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Pamela Melroy
Age: 47
Astronaut since: 1995
Space time: Three shuttle missions, in 2000, 2002, and 2007
After Pam Melroy flew the shuttle into a tricky backflip within 600 feet of the space station to photograph the belly of the craft for damage, she then performed the pinpoint-precision feat of docking it with the station. The retired Air Force test pilot (and combat veteran) and her crew came on board to shouts and hugs from Whitson and her crew. It was a historic moment: the first time two women were in charge of two spacecraft at the same time.
Melroy's mettle as commander was tested when, during deployment of a solar wing at the station, a guide wire snapped, tearing the wing and keeping it from providing full power. The world watched as fellow astronaut Scott Parazynski, MD, rode a boom for an hour and a half to reach the damaged area. He then performed a kind of delicate surgery for seven hours to cut the snagged wire and fix the torn parts. It worked.
On managing a crisis: "The night before the space walk to repair the solar wing, we were all gathered to go over the final list of issues. The whole crew was giving their input, and everyone was firing on all cylinders. I realized I didn't need to say anything. I kind of floated away and observed them. They were doing what they were supposed to do, pulling together, without needing to be guided in any way. That was the best moment for me."
On gender: "Twenty-five years ago, it would have been almost impossible to imagine that two women would be commanding two spacecraft at the same time. But Peggy and I just try to relax and have fun with it. The most important part for us is that we're good friends and we really enjoyed working together."
What she misses most: "The physical sensation of zero-g. It's magic. I do occasionally dream about it. It happens a lot within the first week or two of landing, and it can be profoundly disorienting, especially when you wake up and you're not sure where you are, in gravity or not. It is fun to go back and visit, though."
The value of the space station: "The immediate payoff is in industrial and medical applications from the sheer act of sending humans into this extremely hostile environment. The medium outcomes are working with other countries on long-term, complicated technological projects. We'll need that to go to Mars and the moon. Then the long-term payoff is the science of understanding how the human body operates in space and other developments that we may not understand or value till later."
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