STS-129 Crew Assigned

NASA has assigned the crew for shuttle Discovery's STS-129 mission, which is scheduled to launch from Kennedy Space Center in October 2009 on a flight to deliver parts to the International Space Station.

According to a NASA press release today, Marine Col. Charlie Hobaugh - pictured at left as pilot of STS-118 last year - will command the mission.

Navy Capt. Barry Wilmore will serve as the pilot. Mission Specialists are Robert Satcher, Navy Capt. Michael Foreman, Marine Lt. Col. Randy Bresnik and Leland Melvin. Wilmore, Satcher and Bresnik will be making their first trips to space.

The mission will return Canadian Space Agency astronaut and station crew member Robert Thirsk to Earth. This is slated to be the final space shuttle crew rotation flight to or from the space station.

Click "Read more" for more details about the crew. Click here to read NASA's astronaut biographies.

Hobaugh flew as the pilot on STS-104 in 2001 and STS-118 in 2007. He was born in Bar Harbor, Maine. Hobaugh earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996.

Wilmore was born in Murfreesboro, Tenn., and grew up in Mt. Juliet. He has bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering from Tennessee Technological University, and a master's degree in aviation systems from University of Tennessee. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000.

Foreman was born in Columbus, Ohio, but considers Wadsworth his hometown. He earned a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School. Foreman flew as a mission specialist on STS-123 in 2008 and performed three
spacewalks. He was selected as an astronaut in 1998.

Satcher was selected as an astronaut in 2004. He earned a doctorate in chemical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also is a graduate of Harvard Medical School. He was born in Hampton, Va.

Bresnik, also selected as an astronaut in 2004. He was born in Fort Knox, Ky., but considers Santa Monica, Calif., his hometown. Bresnik earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics from The Citadel and a master's degree in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee.

Melvin flew as a mission specialist on the STS-122 mission in 2008. He was born in Lynchburg, Va. Melvin earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Richmond and a master's degree in materials science engineering from the University of Virginia. He was selected as an astronaut in 1998.

Thirsk will be concluding his long-duration stay on the station when STS-129 launches. He is scheduled to arrive at the complex in May 2009 aboard a Soyuz spacecraft and serve as a flight engineer during parts of Expeditions 20 and 21.

IMAGE NOTE: Click on the image to enlarge it. Astronaut Charlie Hobaugh, STS-118 pilot, pauses for a photo while working the controls of the Space Station Remote Manipulator System (SSRMS) or Canadarm2 in the Destiny laboratory of the International Space Station, while shuttle Endeavour remains docked with the station. Hobaugh has been assigned to command the STS-109 mission targeted to launch in October 2009. Photo credit: NASA.