{"id":320475,"date":"2023-03-16T12:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-16T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/?post_type=migration&p=320475"},"modified":"2023-09-25T13:09:39","modified_gmt":"2023-09-25T17:09:39","slug":"45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews\/","title":{"rendered":"45 Years Ago: NASA Names the First Four Space Shuttle Crews"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"\" class=\"padding-top-5 padding-bottom-3 width-full maxw-full hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-article-intro\"><div class=\"width-full maxw-full article-header\"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2 width-full maxw-full\"><p class=\"label carbon-60 margin-0 margin-bottom-3 padding-0\">5 min read<\/p><h1 class=\"display-48 margin-bottom-2\">45 Years Ago: NASA Names the First Four Space Shuttle Crews<\/h1><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>On March 16, 1978, NASA formally announced the crews for the first four space shuttle missions. The four two-man crews consisted of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/former-astronaut-john-w-young\/\" data-type=\"topic\" data-id=\"272865\">John W. Young<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/people\/robert-l-crippen\/\" data-type=\"people\" data-id=\"256197\">Robert L. Crippen<\/a>; Joe H. Engle and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/former-astronaut-richard-truly\/\" data-type=\"topic\" data-id=\"329654\">Richard H. Truly<\/a>; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/former-astronaut-fred-haise\/\" data-type=\"topic\" data-id=\"300631\">Fred W. Haise<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/sts-3\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"255646\">Jack R. Lousma<\/a>; and Vance D. Brand and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/centers-and-facilities\/armstrong\/gordon-fullerton-skilled-kind-humbleand-funny\/\" data-type=\"post\" data-id=\"89944\">C. Gordon Fullerton<\/a>. NASA designated Young and Crippen to fly the first Orbital Flight Test (OFT-1), then expected to launch in the spring of 1979, with Engle and Truly as their backups. Specific flight assignments for the others would occur at a later date. At the time, NASA envisioned six OFTs of increasing complexity to fully evaluate the reusable spacecraft, with the first four returning to landings at Edwards Air Force Base (AFB) in California and the final two OFTs landing at the newly constructed Shuttle Landing Facility at NASA\u2019s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida. NASA considered one of the missions performing a rendezvous with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/skylab\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"211196\">Skylab<\/a> space station to reboost it to a higher orbit to prevent an uncontrolled reentry, possibly over populated areas.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_1_young_s79-31776.jpg\" alt=\"young\" width=\"185\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_2_crippen_s79-31777.jpg\" alt=\"crippen\" width=\"184\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_3_engle_s79-36838.jpg\" alt=\"engle\" width=\"182\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_4_truly_s79-36527.jpg\" alt=\"truly\" width=\"180\" height=\"230\"><br><em>The prime crew assigned to the first orbital flight test of the space shuttle \u2013 John W. Young, left, and Robert L. Crippen, and their backups Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At the time of the announcement, Young served as the Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center (JSC) in Houston. Selected in the second group<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/60-years-ago-nasa-selects-a-second-group-of-astronauts\"> <\/a>of<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/feature\/60-years-ago-nasa-selects-a-second-group-of-astronauts\"> <\/a>astronauts in 1962, Young had already completed four spaceflights \u2013 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/gemini-3\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"256320\">Gemini 3<\/a> in 1965, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/gemini-x\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"266675\">Gemini X<\/a> in 1966, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-10\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"253900\">Apollo 10<\/a> in 1969, and landed on the Moon during <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-16\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"251642\">Apollo 16<\/a> in 1972. Young\u2019s pilot on OFT-1, first time space flyer Crippen transferred to NASA in 1969 from the canceled U.S. Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory program, and served as a crewmember for the 56-day Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test in 1972. Before his selection as a NASA astronaut in 1966, Engle served as a test pilot in the X-15 rocket plane research program, earning astronaut wings for his three flights above 50 miles in altitude. He served as backup Lunar Module Pilot (LMP) for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-14\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"249063\">Apollo 14<\/a>. Truly, like Crippen, transferred to NASA from the MOL program in 1969. Engle and Truly flew several Approach and Landing Test (ALT) flights at Edwards AFB with space shuttle Enterprise in 1977.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_5_haise_alt.jpg\" alt=\"haise\" width=\"188\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_6_lousma_s79-36410.jpg\" alt=\"lousma\" width=\"185\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_7_brand_s79-36528.jpg\" alt=\"brand\" width=\"186\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_8_fullerton_alt_2.jpg\" alt=\"fullerton\" width=\"186\" height=\"230\"><br><em>The third and fourth space shuttle crews of Fred W. Haise, left, and Jack R. Lousma, and Vance D. Brand and C. Gordon Fullerton.