Rhea Seddon facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rhea Seddon
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Seddon in 1992
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Margaret Rhea Seddon
November 8, 1947 Murfreesboro, Tennessee, U.S.
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Time in space
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30d 2h 21m |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
| Missions | STS-51-D STS-40 STS-58 |
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Mission insignia
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Margaret Rhea Seddon (born November 8, 1947) is an American surgeon and a retired NASA astronaut. She was chosen in 1978 as part of the very first group of astronauts that included women.
Rhea Seddon flew on three Space Shuttle missions. She worked as a mission specialist on STS-51-D and STS-40. She was also a payload commander for STS-58. In total, she spent over 722 hours in space. During her missions, she helped build tools to fix a US Navy satellite and performed important medical experiments.
She earned her medical degree (MD) in 1973 from the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. While training to be a surgeon, she was the only woman in her program. Before, during, and after her time as an astronaut, she worked in hospital emergency rooms in Tennessee, Mississippi, and Texas.
Seddon became an astronaut on August 9, 1979. At NASA, she helped develop software for the Space Shuttle Orbiter and its payloads. She also worked on the Space Shuttle's medical kit and checklists for launch and landing. She was a rescue helicopter doctor for early Space Shuttle flights. She also worked as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center. In 1996, she helped prepare cardiovascular experiments for a space flight. She retired from NASA in 1997.
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Early Life and Education
Margaret Rhea Seddon was born in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, on November 8, 1947. She was the first child of Edward C. Seddon and Clayton Ransom Dann. She had a younger sister named Louise. Rhea was named after her grandmother.
She went to St. Rose of Lima Catholic School. Science classes became a priority after the Sputnik crisis. Rhea started studying science in seventh grade. In 1960, she wrote a report about what would happen to people in space. She graduated from Central High School in 1965.
A family friend, Lois Kennedy, was a doctor and inspired Rhea to study medicine. Another friend suggested universities in California with good science programs. Rhea went to the University of California, Berkeley. One summer, she worked in a hospital's surgical unit. This experience made her decide to become a surgeon. She earned her degree in physiology in 1970.
In 1970, Rhea started at the University of Tennessee College of Medicine. There were only six women in her class of over one hundred medical students. She received her medical degree (MD) in 1973. Her father gave her flying lessons as a graduation gift. She did her one-year internship at the Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis. She then did three years of residency at the University of Tennessee hospitals. She was the only woman in the General Surgery Residency Program.
Becoming an Astronaut
Joining NASA
On July 8, 1976, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) asked people to apply to be astronauts. This was the first time women were encouraged to apply. Rhea Seddon heard about this and decided to apply. She found that at 62 inches (157 cm) tall, she was just tall enough for the minimum height.
NASA chose 208 people out of 8,079 applicants for more tests. Rhea Seddon was invited to the Johnson Space Center (JSC) for interviews and medical exams. Her group of twenty applicants was the first to include women. In January 1978, she learned she had been selected for astronaut training. The names of the 35 new astronauts in NASA Astronaut Group 8 were announced later that day.
Astronaut Training
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New astronauts were called "astronaut candidates" until they finished their training. This training was expected to take two years. Mission specialists did not need pilot training. However, they learned how to handle emergencies while flying in the back seat of NASA's Northrop T-38 Talon jets. Rhea Seddon already had a pilot's license.
A challenging part of training was SCUBA diving. Rhea was not a strong swimmer, so she had to practice a lot. SCUBA training was needed for Extravehicular Activity (EVA), or spacewalks. But Rhea was never considered for spacewalks because NASA did not have space suits in her small size.
As an astronaut candidate, Rhea Seddon earned about $22,000 a year. This was more than she made as a surgical resident. She also continued to work as a doctor on weekends in hospital emergency rooms.
Rhea officially became an astronaut in August 1979. She was assigned to work on the Space Shuttle's food system and the medical kit. For STS-1, the first Space Shuttle flight, Rhea and other doctors were assigned to search and rescue helicopters. They would help if the Space Shuttle crashed. The mission went well, so their help was not needed.
In February 1981, Rhea Seddon got engaged to fellow astronaut Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson. They got married on May 30 in Murfreesboro. Rhea kept her maiden name.
