45 Years Ago: NASA Announces Ninth Astronaut Group
- NASA announced its ninth class of astronaut candidates on May 29, 1980.
- The group included nearly all astronauts who would go on to make history in spaceflight and at NASA.
- Notable astronauts from Group 9 include Charles Bolden, Franklin Chang-Diaz, and Jerry Ross, who achieved notable milestones such as becoming the first African American administrator and the first Hispanic American to fly in space.
- Jerry Ross holds the record for being launched into space seven times, a feat that has yet to be matched by another astronaut.
- Group 9’s achievements paved the way for future generations of astronauts and helped shape NASA’s diverse and inclusive workforce.
Nearly all of NASA’s ninth class of astronaut candidates, along with two European trainees, poses for photos in the briefing room in the public affairs facility at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston on July 7, 1980.
Group 9 was announced on May 29, 1980; the candidates would go on to make history in spaceflight and at NASA. For example, Charles Bolden (kneeling at far right) traveled to orbit four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, then became the agency’s first African American administrator in 2009. Franklin Chang-Diaz (fifth from the right, standing) was the first Hispanic American to fly in space and Jerry Ross (middle, standing in the back) was the first person to be launched into space seven times.
Image credit: NASA