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From: dbm@icarus.jsc.nasa.gov (Brad Mears)
Newsgroups: sci.space.shuttle
Subject: Re: NASA Select coverage questions
Message-ID: <1991Apr29.221257.16032@aio.jsc.nasa.gov>
Date: 29 Apr 91 22:12:57 GMT
References: <1991Apr29.194149.6749@cci632.cci.com>
Sender: dbm@gothamcity.jsc.nasa.gov (Brad Mears)
Organization: Barrios Technology @ NASA/JSC; Houston
Lines: 30

In article <1991Apr29.194149.6749@cci632.cci.com>, lmm@cci632.cci.com (Lance Michel) writes:
|> 
|> 
|> 1.    I recently heard that many CAPCOMs get mission assignments.  How about
|> the current CAPCOMs?  I think one is named Kathy?
 
Historically, CAPCOMs have always been members of the astronaut corps.  Being
a CAPCOM is simply another assignment you get when you aren't training for 
your own mission.  You may be thinking of Kathy Thornton.  I read that
Kathy got assigned to her first mission.  I'm not sure if it has flown yet.

|> 2.     Speaking of Kathy, I seem to remember that she was 'in a motherly way'
|> last fall.  What did she have?  Does she know she has CAPCOM fans...

Kathy gave birth to Laura "Thunder" Thornton sometime in 88-89.  Could this be
the time-frame you're thinking of?  I haven't worked with/around/near her since
'89, so she might have been expecting again.  Laura got her nickname due to the
vast amount of pre-delivery time she spent in the simulators.  There was a
running joke that she (Laura) had more simulator time than most of the "grown-up"
astronauts.

-- 
Brad Mears
dbm@icarus.jsc.nasa.gov

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