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1966, Haise served as backup LMP on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-8\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"248407\">Apollo 8<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-11\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"205939\">Apollo 11<\/a>, flew as LMP on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-13\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"213980\">Apollo 13<\/a> in 1970, and served as backup commander on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-16\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"251642\">Apollo 16<\/a>. He commanded several of the ALT flights with Enterprise in 1977, with Fullerton serving as his pilot. Also selected in 1966, Lousma flew as pilot on the 59-day <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/skylab\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"211196\">Skylab 3<\/a> mission in 1973. Brand, also from the 1966 astronaut class, served as backup command module pilot (CMP) for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/apollo-15\/\" data-type=\"mission\" data-id=\"249536\">Apollo 15<\/a>, backup commander for Skylab 3 and 4, and flew as the CMP for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/apollo-soyuz-test-project\/\" data-type=\"topic\" data-id=\"255419\">Apollo-Soyuz Test Project<\/a> in 1975. Fullerton, a MOL astronaut before transferring to NASA in 1969, flew several ALT flights with Haise at Edwards in 1977.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"hds-media hds-module wp-block-image\"><div class=\"margin-left-auto margin-right-auto nasa-block-align-inline\"><div class=\"hds-media-wrapper margin-left-auto margin-right-auto\"><figure class=\"hds-media-inner hds-cover-wrapper hds-media-ratio-cover \"><a href=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1270&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" rel=\"noopener\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1270\" src=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1270&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" class=\"attachment-2048x2048 size-2048x2048\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 60% 47%; object-position: 60% 47%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1270&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1920w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=300&h=198&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 300w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=768&h=508&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 768w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1024&h=677&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1024w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1536&h=1016&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1536w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=400&h=265&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 400w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=600&h=397&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 600w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=900&h=595&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 900w, https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1200&h=794&fit=crop&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" loading=\"eager\" \/><\/a><\/figure><figcaption class=\"hds-caption padding-y-2\"><div class=\"hds-caption-text p-sm margin-0\">The NASA astronauts assigned to the first four space shuttle missions during their first press conference \u2013 C. Gordon Fullerton, left, Vance D. Brand, Jack R. Lousma, Fred W. Haise, Richard H. Truly, Joe H. Engle, Robert L. Crippen, and John W. Young.<\/div><div class=\"hds-credits\">NASA<\/div><\/figcaption><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p>The eight astronauts held a press conference at JSC on March 22, 1978. Young described the shuttle as an \u201cabsolutely revolutionary flying machine,\u201d and he expected it to do great things for the world. He added, \u201cThe first mission will be very exciting for all of us to work on and to participate in.\u201d In the months and years following the announcement, the shuttle program and the crew assignments went through some changes. Young and Crippen did indeed fly the first mission, by then designated STS-1, but in April 1981 rather than 1979. Engle and Truly served as their backups and flew STS-2 in November 1981. Haise and Lousma trained for the Skylab rendezvous and reboost mission planned for the third shuttle flight, but with delays in the shuttle program and Skylab\u2019s earlier than expected reentry in July 1979, the purpose of the mission evaporated, and Haise resigned from NASA in June 1979. Lousma moved into the STS-3 commander position. Fullerton joined him as pilot, and they flew their mission in March 1982. In late 1979, NASA reduced the number of OFTs from six to four and moved some mission objectives, such as landing at KSC and performing a spacewalk in the new shuttle spacesuit, to the operational missions. The Department of Defense needed to fly a payload in June 1982, so a new crew of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/mattingly_thomas.pdf?emrc=da8d65\">Thomas K. \u201cTK\u201d Mattingly<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/hartsfield_henry.pdf?emrc=4632b3\">Henry W. \u201cHank\u201d Hartsfield<\/a> took over STS-4, the fourth and final OFT. Brand shifted to the right to command the four-person STS-5, the first operational shuttle mission, in November 1982.