. Richard Garriott

489. Eric Boe

490. Stephen Bowen

491. Robert Kimbrough

492. Dominic Antonelli

493. Joseph Acaba

494. Richard Arnold FFrench

Member Posts: 3161

From: San Diego

Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-18-2007 12:26 PM Out of curiosity here, what is your definition of "in space"? Are you including the SpaceShipOne and X-15 pilots who made it above 100km, and the additional X-15 pilots who gained Air Force astronaut wings for going above 50 miles? There is some ambiguity about where to draw the line. Delta7

Member Posts: 1505

From: Bluffton IN USA

Registered: Oct 2007 posted 12-18-2007 12:27 PM If it does come down to a single individual, the most likely candidates are the handful of Astronauts who haven't yet been assigned to a flight. T. J. Creamer and Shannon Walker are tentatively assigned to ISS backup crews around that period. Those that could be assigned to STS-127 or 128 are: Kevin Ford

Doug Hurley

Terry Virts

Barry Wilmore

Randy Bresnick

Chris Cassidy

James Dutton

Jose Hernandez

Tom Marshburn

Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger

Robert Satcher As I mentioned in my previous post, Timothy Kopra and Nicole Stott are slated for launch on STS-127 and 128 respectively. JAXA Astronauts Satoshi Furokawa and Naoko Yamazaki are also possibilities. It's not likely to be a cosmonaut, since the only one tentatively scheduled for launch around that period is veteran Gennadi Padalka (although his backup is rookie Maxim Suraev). There's also the 3rd seat on Soyuz TMA-14, which could be filled by a Spaceflight Participant or a rookie cosmonaut. mjanovec

Member Posts: 3811

From: Midwest, USA

Registered: Jul 2005 posted 12-18-2007 01:33 PM If a shuttle with seven people aboard makes it into space, carrying space travelers 496-502 into space, who on board gets counted as being No. 500? The fifth-ranking crew member? Or the fifth crew member to physically pass through the imaginary plane that represents space, based on their physical location on board the orbiter? In the end, for me, numbers such as 500 are meaningless... because they assign importance to non-important milestones, based on some round-number. Do we celebrate every 100th space traveler? Do we wait until the 1000th to make a big deal out of it? For me, the only number that really was important was who was first in space. After that, I prefer to assign importance to the accomplishments made while in space. If the 523rd person in space does something truly remarkable on their mission, I'd prefer them to remembered much more than the 500th person in space... assuming, of course, that 500th person did nothing truly unique or remarkable during their flight, other than they just happened to get assigned the tag of being "No. 500." FFrench

Member Posts: 3161

From: San Diego

Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-18-2007 01:35 PM quote: Originally posted by Mjanovec:

If a shuttle with seven people aboard makes it into space, carrying space travelers 496-502 into space, who on board gets counted as being No. 500? That would require a shuttle crew comprising seven rookies, which will never happen. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-18-2007 03:23 PM quote: Originally posted by FFrench:

Are you including the SpaceShipOne and X-15 pilots who made it above 100km, and the additional X-15 pilots who gained Air Force astronaut wings for going above 50 miles? The 467-count includes everyone who made it above 62 miles per the FAI definition of where space begins. Thus, SpaceShipOne's two pilots are included, as is Joseph Walker, but not X-15 pilots who only 50 miles. mjanovec

Member Posts: 3811

From: Midwest, USA

Registered: Jul 2005 posted 12-18-2007 03:47 PM quote: Originally posted by FFrench:

That would require a shuttle crew comprising seven rookies, which will never happen. Ah yes, you're correct. My example wasn't fully thought over. A better example would be a shuttle crew with three veterans and four rookies, who comprise the 498th, 499th, 500th, and 501st people into space. How is the number decided... by rank, physical position on the ship, or some other criteria? Is there any indication out there that some, if not all, astronauts pay attention to their "number" in the space-flown tally? I'd be curious to ask an astronaut "what's your number" and see if he/she knows that answer (...or if they even care). Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-18-2007 03:58 PM quote: Originally posted by mjanovec:

How is the number decided... by rank, physical position on the ship, or some other criteria? Is there any indication out there that some, if not all, astronauts pay attention to their "number" in the space-flown tally? STS-122 will launch the 300th American to fly in space and as such, I took the opportunity to question three candidates for the record (Poindexter, Love and Melvin) both during their crew news conference and later, during one-on-one interviews with each. The answers to both your questions were quite interesting for their insight and disparity among crewmembers. (Had STS-122 already launched, I could point you to their replies, but you'll just need to wait for liftoff and our launch article for their answers.) spaceman1953

Member Posts: 953

From: South Bend, IN

Registered: Apr 2002 posted 12-18-2007 06:54 PM I think the 500th person designation IS significant... how it is "counted" so the designation is made will probably be up to NASA. I am sure MANY people will want that person's autograph to be noted "500th person to fly into space". FFrench

Member Posts: 3161

From: San Diego

Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-18-2007 07:11 PM quote: Originally posted by Robert: The 467-count includes everyone who made it above 62 miles per the FAI definition of where space begins. Thus, SpaceShipOne's two pilots are included, as is Joseph Walker, but not X-15 pilots who only reached 50 miles. I see - thanks. So, if you were to include those who went above 50 miles and received Air Force astronaut wings (as some history book lists do, and I can certainly see the argument - especially as Mike Adams gave his life to do so), that would include: Bob White, Robert Rushworth, Jack McKay, Bill Dana, Pete Knight, Mike Adams and Joe Engle. Engle later made it onto your list (albeit much further down the numbers) with his shuttle flights. Which means the 500th person in space would come 6 people earlier than the count given above. There's a good case here that we might have more than one contender. Mjanovec, I certainly see your point about why it might be important. I think the individual might not be as important as the general psychological milestone - to know that 500 people have made that journey sounds pretty impressive... Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-18-2007 08:03 PM quote: Originally posted by FFrench:

if you were to include those who went above 50 miles Without in anyway disparaging the admirable flights those pilots made, I think they need to be excluded from this count. If I am not mistaken, the first X-15 flight above 50 miles was made in July 1962, more than a year after the FAI definition of 62 miles was applied to Gagarin's Vostok 1 mission, a record that the U.S. recognized. That the Air Force decided to award wings for lower altitude flights was commendable at the time (as was NASA's own ceremonial award of wings to its own pilots 40 years later) but were individual countries allowed to reset the boundary at will, however arbitrary that line between earth and space might be, than the title of astronaut or cosmonaut or taikonaut would quickly lose its meaning. Further, were any pilot to reach 50 miles today -- for example were any of Rutan's SpaceShipOne flights not to have successfully reached 62 miles -- I tend to doubt that any organization would recognize their pilots as having reached space. FFrench

Member Posts: 3161

From: San Diego

Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-18-2007 10:28 PM That is indeed probably the most rational way to go, as there has to be a commonly decided definition, and that's the internationally decided one. I have to wonder about this, though, as both the 50 mile and 100 kilometer (62 mile) choices read like nice round numbers decided for convenience, rather than any particularly scientific positioning of what is of course a very difficult "boundary" to assess. If 50 miles up is essentially space conditions, or at least little different than 62 miles, then in some ways that should count for more than the convenience of a nice round number. I believe 50 miles is on the border between thermsosphere and mesosphere, so probably not that much difference in conditions to 12 miles further up? Anyway, this is a little off-topic. I do, recall, however, a conversation I had with Joe Engle when he told me he considered his first space flight to be in the X-15, not the shuttle. cspg

Member Posts: 6210

From: Geneva, Switzerland

Registered: May 2006 posted 12-19-2007 01:05 AM quote: Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:

The 467-count includes everyone who made it above 62 miles per the FAI definition of where space begins. Thus, SpaceShipOne's two pilots are included, as is Joseph Walker, but not X-15 pilots who only 50 miles. Not according to my records which also shows 467 people to have flown in space. My records include all manned spaceflights including STS-51L but does not include any X-15 flights or Spaceship One. The total would then be 470. Francis is correct to ask the question regarding the definition of an astronaut: earning an astronaut's wings doesn't qualify that person to be an astronaut- had Shepard and Grissom not made a second "real" spaceflight (as opposed to a sub-orbital one), they wouldn't be included in my records. Astronauts are people involved in a nation's space program (fully trained for orbital flights, hence 51-L in my records) and/or who have achieved orbital velocity. The X-15 and Spaceship One did not accomplish that and it's not being planned for years to come. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-19-2007 08:49 AM quote: Originally posted by cspg:

Astronauts are people involved in a nation's space program (fully trained for orbital flights, hence 51-L in my records) and/or who have achieved orbital velocity. Regardless the title they are given (e.g. astronaut, civilian astronaut, test pilot, etc.), the SS1 and X-15 pilots entered by space based on the internationally-accepted definition. Therefore, they are appropriate for inclusion in a count of how many people have been in space (whereas the STS-51L first time flyers would not). Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-19-2007 08:56 AM quote: Originally posted by FFrench:

I have to wonder about this, though, as both the 50 mile and 100 kilometer (62 mile) choices read like nice round numbers decided for convenience, rather than any particularly scientific positioning of what is of course a very difficult "boundary" to assess. The 62 mile (100 km) boundary accepted by the FAI is defined as the Karman separation line, after Theodore von Karman, who proposed that above 62 miles, the air is so thin that a vehicle must travel at greater than orbital speed to stay aloft. cspg

Member Posts: 6210

From: Geneva, Switzerland

Registered: May 2006 posted 12-19-2007 10:41 AM Then the FAI is wrong. It's not 467 but 470. They set the rules and they can't count? I'll stick with my definition. It's 467. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-19-2007 10:53 AM quote: Originally posted by cspg:

I'll stick with my definition. It's 467. By the FAI definition, it is 467. The only difference (as I understand it) between your list and theirs, is that you substitute the three SS1/X-15 pilots for the three first-time flyers on STS-51L. FFrench

Member Posts: 3161

From: San Diego

Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-19-2007 12:06 PM quote: Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:

The 62 mile (100 km) boundary accepted by the FAI is defined as the Kármán separation line, after Theodore von Kármán, who proposed that above 62 miles, the air is so thin that a vehicle must travel at greater than orbital speed to stay aloft. Yes, thanks, I'm aware of that. It was decided in the mid-1950s, before the X-15 and other vehicles that explored this boundary flew. And, according to the page you link to, it was indeed finalized because it was an easy number to remember: "the altitude decided upon had a very uneasy number to remember. It was apparently von Kármán himself who realised, and proposed to the rest, the very round number of 100 km (very close to the calculated number). The rest of the people eagerly accepted it. " It is, also, just one of many possible numbers. As I mentioned, of the scientifically-used boundaries between atmospheric layers, none fall at 63 miles. Another logical one would be at around 75 miles up which, I have read, is where the effect of atmospheric drag generally becomes noticeable on most re-entering space vehicles. Please note, I am not disagreeing that there have to be official lines drawn when there are going to be official lists and records - and, when the possibilities are examined, von Kármán's boundary has many advantages - one of which is that it is the most commonly and officially accepted. I'd hope, however, that it is recognized that setting such an official boundary is like trying to draw a line around a cloud - there is plenty of room for debate and interpretation. And, perhaps most importantly, if a history book chose to state something like, for example, Mike Adams was a space mission fatality in 1967, with his tragic loss on re-entry from a 50.3-mile-high mission in the X-15, this would not be dismissed as simply "wrong," but rather another viewpoint with some plausible supporting evidence. Evidently the Astronaut Memorial Foundation thought so. Adams' name is on the space mirror memorial at KSC. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-19-2007 12:14 PM quote: Originally posted by FFrench:

Evidently the Astronaut Memorial Foundation thought so. Adams' name is on the space mirror memorial at KSC. Just minor point, but a spaceflight is not a prerequisite for inclusion on the memorial, as evident by the three STS-51L crewmembers, nor is it necessary to have been on a flight destined for space, as represented by Bassett, See, Williams, Lawrence and Carter (and why Givens' absence is so regrettable). I agree though, that discussion of Adams record can be considered a spaceflight under the confines of the US Air Force definition. However, for the purposes of comparison against the wider international community of space explorers, I believe he is excluded. FFrench

Member Posts: 3161

From: San Diego

Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-19-2007 10:11 PM quote: Originally posted by Robert:

a spaceflight is not a prerequisite for inclusion on the memorial, as evident by the three STS-51L crewmembers, nor is it necessary to have been on a flight destined for space, as represented by Bassett, See, Williams, Lawrence and Carter. Very true. I wonder, however, under what guidelines he would have been included on the astronaut mirror if not for his flight above 50 miles and thus a USAF astronaut designation. He was neither a NASA astronaut in training, nor flying a training vehicle while in a different astronaut program (such as Lawrence). Those are the guidelines that I understand to be the reason Givens - the only fatality of the 1960s not flying a training vehicle at the time - is excluded from consideration. The only other reason I can imagine is that he had previously been an MOL pilot selectee, who chose to drop out to fly the X-15 instead. But then, if former astronaut candidates were included who later died in air accidents considered to be non-space flights, Griggs and Overmyer would also be on the mirror. So I keep coming back to his X-15 flight being considered a space flight by the selection committee. Unless someone here knows otherwise? Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 12-19-2007 10:23 PM quote: Originally posted by FFrench:

Unless someone here knows otherwise? The AMF website includes a brief biography for each person they honor on the mirror. Adams' entry is concluded as follows: Michael J. Adams made the ultimate sacrifice and lost his life in service to the nation and the space program on November 15, 1967 at 37 years of age. They do make note of the altitude he attained but not in any way that a casual reader would notice the distinction (the altitude is listed in feet). FFrench

Member Posts: 3161

From: San Diego

Registered: Feb 2002 posted 12-19-2007 10:35 PM Thanks Robert - "lost his life in service... to the space program" certainly suggests one viewpoint, although open to interpretation... this has been an interesting conversation. MrSpace86

Member Posts: 1618

From: Gardner, KS, USA

Registered: Feb 2003 posted 02-04-2008 07:34 PM I count 466 in my book of autographs. I do not count any X-15 pilots but I do count SpaceShipOne and STS-51L. I was going to change it to not include 51L but that would have required me to go back through hundreds of autographs and relabel almost ALL of them, so I just left it at 466. Same would happen if I decided to add Joe Walker. In the end, I think the 500th space traveler will be left to opinion. It is however you have organized your tally and where you consider space starts.

Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-04-2008 08:11 PM Based on a count that includes anyone who has flown above the internationally-set 62 miles, here's what we know so far... 2008 STS-122:

468. Alan Poindexter

469. Stanley Love

470. Leland Melvin STS-123:

471. Gregory H. Johnson

472. Michael Foreman

473. Robert Behnken

474. Garrett Reisman Soyuz TMA-12

475. Sergei Volkov

476. Oleg Kononenko

477. Soyeon Yi STS-124:

478. Kenneth Ham

479. Karen Nyberg

480. Ronald Garan

481. Akihiko Hoshide

482. Gregory Chamitoff STS-125:

483. Gregory C. Johnson

484. Michael Good

485. Megan McArthur

486. Andrew Feustel Soyuz TMA-13:

487. Richard Garriott STS-126:

488. Eric Boe

489. Stephen Bowen

490. Robert Kimbrough 2009 STS-119:

491. Dominic Antonelli

492. Joseph Acaba

493. Richard Arnold STS-127:

494. Douglas Hurley

495. Christopher Cassidy

496. Thomas Marshburn

497. Timothy Kopra At this point, we don't know who else might be assigned to the following crews (or later flights) but there are other rookies said to be assigned: Soyuz TMA-14:

