June 4, 1998

Jennifer McCarter
Headquarters, Washington DC
(Phone: 202/358-1639)

Eileen M. Hawley
Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX
(Phone: 281/483-5111)

Release: H98-97

NASA Names Astronaut Class of 1998

Twenty-five women and men will make up the astronaut candidate class of 1998, scheduled to arrive at the Johnson Space Center, Houston, TX, in mid-August to begin one year of training and evaluation.

This year’s class consists of eight pilot and 17 mission specialist candidates, including Barbara Morgan, who was named as an Educator Mission Specialist in January. Of the 25 class members, 21 are male and four are female.

The new class members are: Clayton C. Anderson; Lee J. Archambault (Maj., USAF); Tracy E. Caldwell, Ph.D.; Gregory E. Chamitoff, Ph.D.; Timothy J. Creamer (Maj., USA); Christopher J. Ferguson (Lt. Cmdr., USN); Michael J. Foreman (Cmdr., USN); Michael E. Fossum; Kenneth T. Ham (Lt. Cmdr., USN); Patricia C. Hilliard, M.D.; Gregory C. Johnson; Gregory H. Johnson (Maj., USAF); Stanley G. Love, Ph.D.; Leland D. Melvin; Barbara R. Morgan; William A. Oefelein (Lt., USN); John D. Olivas, Ph.D., Nicholas J. M. Patrick, Ph.D.; Alan G. Poindexter (Lt. Cmdr., USN); Garrett E. Reisman, Ph.D.; Steven R. Swanson; Douglas H. Wheelock (Maj., USA); Sunita L. Williams (Lt. Cmdr., USN); Neil W. Woodward III (Lt., USN); and George D. Zamka (Maj., USMC).

Following a period of training and evaluation, the astronauts will receive technical assignments within the Astronaut Office before receiving a space flight assignment.

A complete list of the candidates and their biographical data can be found on the Internet at the following URL: ftp://ftp.hq.nasa.gov/pub/pao/pressrel/1998/98-097a.txt

text-only version of this release