Graduates are America's current and future astronauts, engineers andmission support specialists. Space has always been a part of the Academy curriculum. Since 1965, it hasoffered a major in astronautics, which is America's only accreditedundergraduate astro program. The physics department also offers a major in spacephysics which deals with environmental problems in space. In addition, theAcademy offers cadets an interdisciplinary space sciences major.
Graduates also participate in space research.
Cadets developed the first completely successful student experiments on a space shuttle mission. The experi-ments were carried on the Challenger's maiden flight in 1983. Academy graduates are involved in the astronaut program, including Col. Karol Bobko, a1959 graduate who piloted the Challenger in 1983 and commanded another two shuttle flights in 1985. Col. Richard Covey, a 1968 product, piloted the spaceshuttle Discovery in 1988, the first mission following the Challenger accident,and Col. John Blaha, a 1965 graduate, commanded the 1991 Atlantis shuttlemission and piloted two previous shuttle flights. Helms has flown missions aboard the Space Shuttles Endeavor,Discovery, and Columbia.