498. Michael Barratt STS-128:

###. Nicole Stott Soyuz TMA-16:

###. Mikhail Kornienko

###. Roman Romanenko 2010 Soyuz TMA-17:

###. Maxim Surayev

###. Timothy Creamer And then, of course, there is Shenzhou VII, currently targeted for launch before STS-127, and SpaceShipTwo test flights scheduled to begin in 2009... Ben

Member Posts: 1896

From: Cape Canaveral, FL

Registered: May 2000 posted 02-04-2008 09:10 PM The number is indeed currently 467 above 100km and 464 to have orbited. Bill Harwood maintains an unofficial list which names them. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-04-2008 09:16 PM quote: Originally posted by MrSpace86:

I count 466 in my book of autographs. I do not count any X-15 pilots but I do count SpaceShipOne and STS-51L. Setting aside your reasons (to which of course, you are, entitled), I am having trouble seeing how you reach 466. If the only differences between your list and the FAI list are X-15 (Walker) and STS-51L (Smith, Jarvis and McAuliffe) how is your list just one less than the FAI's at 467? Shouldn't yours be 469? MrSpace86

Member Posts: 1618

From: Gardner, KS, USA

Registered: Feb 2003 posted 02-05-2008 07:55 AM quote: Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:

Shouldn't yours be 469? Hmmm... I don't know. I will take a look at it later on today and get back to you. I am confused now! MrSpace86

Member Posts: 1618

From: Gardner, KS, USA

Registered: Feb 2003 posted 02-05-2008 02:02 PM I went by Michael Wright's count of 476. He includes all the X-15 pilots. I take those guys out: 1) Robert White

2) Joe Walker

3) Robert Rushworth

4) John McKay

5) Bill Dana

6) Pete Knight

7) Mike Adams And I am dumb and forgot that I took out the 51L astronauts a LONG time ago when I first started compiling the list to get: 8) Mike Smith

9) Christa McAuliffe

10) Greg Jarvis And that is how I come to 466. I create a paradox by including SS1 and not the X-15 (at least Joe Walker's flight) but I guess I am just a little different. Ignore my above few posts where I said I included 51L. Thank you for pointing it out...my mind is not there sometimes! KSCartist

Member Posts: 2896

From: Titusville, FL USA

Registered: Feb 2005 posted 02-05-2008 03:16 PM Rodrigo, it's your list so it's all good but I am confused why the SS1 guys qualify but the X-15 guys don't. It just seems to me that their flight profiles are very similar. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-07-2008 04:57 PM quote: Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:

(Had STS-122 already launched, I could point you to their replies, but you'll just need to wait for liftoff and our launch article for their answers.) Their replies (and our launch article) has now been published. Ben

Member Posts: 1896

From: Cape Canaveral, FL

Registered: May 2000 posted 02-08-2008 07:35 PM An interesting fact I realized that I felt was worth noting: Joe Walker is the first person to have gone into space twice, and not Grissom as many sources say. machbusterman

