Jerry L. Ross - Spaceflight Experience

Spaceflight Experience

STS-61-B Atlantis was launched at night from the Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on November 26, 1985. During the mission the crew deployed the MORELOS-B, AUSSAT-2, and SATCOM Ku-2 communications satellites, and operated numerous other experiments. Ross conducted two 6-hour space walks to demonstrate Space Station construction techniques with the EASE/ACCESS experiments. After completing 108 orbits of the Earth in 165 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds, Atlantis landed on Runway 22 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 3, 1985.

STS-27 Atlantis, was launched from KSC on December 2, 1988. The mission carried a Department of Defense payload, as well as a number of secondary payloads. After 68 orbits of the earth in 105 hours, 6 minutes, 19 seconds, the mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 6, 1988. The mission is noteworthy due to the severe damage Atlantis sustained to its critical heat-resistant tiles during ascent.

STS-37 Atlantis, was launched from KSC on April 5, 1991, and deployed the 35,000 pound Gamma Ray Observatory. Ross performed two space walks totaling 10 hours and 49 minutes to manually deploy the stuck Gamma Ray Observatory antenna and to test prototype Space Station Freedom hardware. After 93 orbits of the Earth in 143 hours, 32 minutes, 44 seconds, the mission concluded with a landing on Runway 33, at Edwards Air Force Base, on April 11, 1991.

STS-55 Columbia, was launched from KSC on April 26, 1993. With Ross serving as Payload Commander/Mission Specialist, nearly 90 experiments were conducted during the German-sponsored Spacelab D-2 mission to investigate life sciences, materials science, physics, robotics, astronomy, and the Earth and its atmosphere. Columbia landed on May 6, 1993 at Edwards Air Force Base, Runway 22, after 160 orbits of the Earth in 239 hours and 45 minutes

STS-74 Atlantis, launched from KSC on November 12, 1995, was NASA’s second Space Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. STS-74. During the 8-day flight the crew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis attached a permanent docking module to Mir, conducted a number of secondary experiments, and transferred 1½ tons of supplies and experiment equipment between Atlantis and the Mir station. Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center on November 20 after accomplishing in 129 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.4 million miles in 196 hours, 30 minutes, 44 seconds.

STS-88 Endeavour (December 4–15, 1998) was the first International Space Station assembly mission. During the 12-day mission the U.S.-built Unity module was mated with the Russian Zarya module. Ross performed three spacewalks totaling 21 hours 22 minutes to connect umbilicals and attach tools/hardware. The crew also deployed two satellites, Mighty Sat 1 and SAC-A. The mission was accomplished in 185 orbits of the Earth in 283 hours and 18 minutes.

STS-110 Atlantis (April 8–19, 2002) was the 13th Shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station (ISS). This, the first mission in the final phase of the ISS Assembly, included the delivery and installation of the S0 Truss; the first time the station’s robotic arm was used to maneuver spacewalkers around the station; and the first time that all of a shuttle crew’s spacewalks were based from the station’s Quest Airlock. Ross performed 2 EVAs totaling 14 hours and 9 minutes. Mission duration was 259 hours and 42 minutes.