Rhea's first child, Paul Seddon Gibson, was born in July 1982. This was the first child born to an astronaut couple. Paul had a serious health issue at birth but got better after treatment.
Space Flights and Missions
First Mission: STS-51-D
In August 1983, Rhea Seddon was assigned to her first space flight, STS-41-E. This mission was delayed and then canceled. The crew was then assigned to STS-51-D. With each change, they had to train for different payloads (cargo).
STS-51-D launched on April 12, 1985, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The crew deployed two satellites. One of the satellites, Syncom IV-3, had a problem. This led to the first unplanned spacewalk and close-up work for the Space Shuttle. Rhea Seddon used her surgical skills to help build homemade repair tools for the satellite. She used a bone saw to help make the tools. She tried to activate the satellite, but it did not work. The satellite was left in low Earth orbit. On this mission, she spent 168 hours in space.
After the flight, she met President Ronald Reagan in the Oval Office. The Syncom IV-3 satellite was later fixed and launched into its correct orbit by another mission.
Second Mission: STS-40
Rhea Seddon was offered a spot on the Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS-1) mission. This mission was delayed due to the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. While waiting, she took a refresher course in emergency medicine.
She also took on a management role as an assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations. She helped prepare for the STS-26 "Return to Flight" mission. She also helped create rules for astronauts' medical records and experiments. She left this job when her second child, Edward Dann Gibson, was born in March 1989.
When Rhea returned from maternity leave, the SLS-1 mission was scheduled as STS-40. The crew had been training for years, and the payload had changed many times. The mission was finally launched on June 5, 1991, aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia.
During the nine-day mission, the crew performed experiments. They studied how humans, animals, and cells react to microgravity (weightlessness) and how they adapt back to Earth's gravity. They also did experiments on materials science, plant biology, and cosmic radiation. The mission completed 146 orbits of Earth. Rhea spent an additional 218 hours in space.
Third Mission: STS-58
From September 1991 to July 1992, Rhea Seddon worked as a Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center. She helped with the STS-42 and STS-45 missions. She wanted to be part of SLS-2, the follow-up mission to SLS-1. In October 1991, she was named the payload commander for the STS-58 / SLS-2 mission. This new role meant she was the main contact for the science crew.
During training, she broke four bones in her foot while practicing an emergency evacuation. She needed surgery and had to wear a cast and walking boot. The flight was delayed for other reasons, so she had time to recover.
The SLS-2 mission involved animal testing, including dissecting mice in space. NASA faced pressure from animal rights groups. Rhea Seddon and payload specialist Martin J. Fettman prepared a report on how to do research without killing animals. They felt that removing body parts without killing them was unethical. The mission was flown as originally planned.
STS-58 with SLS-2 launched on October 18, 1993, aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. During the fourteen-day flight, the crew performed many medical experiments. They studied human and animal bodies in space. They also did engineering tests and other experiments. The mission completed 225 orbits of Earth, lasting over 336 hours.
In June 1995, Rhea had her third child, a daughter named Emilee Louise. Rhea then became an Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations. In September 1996, she was sent to Vanderbilt University Medical School. She helped organize the medical group and prepare cardiovascular experiments for a space flight in 1998.
Later Life
Rhea Seddon retired from NASA in November 1997. For the next eleven years, she was the assistant Chief Medical Officer of the Vanderbilt Medical Group in Nashville, Tennessee.
She started writing her memoirs in 1993 but stopped in 1996. In 2008, she enrolled in a writing program. She finished her book, Go For Orbit, which was published in 2015. It won an award for Best Autobiography/Memoir.
Awards and Honors
Rhea Seddon received several awards from NASA:
- NASA Space Flight Medal in 1985, 1991, and 1993
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1988 and 1992
- NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 1994
She was inducted into the Tennessee Aviation Hall of Fame in 2005. In 2015, she was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame and the Tennessee Women's Hall of Fame. In 2017, she was named one of the University of Tennessee Centennial Top 100 Alumni. She also received the Great American leadership award with her husband, Robert Gibson.
See also
In Spanish: Margaret Rhea Seddon para niños