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_10_flight_directors_nov_1971_s71-56971.jpg\" alt=\"flight_directors_nov_1971\" width=\"243\" height=\"230\"> <img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/first_shuttle_crews_11_skylab_4_splashdown_mcc_feb_8_1974_s74-19160.jpg\" alt=\"skylab_4_splashdown_mcc_feb_8_1974\" width=\"357\" height=\"230\"><br><em>Left: Newly-named Deputy Flight Directors Charles R. \u201cChuck\u201d Lewis, left, Donald R. Puddy, and Neil B. Hutchinson in November 1971. Right: Flight Directors Hutchinson, left, Puddy, and Lewis celebrate the splashdown of Skylab 4 and the end of the Skylab program in February 1974.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On March 17, NASA designated three flight directors to oversee the first space shuttle flight from the Mission Control Center at JSC. Flight Directors <a href=\"https:\/\/historycollection.jsc.nasa.gov\/JSCHistoryPortal\/history\/oral_histories\/HutchinsonNB\/hutchinsonnb.htm\" rel=\"noopener\">Neil B. Hutchinson<\/a>, Donald R. Puddy, and Charles R. \u201cChuck\u201d Lewis, all served in that capacity during Apollo and Skylab missions. For the first shuttle mission, they integrated the input from all elements of NASA, its contractors, and the scientific community. Hutchinson had responsibility for planning and directing all activities associated with the shuttle\u2019s ascent phase, Lewis the on-orbit phase, and Puddy the entry phase of the mission.<\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 article_a hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-credits-and-details\">\n<section class=\"padding-x-0 padding-top-5 padding-bottom-2 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-2 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Share<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<ul class=\"social-icons social-icons-round\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-x\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/intent\/tweet?via=NASA&text=45%20Years%20Ago%3A%20NASA%20Names%20the%20First%20Four%20Space%20Shuttle%20Crews&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fhistory%2F45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on X.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg width=\"1200\" height=\"1227\" viewBox=\"0 0 1200 1227\" fill=\"none\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\"><path d=\"M714.163 519.284L1160.89 0H1055.03L667.137 450.887L357.328 0H0L468.492 681.821L0 1226.37H105.866L515.491 750.218L842.672 1226.37H1200L714.137 519.284H714.163ZM569.165 687.828L521.697 619.934L144.011 79.6944H306.615L611.412 515.685L658.88 583.579L1055.08 1150.3H892.476L569.165 687.854V687.828Z\" fill=\"white\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-facebook\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fhistory%2F45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on Facebook.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M9 8h-3v4h3v12h5v-12h3.642l.358-4h-4v-1.667c0-.955.192-1.333 1.115-1.333h2.885v-5h-3.808c-3.596 0-5.192 1.583-5.192 4.615v3.385z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-linkedin\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/shareArticle?mini=true&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasa.gov%2Fhistory%2F45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews%2F\" aria-label=\"Share on LinkedIn.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M4.98 3.5c0 1.381-1.11 2.5-2.48 2.5s-2.48-1.119-2.48-2.5c0-1.38 1.11-2.5 2.48-2.5s2.48 1.12 2.48 2.5zm.02 4.5h-5v16h5v-16zm7.982 0h-4.968v16h4.969v-8.399c0-4.67 6.029-5.052 6.029 0v8.399h4.988v-10.131c0-7.88-8.922-7.593-11.018-3.714v-2.155z\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li class=\"social-icon social-icon-rss\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"\/feed\/\" aria-label=\"Subscribe to RSS feed.\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" viewBox=\"0 0 800 800\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><path d=\"M493 652H392c0-134-111-244-244-244V307c189 0 345 156 345 345zm71 0c0-228-188-416-416-416V132c285 0 520 235 520 520z\"\/><circle cx=\"219\" cy=\"581\" r=\"71\"\/><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"heading-14\">Details<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row margin-bottom-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading\">Last Updated<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-8\">Sep 25, 2023<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-5 padding-right-4 margin-bottom-5 desktop:margin-bottom-0\"><div class=\"padding-top-3 border-top-1px border-color-carbon-black \"><div class=\"margin-bottom-2\"><h2 class=\"heading-14\">Related Terms<\/h2><\/div><ul class=\"article-tags\"><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/\">NASA History<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/humans-in-space\/astronauts\/former-astronauts\/charles-g-fullerton\/\">Charles G. Fullerton<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/former-astronaut-fred-haise\/\">Fred W. Haise Jr.