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Catherine Grace COLEMAN

NASA Astronaut,
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, USA

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH:
Born on December 14, 1960, in Charleston, South Carolina, USA.

EDUCATION:
In 1983 graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and received a Bachelor of Science Degree in chemistry, and a Doctorate in polymer science and engineering from the University of Massachusetts in 1991.

FAMILY STATUS: Married.
Husband: Josh Simpson.

HOBBY: Scuba diving, music, gliding.

WORK EXPERIENCE:
Upon graduation from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Coleman was commissioned as a 2nd lieutenant in the Air Force and engaged in research focused on polymer synthesis at the University of Massachusetts.
In 1988 Coleman entered active duty and was assigned to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base as a research chemist. In addition to assigned duties, Coleman was a volunteer test subject for the centrifuge program implementation in the Armstrong Aeromedical Laboratory. She set several endurance and tolerance records during her participation in physiological and new equipment studies.
Coleman retired from the Air Force in November 2009 as Colonel US AF.
In March 1992 she was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate (the 14-th selection).
In 1993 Coleman passed a course of general space training and was qualified as a mission specialist.
She performed her first space flight from October 20 to November 5, 1995 as a mission specialist of the Columbia Orbiter under STS-73 program. This mission was the second United States Microgravity Laboratory mission. The mission focused on materials science, biotechnology, combustion science, the physics of fluids, and numerous scientific experiments housed in the pressurized Spacelab module. She logged a total of 15 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes and 28 seconds.
Coleman passed training as a backup of the Columbia Orbiter mission specialist under STS-83 program.
On March 5, 1998 she was assigned to STS-93 crew.
She performed her second space flight on July 23-27, 1999 as the Columbia Orbiter mission specialist under STS-93 program. The mission purpose was the deployment of the Chandra X-Ray Observatory in space. The mission duration was 4 days, 22 hours, 49 minutes ad 37 seconds.
In February 2008 NASA officially stated of her assignment to the backup crew of Expedition 19 to the ISS.
From June 28 to July 4, 2008 in Sevastopol (the Ukraine) she took part in training in case of the descent module water landing within the preliminary crew. In July 2008 it was reported that she was assigned to the backup crew of Expedition 24 to the ISS.
Concurrently with this fact it was reported that she was assigned to the prime crew of Expedition 26 to the ISS.
On September 21, 2008 her assignment was confirmed in the ISS flight plan published by Roscosmos press service.
On November 21, 2008 her assignment was officially confirmed by NASA (press release ?08-306) when stating the ISS-20 - ISS-26 crewmembers.
On October 7, 2009 her assignment was confirmed by NASA once more (press release ?09-233).

May 2010.
Based on data of Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA, USA
and site www.astronaut.ru.