Nancy J. Currie-Gregg facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nancy Currie
Born	Nancy Jane Decker (1958-12-29) December 29, 1958 (age 66) Wilmington, Delaware, U.S.
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank	Colonel, USA
Time in space	41d 15h 32m
Selection	NASA Group 13 (1990)
Missions	STS-57 STS-70 STS-88 STS-109
Mission insignia

Nancy Jane Currie-Gregg (born December 29, 1958) is an American engineer, an officer in the United States Army, and a NASA astronaut. She has served in the U.S. Army for over 22 years and holds the rank of colonel. As an astronaut, she flew on four Space Shuttle missions: STS-57, STS-70, STS-88, and STS-109. In total, she spent about 1,000 hours in space. Today, she is a professor at Texas A&M University.

Early Life and Education

Nancy Currie-Gregg was born Nancy Jane Decker in Wilmington, Delaware, on December 29, 1958. When she was young, her family moved to Troy, Ohio, which she considers her hometown. She finished Troy High School in 1977.

She went on to earn several degrees:

• A bachelor's degree in biological science from Ohio State University in 1980.
• A master's degree in safety engineering from the University of Southern California in 1985.
• A doctorate degree in industrial engineering from the University of Houston in 1997.

Nancy Currie-Gregg is part of several important groups. These include the Association of Space Explorers and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.

Military Career

Nancy Currie-Gregg served in the United States Army for more than 23 years. Before she joined NASA in 1987, she trained to fly helicopters. She became an instructor pilot at the U.S. Army Aviation School.

She held many leadership roles in the Army. She was a section leader and a platoon leader. As a Master Army Aviator, she has flown over 3,900 hours. She piloted many different types of helicopters and airplanes.

Astronaut Career

Nancy Currie-Gregg started working at NASA's Johnson Space Center in 1987. She was an engineer for the Shuttle Training Aircraft. This special plane helped astronauts practice flying the Space Shuttle.

She became an astronaut in 1990. She helped develop robotic tools and procedures for the Space Shuttle and International Space Station. She also worked as a spacecraft communicator, talking to astronauts in space. Dr. Currie-Gregg led teams that focused on robotics and how astronauts live in space. She also helped design advanced robotic systems for NASA. She spent 1,000 hours in space across four Space Shuttle missions.

STS-57 Mission

Her first mission was STS-57 on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. This flight took place from June 21 to July 1, 1993. The main goal was to bring back a European satellite called EURECA. This mission also used Spacehab for the first time. Spacehab was a special module for doing science experiments in space. During this mission, two astronauts did a spacewalk. Dr. Currie-Gregg used the Shuttle's robotic arm to help them. The mission orbited Earth 155 times. It traveled over 4.1 million miles in almost 240 hours.

STS-70 Mission

Her second mission was STS-70 on the Space Shuttle Discovery. This flight was from July 13 to 22, 1995. The five astronauts on board deployed the last NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. This completed NASA's network of communication satellites. Dr. Currie-Gregg also did many experiments. These included studies on health and remote sensing. STS-70 orbited Earth 143 times. It covered over 3.7 million miles in more than 214 hours.

STS-88 Mission

Her third mission was STS-88 on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. This mission was from December 4 to 15, 1998. STS-88 was the first mission to build the International Space Station (ISS). The main goal was to connect the first American module, Unity, to the first Russian module, Zarya. Dr. Currie-Gregg's main job was to use the Shuttle's 50-foot robotic arm. She used it to grab Zarya and connect the two parts of the station. Astronauts also did three spacewalks to connect cables and add equipment. Dr. Currie-Gregg also operated the robot arm during these spacewalks. The crew went inside the ISS to set up systems and communication gear. They also deployed two small satellites. STS-88 completed 185 orbits of Earth. It traveled over 4.7 million miles in more than 283 hours.

STS-109 Mission

Her fourth and final mission was STS-109 on the Space Shuttle Columbia. This flight was from March 1 to 12, 2002. STS-109 was the fourth mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope. Dr. Currie-Gregg's main role was to use the Shuttle's 50-foot robot arm. She used it to grab the telescope and put it back in space after repairs. She also operated the robot arm during five spacewalks. During these spacewalks, astronauts upgraded Hubble's power system and installed new cameras. The Hubble Space Telescope was then moved to a higher orbit. It continues to send amazing pictures of the universe. STS-109 completed 165 orbits of Earth. It covered over 3.9 million miles in over 262 hours.

Later Career

After the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster in 2003, Nancy Currie-Gregg took on a new role. She led the Space Shuttle Program's Safety and Mission Assurance Office. This office made sure the Space Shuttle was safe. She also worked as a senior advisor for robotics and simulation at the Johnson Space Center. She was also a chief engineer for NASA.

Today, Dr. Currie-Gregg is a professor at Texas A&M University. She teaches in the Department of Industrial & Systems Engineering. She has also done research on how vibrations affect humans in spacecraft. In 2022, she gave a speech about her career in space travel and ergonomics (how people interact with systems).

Personal Life

Nancy Currie-Gregg has a child from her first marriage.

Awards and Honors

• Arts and Sciences Award for Scholarship, Ohio State University (1980)
• Distinguished Graduate of the Army Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course (1981)
• Honor Graduate of the Army Rotary Wing Aviator Course (1982)
• Honor Graduate of the Army Aviation Officer Advanced Course (1986)
• Defense Superior Service Medals (2)
• Legion of Merit
• Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• National Defense Service Medal
• Army Service Ribbon
• NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (2005)
• NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1998, 2012)
• NASA Flight Simulation Engineering Award (1988)
• NASA Space Flight Medals (4)
• Silver Snoopy award
• Ohio Veteran's Hall of Fame (1994)
• Troy, Ohio Hall of Fame (1996)
• Ohio State University Army ROTC Hall of Fame (1996)
• Silver Order of St. Michael, Army Aviation Award (1997)

See also

In Spanish: Nancy J. Currie-Gregg para niños