Jan Davis (original) (raw)

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American engineer and astronaut (born 1953)

Jan Davis
Davis in 1987
Born Nancy Jan Smotherman (1953-11-01) November 1, 1953 (age 71)Cocoa Beach, Florida, U.S.
Education Georgia Institute of Technology (BS)Auburn University (BS)University of Alabama, Huntsville (MS, PhD)
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space 28d 2h 7m
Selection NASA Group 12 (1987)
Missions STS-47STS-60STS-85
Mission insignia

Nancy Jan Davis (née Smotherman; born November 1, 1953) is a former American astronaut. A veteran of three space flights, Davis logged over 673 hours in space. She is now retired from NASA.[1][2]

Nancy Jan Davis was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, but considers Huntsville, Alabama, to be her hometown.

She graduated from Huntsville High School in 1971,[3] received a Bachelor of Science degree in applied biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1975 and another in mechanical engineering from Auburn University in 1977.[3] She received a Master of Science degree in 1983 and a doctorate in 1985, both in mechanical engineering at the University of Alabama in Huntsville.[4]

After graduating from Auburn University in 1977, Davis joined Texaco in Bellaire, Texas, working as a petroleum engineer in tertiary oil recovery. She left there in 1979 to work for NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center as an aerospace engineer. In 1986, she was named as team leader in the Structural Analysis Division, and her team was responsible for the structural analysis and verification of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the HST maintenance mission, and the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility. In 1987, she was also assigned to be the lead engineer for the redesign of the solid rocket booster external tank attach ring. Davis did her graduate research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, studying the long-term strength of pressure vessels due to the viscoelastic characteristics of filament-wound composites. She holds one patent, has authored several technical papers, and is a Registered Professional Engineer.[2]

Davis became an astronaut in June 1987.[2] Her first assignment was in the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch, where she provided technical support for Space Shuttle payloads.[5] Following this, Davis was a CAPCOM in Mission Control, responsible for communicating with Shuttle crews for seven missions. After her first space flight, Davis served as the Astronaut Office representative for the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), with responsibility for RMS operations, training, and payloads. After her second space flight, she served as the Chairperson of the NASA Education Working Group and as Chief for the Payloads Branch, which provided Astronaut Office support for all Shuttle and International Space Station payloads. A veteran of three space flights, Davis has logged over 673 hours in space. She flew as a mission specialist on STS-47 in 1992 and STS-60 in 1994, and was the payload commander on STS-85 in 1997.[6]

STS-47, Spacelab-J, was the 50th Space Shuttle mission. Launched on September 12, 1992,[7] this cooperative venture between the United States and Japan conducted 43 experiments in life sciences and materials processing. During the eight-day mission, she was responsible for operating Spacelab and its subsystems and performing a variety of experiments. Davis's then-husband Mark C. Lee was payload commander on STS-47. After completing 126 orbits of the Earth, STS-47 Endeavour landed at Kennedy Space Center on September 20, 1992.[8]

STS-60 was the second flight of Spacehab (Space Habitation Module) and the first flight of the Wake Shield Facility (WSF). Launched on February 3, 1994, this flight was the first Space Shuttle flight on which a Russian cosmonaut was a crew member. During the eight-day mission, her prime responsibility was to maneuver the WSF on the RMS, to conduct thin film crystal growth and she was also responsible for performing scientific experiments in the Spacehab. The STS-60 Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center on February 11, 1994, after completing 130 orbits of the Earth.[9]

Davis operating the RMS during on STS-85

Davis was the payload commander for STS-85, which was launched on Discovery on August 7, 1997. During this 12-day mission, Davis deployed and retrieved the CRISTA-SPAS payload, and operated the Japanese Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD) robotic arm. The mission also included several other scientific payloads for the conduct of research on astronomy, Earth sciences, life sciences, and materials science. The mission was accomplished in 189 Earth orbits, traveling 4.7 million miles. The STS-85 Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center on August 19, 1997.[10]

Jan Davis in 2024.

After her flight on STS-85, Davis was assigned to NASA Headquarters as the Director of the Human Exploration and Development of Space (HEDS), Independent Assurance Office for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. In that position, Davis managed and directed independent assessments for the programs and projects assigned to the HEDS enterprise. In July 1999, she transferred to the Marshall Space Flight Center as Director of the Flight Projects Directorate, which was responsible for the International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Center, ISS hardware and the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Program. After the Columbia accident, she was named head of Safety and Mission Assurance at Marshall, where she assured the safe return to flight of the Space Shuttle.[2] Davis retired from NASA in 2005 and worked for Jacobs Engineering Group as a Vice President and Deputy General Manager.[2] She currently works for Bastion Technologies, Inc. as the Safety and Mission Assurance Support Contract Program Manager at the Marshall Space Flight Center.[11]

Davis married fellow astronaut Mark C. Lee, in January 1991.[12] They were the first (and so far, only) married couple to fly together in space. They divorced in 1999.[13]

She is currently married to former Judge Schuyler Richardson.[14]

She has been awarded the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 1998,[5] the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1995 and 2002,[2] and the NASA Space Flight Medal in 1992, 1994, and 1997, the NASA Fellowship for Full-Time Study in 1983, the ASME National Old Guard Prize in 1978, the ASME Ralph Coates Roe Medal in 2001. She has been inducted to the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame, the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame,[3] and the Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive.[15]

  1. ^ "Remembering Huntsville Astronaut Jan Davis' First Space Shuttle Flight". WHNT News. July 16, 2013. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (January 2006). "N. Jan Davis" (PDF). Biographical Data. Houston, Texas: NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "N. Jan Davis". State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on September 10, 2015. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  4. ^ Lachance, Diane (November 14, 2013). "College of Engineering alumna Dr. Jan Davis on UAH, space, and tomorrow's astronauts". University of Alabama Huntsville. Archived from the original on April 20, 2016. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  5. ^ a b Lee Ellis (2004). Who's who of NASA Astronauts. Americana Group Publishing. pp. 53–. ISBN 978-0-9667961-4-8.
  6. ^ Becker, Joachim. "Astronaut Biography: Nancy Davis". www.spacefacts.de. Archived from the original on August 22, 2010. Retrieved January 30, 2006.
  7. ^ "Space Shuttle Mission Archives". NASA. Archived from the original on June 28, 2022. Retrieved April 19, 2016.
  8. ^ Ryba, Jeanne (April 2, 2010). "STS-47". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  9. ^ Ryba, Jeanne (March 31, 2010). "STS-60". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  10. ^ Ryba, Jeanne (November 23, 2007). "STS-85". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved May 7, 2021.
  11. ^ Anderson-Maples, Joyce (November 28, 2018). "Astronaut, alumna Jan Davis ('83, '85) to deliver UAH fall commencement address". University of Alabama at Huntsville. Archived from the original on January 16, 2023. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
  12. ^ Anderson, Susan Heller (March 7, 1991). "Chronicle". The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 20, 2017. Retrieved March 19, 2017.
  13. ^ "Meet The Only Married Couple To Fly Together In Space". Time. Archived from the original on June 22, 2022. Retrieved June 22, 2022.
  14. ^ Madison County, AL, Probate Record # 20061214300023740
  15. ^ "Lifetime Achievement Award". Auburn University. Archived from the original on February 10, 2018. Retrieved April 19, 2016.

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