Shannon Lucid facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Shannon Lucid
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Lucid c. 2004
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Shannon Matilda Wells
January 14, 1943 Shanghai, Republic of China
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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223 days, 2 hours and 50 minutes |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
| Missions | |
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Mission insignia
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| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | Effect of Cholera Toxin on Phosphorylation and Kinase Activity of Intestinal Epithelial Cells and Their Brush Borders (1973) |
| Doctoral advisor | Chadwick Cox |
Shannon Matilda Wells Lucid (born January 14, 1943) is an American biochemist and a retired NASA astronaut. She flew into space five times. One of her most famous missions was a long stay on the Russian space station Mir in 1996. She is the only American woman to have lived on Mir.
From 1996 to 2007, Shannon Lucid held the record for the longest time spent in space by an American. She also held the record for the longest spaceflight by a woman. In December 1996, she received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. She was the tenth person and the first woman to get this special award.
Shannon Lucid studied at the University of Oklahoma. She earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1963. Later, she received a master's degree in biochemistry in 1970 and a PhD in biochemistry in 1973. Before becoming an astronaut, she worked as a research chemist.
In 1978, NASA chose Shannon Lucid for astronaut training. She was part of NASA Astronaut Group 8, the first group of astronauts to include women. She flew on STS-51-G, STS-34, STS-43, STS-58, and her long mission to Mir. For her Mir mission, she traveled on the Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Atlantis with STS-76. She returned six months later with STS-79.
From 2002 to 2003, she was the NASA Chief Scientist. She also worked as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) at Mission Control. She helped guide many Space Shuttle missions, including STS-135, the very last Space Shuttle flight. Shannon Lucid retired from NASA in 2012.
Early Life and Dreams
Shannon Wells was born in Shanghai, China, on January 14, 1943. Her parents were missionaries. When she was just six weeks old, her family was held in an internment camp by the Japanese during World War II. They were released later that year and returned to the United States.
After the war, her family went back to China. But they soon moved to the U.S. again in 1949 due to political changes. They settled in Bethany, Oklahoma. Shannon graduated from Bethany High School in 1960.
Shannon loved stories about explorers and wanted to be one. She felt she was born too late for land exploration. Then she learned about Robert Goddard, a famous American rocket scientist. This made her decide she could explore space! She even sold her bicycle to buy a telescope. She also started building her own rockets.
After high school, Shannon earned her private pilot's license. She could fly planes with different engines. She bought a small plane and flew her father to his meetings. She tried to get a job as a commercial pilot, but women were not allowed to train for these jobs back then.
Education and Family
Shannon attended Wheaton College in Illinois. She studied chemistry there. She then moved to the University of Oklahoma. She earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry in 1963.
She worked as a lab technician and research chemist. At a company called Kerr-McGee, she met Michael F. Lucid, who was also a research chemist. They got married in 1967. Their first child, Kawai Dawn, was born in 1968.
Shannon Lucid returned to the University of Oklahoma to study biochemistry. She earned her master's degree in 1970. She took her final exams just two days after her second daughter, Shandara Michelle, was born! She then earned her PhD in biochemistry in 1973. Her third child, Michael Kermit, was born in 1975.
Becoming an Astronaut
Joining NASA
In 1976, NASA asked for people to apply to become astronauts. For the first time, women were encouraged to apply. Shannon Lucid was one of over 8,000 people who applied.
Shannon was one of 208 finalists invited for interviews and tests. She was in the first group that included women. On January 16, 1978, NASA announced the 35 chosen candidates. Six of them were women. Shannon Lucid was the only mother in this first class of female astronauts.
The new astronauts, called "TFNGs," trained for 14 months. They learned about the Space Shuttle program, space flight engineering, and how the human body reacts to space. They also did survival training, swimming, and scuba diving. By August 1979, they were officially astronauts.
Supporting Space Shuttle Missions
Each new astronaut specialized in different areas. Shannon Lucid helped with training for the Spacelab 1 mission. She also worked on developing important labs for the Space Shuttle. She helped with the Hubble Space Telescope and how spacecraft meet in orbit.
She was part of the team that helped after Space Shuttle missions landed. She also worked at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). There, she supported vehicle tests and helped astronauts get ready for takeoff.
Space Shuttle Flights
STS-51-G: First Flight
Shannon Lucid was first assigned to a flight in 1983. After some changes, her first mission was STS-51-G. It launched from KSC on June 17, 1985, aboard the Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Discovery.
This seven-day mission deployed three communication satellites for Mexico, the Arab League, and the United States. Shannon Lucid helped use the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to release these satellites. She also used the RMS to deploy a satellite for X-ray astronomy experiments. The crew did other science experiments too. Discovery landed on June 24. The mission lasted about one week.
STS-34: Deploying Galileo
After her first flight, Shannon Lucid worked as a CAPCOM. She helped guide several Space Shuttle missions from Mission Control. In January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster happened. This stopped all Space Shuttle flights for a long time.
