Linda M. Godwin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Linda Godwin
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| Born | July 2, 1952 Cape Girardeau, Missouri, U.S.
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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38d 6h 13m |
| Selection | NASA Group 11 (1985) |
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Total EVAs
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2 |
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Total EVA time
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10h 14m |
| Missions | STS-37 STS-59 STS-76 STS-108 |
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Mission insignia
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Linda Maxine Godwin, born on July 2, 1952, is an American scientist and a retired NASA astronaut. She joined NASA in 1980 and became an astronaut in July 1986. Linda Godwin retired in 2010 after an amazing career. She flew into space four times and spent over 38 days orbiting Earth. After leaving NASA, she became a professor of physics and astronomy at the University of Missouri.
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Linda Godwin's Early Life and Education
Linda Godwin was born in Cape Girardeau, Missouri, but grew up in Jackson, Missouri. She finished high school in Jackson in 1970. She then went to Southeast Missouri State University. There, she earned a degree in mathematics and physics in 1974. Later, she earned her master's and doctorate degrees in physics from the University of Missouri. She completed these in 1976 and 1980.
Personal Life and Interests
Linda Godwin is a member of several groups. These include the American Physical Society and the Association of Space Explorers. She also belongs to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Linda Godwin was married to fellow astronaut Steven Nagel. He was even her commander on her first spaceflight. They remained married until he passed away in 2014.
Awards and Special Honors
Linda Godwin received many awards during her career. Some of these include:
- NASA Outstanding Performance Rating
- Sustained Superior Performance Award
- NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
Academic and Research Experience
After her studies at Southeast Missouri State University, Linda Godwin went to graduate school. This was at the University of Missouri in Columbia. While there, she taught physics classes to college students. She also received several grants to help with her research.
Her research focused on how materials behave at very cold temperatures. She studied how tiny particles move and vibrate on metal surfaces. The results of her research were published in science journals. Linda Godwin is also a private pilot and can fly planes using only instruments.
Linda Godwin's NASA Career
Linda Godwin started working at NASA in 1980. She first worked in a division that managed payloads, which are the things carried into space. She helped prepare these payloads for Space Shuttle missions. She also worked as a flight controller.
In June 1985, NASA chose her to become an astronaut. She officially became an astronaut in July 1986. She worked on many technical tasks. For example, she helped test the flight software for the Space Shuttle. She also helped plan missions that involved special equipment like the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS).
Linda Godwin also held important leadership roles. She was the chief of astronaut appearances. She also led the Mission Development Branch for astronauts. Later, she became the deputy chief of the Astronaut Office. She was also the deputy director of Flight Crew Operations. Before retiring, she was an assistant to the director for exploration at the Johnson Space Center.
Linda Godwin flew on four space missions. She spent over 38 days in space. This included more than ten hours of spacewalks. She was a mission specialist on STS-37 in 1991. In 1994, she was the payload commander on STS-59. She flew on STS-76 in 1996, which docked with the Russian space station Mir. Her last mission was STS-108 in 2001, which visited the International Space Station.
Spaceflight Missions
STS-37: Deploying a Gamma Ray Observatory
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Linda Godwin was a mission specialist on the STS-37 crew. The Atlantis launched on April 5, 1991. It landed on April 11, 1991. During this mission, the crew launched the Compton Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO). This observatory helped scientists study gamma rays from space.
The GRO was very heavy, weighing about 35,000 pounds (15,875 kg). It was the heaviest payload launched by the Shuttle's robotic arm at that time. The crew also had to do an unplanned spacewalk. They needed to fix the GRO's antenna. They also did a planned spacewalk to test how astronauts could move around large structures in space. The mission lasted for 143 hours, 32 minutes.
STS-59: Studying Earth with Radar
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Linda Godwin was the payload commander for STS-59. The Endeavour launched on April 9, 1994. It landed on April 20, 1994. This mission was called the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) mission.
The SRL used three large radars to study Earth's surface and atmosphere. These radars could see Earth in different ways. This helped scientists learn more about our planet. The mission also had a sensor to measure carbon monoxide in the air. The astronauts took over 14,000 photos to help scientists understand the data. The mission lasted for 269 hours, 29 minutes.
STS-76: Docking with Mir Space Station
Linda Godwin was a mission specialist on STS-76. Atlantis launched on March 22, 1996. It landed on March 31, 1996. This was the third time a Space Shuttle docked with the Russian space station Mir.
During this mission, a NASA astronaut moved to Mir for a five-month stay. This started a continuous presence of U.S. astronauts on Mir. The crew also moved about 4,800 pounds (2,177 kg) of supplies to Mir. They brought back over 1,100 pounds (499 kg) of equipment to Earth.
Linda Godwin performed a six-hour spacewalk. This was the first spacewalk done while docked to an orbiting space station. She attached experiment packages to Mir. These packages would help detect tiny pieces of space debris. The mission lasted for 221 hours, 15 minutes.
STS-108: Visiting the International Space Station
Linda Godwin was a mission specialist on STS-108. Endeavour launched on December 5, 2001. It landed on December 17, 2001. This was the 12th time a Space Shuttle visited the International Space Station (ISS).
The Endeavour crew delivered the new Expedition-4 crew to the ISS. They also brought the Expedition-3 crew back to Earth. The crew unloaded over 4,600 pounds (2,086 kg) of supplies and experiments. They also packed over 3,000 pounds (1,360 kg) of items to bring back.
Linda Godwin used the Shuttle's robotic arm to attach a special module to the ISS. She also took part in a spacewalk. During the spacewalk, she helped wrap special blankets around parts of the ISS solar arrays. The mission lasted for 283 hours, 36 minutes.
See also
In Spanish: Linda M. Godwin para niños