<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/humans-in-space\/astronauts\/former-astronauts\/joe-h-engle\/\">Joe H. Engle<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/former-astronaut-john-w-young\/\">John W. Young<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/former-astronaut-richard-truly\/\">Richard H. Truly<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/people\/robert-l-crippen\/\">Robert L. Crippen<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/sts-1\/\">STS-1<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/sts-2\/\">STS-2<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/sts-3\/\">STS-3<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/mission\/sts-4\/\">STS-4<\/a><\/li><li class=\"article-tag\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/people\/vance-d-brand\/\">Vance D. Brand<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\t<\/div>\n\n<div id=\"\" class=\"nasa-gb-align-full width-full maxw-full padding-x-3 padding-y-0 hds-module hds-module-full wp-block-nasa-blocks-related-articles\">\t\t<section class=\"hds-related-articles padding-x-0 padding-y-3 desktop:padding-top-7 desktop:padding-bottom-9\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"w-100 grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0 text-align-left\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-4\"><h2 style=\"max-width: 100%;\" class=\"width-full w-full maxw-full\">Explore More<\/h2><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-row grid-container maxw-widescreen padding-0\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/flag-day-2024-one-small-flags-incredible-journey\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/flag-day-2024-11-us-flag-after-demo-2-mission-arrival-1.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/flag-day-2024-11-us-flag-after-demo-2-mission-arrival-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/flag-day-2024-11-us-flag-after-demo-2-mission-arrival-1.jpg?resize=300,225 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/flag-day-2024-11-us-flag-after-demo-2-mission-arrival-1.jpg?resize=768,576 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/flag-day-2024-11-us-flag-after-demo-2-mission-arrival-1.jpg?resize=400,300 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/flag-day-2024-11-us-flag-after-demo-2-mission-arrival-1.jpg?resize=600,450 600w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/flag-day-2024-11-us-flag-after-demo-2-mission-arrival-1.jpg?resize=900,675 900w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">7 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">Flag Day 2024 \u2013 One Small Flag\u2019s Incredible Journey<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t3 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/55-years-ago-manned-orbiting-laboratory-cancellation\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"212\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mol-cancellation-4-mol-group-1-astronauts.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mol-cancellation-4-mol-group-1-astronauts.jpg 424w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mol-cancellation-4-mol-group-1-astronauts.jpg?resize=300,212 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/mol-cancellation-4-mol-group-1-astronauts.jpg?resize=400,283 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">10 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">55 Years Ago: Manned Orbiting Laboratory Cancellation<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t5 days ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"grid-col-12 desktop:grid-col-4 margin-bottom-4 desktop:margin-bottom-0 desktop:padding-right-3\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/55-years-ago-star-trek-final-episode-airs-relationship-with-nasa-endures\/\" class=\"color-carbon-black\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"hds-cover-wrapper cover-hover-zoom bg-carbon-black minh-mobile\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<figure class=\"hds-media-background  \"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"217\" src=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/star-trek-final-episode-13-armstrong-at-doohan-farewell-anne-cusack-la-times-2004.jpg?w=300\" class=\"attachment-medium size-medium\" alt=\"\" style=\"transform: scale(1); transform-origin: 50% 50%; object-position: 50% 50%; object-fit: cover;\" block_context=\"nasa-block\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/star-trek-final-episode-13-armstrong-at-doohan-farewell-anne-cusack-la-times-2004.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/star-trek-final-episode-13-armstrong-at-doohan-farewell-anne-cusack-la-times-2004.jpg?resize=300,217 300w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/star-trek-final-episode-13-armstrong-at-doohan-farewell-anne-cusack-la-times-2004.jpg?resize=768,555 768w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/star-trek-final-episode-13-armstrong-at-doohan-farewell-anne-cusack-la-times-2004.jpg?resize=400,289 400w, https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/star-trek-final-episode-13-armstrong-at-doohan-farewell-anne-cusack-la-times-2004.jpg?resize=600,434 600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/figure>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"padding-right-0 desktop:padding-right-10\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"subheading margin-bottom-1\">15 min read<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"margin-bottom-1\"><h3 class=\"related-article-title\">55 Years Ago: Star Trek Final Episode Airs, Relationship with NASA Endures<\/h3><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"display-flex flex-align-center label related-article-label margin-bottom-1 color-carbon-60\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"display-flex flex-align-center margin-right-2\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<svg version=\"1.1\" class=\"square-2 margin-right-1\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" x=\"0px\" y=\"0px\" width=\"16px\" height=\"16px\" viewBox=\"0 0 16 16\" style=\"enable-background:new 0 0 16 16;\" xml:space=\"preserve\"><g><g><path d=\"M8,0C3.5,0-0.1,3.7,0,8.2C0.1,12.5,3.6,16,8,16c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8C16,3.5,12.4,0,8,0z M8,15.2 C4,15.2,0.8,12,0.8,8C0.8,4,4,0.8,8,0.8c3.9,0,7.2,3.2,7.2,7.1C15.2,11.9,12,15.2,8,15.2z\"\/><path d=\"M5.6,12c0.8-0.8,1.6-1.6,2.4-2.4c0.8,0.8,1.6,1.6,2.4,2.4c0-2.7,0-5.3,0-8C8.8,4,7.2,4,5.6,4 C5.6,6.7,5.6,9.3,5.6,12z\"\/><\/g><\/g><\/svg>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span>Article<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t2 weeks ago\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>On March 16, 1978, NASA formally announced the crews for the first four space shuttle missions. The four two-man crews consisted of John W. Young and Robert L. Crippen; Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly; Fred W. Haise and Jack R. Lousma; and Vance D. Brand and C. Gordon Fullerton.