Member Posts: 1778

From: Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland

Registered: May 2004 posted 02-10-2008 03:10 AM I just don't get how you can exclude the X-15 pilots and their astronaut flights. NASA has recognized that Dana, McKay and Walker as astronauts by the presentation of astronaut wings at a ceremony at Dryden in 2005. Along with White, Rushworth, Engle, Knight and Adams that makes 8 of the 12 X-15 pilots having made sub-orbital astronaut flights in the X-15. If you exclude all X-15 flights that did not reach the FAI required 62 miles or 100km and include the SS1 astronaut flights but not include Walker's record altitude of 354, 200 feet that I cannot understand. As an side, had he not perished in the XB-70/F-104 mid-air accident we may well have been celebrating Joe Walker's 87th birthday on February 20th... along with celebrating the 46th anniversary of John Glenn's flight in Friendship 7. Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-10-2008 09:35 AM The FAI rule, however arbitrary its definition might be, was recognized by the U.S. and Soviet Union before the X-15 flew. NASA astronauts (as well as Soviet cosmonauts) received FAI certificates for their flight records, and (at least) the USSR took direct actions in order to qualify for those records. Under the FAI definition, Walker and the SS1 pilots Melvill and Binnie are included in the count, while the other X-15 pilots are excluded as they did not reach 62 miles (with the exception of Engle, of course, who later entered space on STS-2). That the U.S. Air Force chose to draw the line lower and award astronaut wings based on their own definition was its own choice. That NASA decided to honor the achievements of their pilots in a similar fashion was commendable. However, as the rest of the world does not consider 50 miles as the boundary between earth and space, it not a common border and therefore cannot be used as a measuring stick when considering all space explorers worldwide and throughout history. Philip

Member Posts: 5952

From: Brussels, Belgium

Registered: Jan 2001 posted 02-11-2008 11:07 AM Could it be Belgian Frank DeWinne who was selected for his 2nd mission on-board ISS for May 2009 for a long duration mission of 6 months.

Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 02-11-2008 11:22 AM quote: Originally posted by Philip:

...for his 2nd mission By definition then, no: the count is based on first flights into space. Only rookies would be eligible for the 500th person title. (De Winne is, according to SpaceFacts.de, number 424.) Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 03-01-2009 11:35 AM As of today, the 500th person in space (as defined by international standards) will be aboard STS-127. Updating the chart I posted last February for what actually happened in 2008 and what will now happen in 2009: 2008 STS-122:

468. Alan Poindexter

469. Stanley Love

470. Leland Melvin STS-123:

471. Gregory H. Johnson

472. Michael Foreman

473. Robert Behnken

474. Garrett Reisman Soyuz TMA-12

475. Sergei Volkov

476. Oleg Kononenko

477. Soyeon Yi STS-124:

478. Kenneth Ham

479. Karen Nyberg

480. Ronald Garan

481. Akihiko Hoshide

482. Gregory Chamitoff Shenzhou VII:

483: Zhai Zhigang

484: Liu Boming

485: Jing Haipeng Soyuz TMA-13:

486: Richard Garriott STS-126:

487: Eric Boe

488: Stephen Bowen

489: Robert Kimbrough 2009 STS-119:

490: Dominic Antonelli

491: Joseph Acaba

492: Richard Arnold Soyuz TMA-14:

493: Michael Barratt STS-125:

494. Gregory C. Johnson

495. Michael Good

496. Megan McArthur

497. Andrew Feustel Soyuz TMA-15:

498: Roman Romanenko STS-127:

499. Douglas Hurley

500. Christopher Cassidy

501. Thomas Marshburn

502. Timothy Kopra Of course, that doesn't mean Cassidy is the 500th; the order is only based on the traditional order of crew lists (CDR, PLT, MS1, MS2, etc.). (Thanks to Ben Cooper for noting the original errors in my chart and providing the corrections/amendments.) Robert Pearlman

Editor Posts: 42988

From: Houston, TX

Registered: Nov 1999 posted 05-29-2009 08:50 AM The 500th person in space will be STS-127 mission specialist Chris Cassidy. As a forthcoming article will share, there are four first time fliers on STS-127, representing the 499th, 500th, 501st and 502nd people to fly above 62 miles. Cassidy's claim on the title of #500 was confirmed by his crewmates based on where he will be seated when Endeavour launches.