shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) (04/05/91)
In article <1991Apr5.080709.6477@zoo.toronto.edu> henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: March issue of Spaceflight mentions that astronaut William F. Fisher has left NASA to return to medical practice. No big surprise, on thinking about it: he was co-chair of the group that reported the bad news about EVA requirements for Fred, which probably killed his chances of future flight assignments. I always thought he just joined up to keep up with his wife, Anna. She was originally picked as a Mission Specialist and he moved to Houston with her and worked as an emergency room physician (there's probably a more dramatic phrase, like trauma specialist). He was picked up as a mission specialist on the next round, some time later. I also wondered if the other astronauts liked having a pair of MDs on _their_ side, not management's. Military flight surgeons struggle with this conflict of interest, for example, and usually end up more on the pilot's side. I believe that corporate flight surgeons tend to stay in the management camp better. (Maybe it's who's got the best back/right seats?) -- Mary Shafer shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov ames!skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov!shafer NASA Ames Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, CA Of course I don't speak for NASA "A MiG at your six is better than no MiG at all"--Unknown US fighter pilot
sklein@troa09.enet.dec.com (Susan Klein) (04/06/91)
In article <SHAFER.91Apr5074637@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov>, shafer@skipper.dfrf.nasa.gov (Mary Shafer) writes... >In article <1991Apr5.080709.6477@zoo.toronto.edu> >henry@zoo.toronto.edu (Henry Spencer) writes: > > March issue of Spaceflight mentions that astronaut William F. Fisher has > left NASA to return to medical practice. No big surprise, on thinking > about it: he was co-chair of the group that reported the bad news about > EVA requirements for Fred, which probably killed his chances of future > flight assignments. > Anna Fisher was chosen in August 1978 Group 8 astronaut group. Bill Fisher was chosen in May 1980 Group 9. Interesting that both have made only 1 flight so far and the Anna, still an active astronaut, has not made a flight since STS 51A in November 1984. Bill's flight was STS 51I August 1985. Susan Klein sklein@troa09.dec.com --or-- ...!decwrl!troa09.dec.com!sklein --or-- sklein%troa09.dec@decwrl.dec.com