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":74,"featured_media":330596,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nasa_hds_core_meta_l10n":"en-US","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_editor":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_article_contacts":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_topic":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_linked_locations":[],"nasa_hds_core_meta_article_related_articles":[],"hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_id":"","hds_migrate_meta_pr_release_type":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_x":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_location_y":"","nasa_hds_core_meta_gallery_images":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[2671,3536,3560,3521,3752,3729,3505,3099,3030,2977,2999,3465],"news-tags":[],"internal-terms":[12664],"coauthors":[11996],"parsely":{"version":"1.1.0","meta":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","headline":"45 Years Ago: NASA Names the First Four Space Shuttle Crews","url":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews\/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews\/"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1270&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1270&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint"},"articleSection":"NASA History","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"John Uri"}],"creator":["John Uri"],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"NASA","logo":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-content\/themes\/nasa\/assets\/images\/nasa-logo.svg"},"keywords":["Humans in Space","Astronauts","Former Astronauts","Vance D. Brand","NASA History","Charles G. Fullerton","Fred W. Haise Jr.","Joe H. Engle","John W. Young","Richard H. Truly","Robert L. Crippen","STS-1","STS-2","STS-3","STS-4"],"dateCreated":"2023-03-16T16:00:00Z","datePublished":"2023-03-16T16:00:00Z","dateModified":"2023-09-25T17:09:39Z"},"rendered":"<meta name=\"parsely-title\" content=\"45 Years Ago: NASA Names the First Four Space Shuttle Crews\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-link\" content=\"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/history\/45-years-ago-nasa-names-the-first-four-space-shuttle-crews\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-type\" content=\"post\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-image-url\" content=\"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg?w=1920&h=1270&fit=clip&crop=faces%2Cfocalpoint\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-pub-date\" content=\"2023-03-16T16:00:00Z\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-section\" content=\"NASA History\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-tags\" content=\"Humans in Space,Astronauts,Former Astronauts,Vance D. Brand,NASA History,Charles G. Fullerton,Fred W. Haise Jr.,Joe H. Engle,John W. Young,Richard H. Truly,Robert L. Crippen,STS-1,STS-2,STS-3,STS-4\" \/>\n<meta name=\"parsely-author\" content=\"John Uri\" \/>","tracker_url":"https:\/\/cdn.parsely.com\/keys\/nasa.gov\/p.js"},"read_time":5,"time_ago":"1 year","featured_image":{"id":330596,"file":"https:\/\/images-assets.nasa.gov\/image\/S78-27531\/S78-27531~large.jpg","title":"Press Conference – First Shuttle Crews","alt":"C. Gordon Fullerton, left, Vance D. Brand, Jack R. Lousma, Fred W. Haise, Richard H. Truly, Joe H. Engle, Robert L. Crippen, and John W. Young appear behind a table at a NASA press conference.","caption":"S78-27531 (22 March 1978) --- These eight men have been named on four two-man crews who will fly the space shuttle orbiter vehicle during orbital flight tests (OFT) scheduled to begin in 1979. Pictured during their press conference, right to left, astronauts John W. Young, Robert L. Crippen, Joe H. Engle, Richard H. Truly, Fred W. Haise Jr., Jack R. Lousma, Vance D. Brand and C. Gordon Fullerton. Young and Crippen are commander and pilot, respectively, for the first OFT mission. Other crews are comprised of Engle, commander, and Truly, pilot; Haise, commander, and Lousma, pilot; Brand, commander, and Fullerton, pilot. Photo credit: NASA"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320475"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/74"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=320475"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":520262,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/320475\/revisions\/520262"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/330596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=320475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=320475"},{"taxonomy":"news-tags","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/news-tags?post=320475"},{"taxonomy":"internal-terms","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/internal-terms?post=320475"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nasa.gov\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=320475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}