On November 30, 1988, NASA announced Shannon Lucid would fly on STS-34. This mission was to deploy the Galileo probe to Jupiter. The Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Atlantis lifted off on October 18, 1989.
As the main mission specialist, Shannon Lucid was in charge of the Galileo spacecraft. She pressed the button to release Galileo from Atlantis. The probe was successfully deployed. The mission also did experiments on how microgravity affects minerals. The crew filmed their activities with an IMAX camera. Atlantis landed on October 23.
STS-43: More Satellites and Science
In May 1990, Shannon Lucid was assigned to the STS-43 mission. This flight was on Atlantis and launched on August 2, 1991.
The main goal was to deploy TDRS-E, a communication satellite for NASA. The crew successfully released the satellite. They also performed 32 different science experiments. These experiments studied physics, materials, and life sciences. Many were related to future long-duration space flights and the planned Space Station Freedom. Atlantis landed at KSC.
STS-58: Studying Life in Space
On December 6, 1991, Shannon Lucid was assigned to STS-58. This mission, called Spacelab Life Sciences 2 (SLS-2), focused on studying human and animal bodies in space. The Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Columbia launched on October 18, 1993.
During the fourteen-day flight, the crew did medical experiments on themselves and 48 rats. They studied how space affects bones, senses, and how people adapt to space. Shannon Lucid and other crew members collected blood and urine samples. They also studied how weightlessness affected red blood cells in rats. The mission completed 225 orbits of Earth. After this flight, Shannon Lucid had spent over 838 hours in space.
Living on the Mir Space Station
A Long Stay in Space
In 1992, the United States and Russia agreed to work together in space. This meant Russian cosmonauts could fly on Space Shuttles, and American astronauts could live on the Russian Mir space station. Living on Mir for a long time was a big challenge. Astronauts had to learn Russian and train in Russia for a year.
Shannon Lucid was excited about the idea of a long stay in space. She volunteered, and since no one else did, she was chosen! In January 1995, she began training in Star City, Russia. On March 30, 1995, NASA announced she would be the second American astronaut to live on Mir.
Shannon Lucid's mission to Mir began on March 22, 1996. She launched from KSC aboard Atlantis on the STS-76 mission. Atlantis docked with Mir on March 24. Shannon became the first American woman to live on the station. She joined two Russian cosmonauts, who did not speak English.
During her time on Mir, Shannon Lucid did many science experiments. She studied how fire behaves in microgravity. She watched quail embryos develop and grew protein crystals. She also grew wheat in a small greenhouse. She even injected herself with a stimulant to study how space affects the immune system.
In her free time, she enjoyed reading books. She famously received only the first volume of a two-volume novel. She had to arrange for the second volume to be sent on the next supply ship! She also brought her own supply of M&M's and jello.
Return to Earth
Shannon Lucid returned to KSC aboard Atlantis. The STS-79 mission docked with Mir on September 18, bringing another astronaut to replace her. She landed back at KSC on September 26, 1996.
During her time on Mir, Shannon Lucid exercised for almost 400 hours. She used a stationary bicycle and a treadmill. Because of this, she was able to stand and walk off Atlantis when she landed. NASA Administrator Daniel Goldin gave her a box of M&M's, a gift from President Bill Clinton, because she had said she missed them.
Shannon Lucid traveled over 75 million miles during this mission. She spent 188 days, 4 hours, and 0 minutes in space. This included 179 days on Mir. Her stay was longer than planned because her return was delayed twice. For a long time, she held the record for the most hours in orbit by a non-Russian and by a woman. Her record for the longest spaceflight by a woman was broken in 2007 by Sunita Williams.
Later Career and Retirement
Shannon Lucid had a small appearance in the 1998 movie Armageddon. From 2002 to 2003, she served as the NASA Chief Scientist. Starting in 2005, she was the lead CAPCOM for many Space Shuttle missions. This included STS-135, the very last Space Shuttle flight in 2011.
On January 31, 2012, Shannon Lucid announced her retirement from NASA. She later wrote two books: No Sugar Added: One Family's Saga of Dementia and Caretaking (2019) and Tumbleweed: Six Months Living on Mir (2020).
Awards and Honors
Shannon Lucid has received many awards for her amazing career.
- She was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in December 1996 for her mission to Mir.
- She received the NASA Space Flight Medal six times (1985, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1996).
- She received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal five times (1988, 1990, 1992, 2003).
- She received the NASA Distinguished Service Medal twice (1994, 1997).
She has also been honored in several halls of fame:
- International Space Hall of Fame (1990)
- Oklahoma Women's Hall of Fame (1993)
- National Women's Hall of Fame (1998)
- United States Astronaut Hall of Fame (2014)
In 2002, Discover magazine named her one of the fifty most important women in science.
Images for kids
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STS-51-G mission patch
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STS-34 mission patch
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STS-43 mission patch
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STS-58 mission patch
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STS-76 mission patch
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Mir EO-21 patch
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Mir EO-22 patch
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STS-79 mission patch
See also
In Spanish: Shannon Lucid para niños
