Catherine Coleman

2025-07-21T15:21:42Z

84.70.237.181: I added greater detail into Colemans personal life involving her two children.

{{short description|American astronaut, chemist, engineer and USAF colonel (born 1960)}}
{{Use American English|date=September 2020}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name = Cady Coleman
|image = Catherine Coleman 2009.jpg
|caption = Coleman in 2009
|birth_name = Catherine Grace Coleman
|birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|12|14}}
|birth_place = [[Charleston, South Carolina]], U.S.
|death_date =
|death_place =
|education = [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[University of Massachusetts, Amherst]] ([[Master of Science|MS]], [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]])
|type = [[NASA astronaut]]
|rank = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]] (ret.)
|time = 180d 4h 0m
|selection = [[NASA Astronaut Group 14|NASA Group 14 (1992)]]
|mission = [[STS-73]]<br>[[STS-93]]<br>[[Soyuz TMA-20]] ([[Expedition 26]]/[[Expedition 27|27]])
|insignia = [[File:Sts-73-patch.png|40px]] [[File:Sts-93-patch.jpg|40px]] [[File:ISS Expedition 26 Patch.png|40px]] [[File:ISS Expedition 27 Patch.png|40px]]
}}
'''Catherine Grace''' "'''Cady'''" '''Coleman''' (born December 14, 1960) is an American [[chemist]], [[engineer]], former [[United States Air Force]] colonel, and retired [[NASA]] [[astronaut]].<ref name="NASA bio">{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/coleman.pdf |title=Biographical Data: Catherine "Cady" Coleman, Ph.D. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) NASA Astronaut |publisher=NASA |access-date=January 15, 2021 |date=December 2016}} }}</ref> She is a veteran of two [[Space Shuttle]] missions, and departed the [[International Space Station]] on May 23, 2011, as a crew member of [[Expedition 27]] after logging 159 days in space.

== Education ==
Coleman graduated from [[Wilbert Tucker Woodson High School]], [[Fairfax, Virginia]], in 1978.<ref name="NASA bio" /> In 1978–1979, she was an exchange student at [[Røyken Upper Secondary School]] in [[Norway]] with the [[AFS Intercultural Programs]]. She received a [[Bachelor of Science|B.S.]] [[Bachelor's degree|degree]] in [[chemistry]] from the [[Massachusetts Institute of Technology]] (MIT) in 1983 and was commissioned as graduate of the [[Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps]] (Air Force ROTC).,<ref name="preflight">{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|title=Preflight Interview: Catherine Coleman|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition26/coleman_interview.html|publisher=NASA|access-date=December 9, 2010|date=October 28, 2010|archive-date=November 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102121507/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition26/coleman_interview.html|url-status=dead}} }}</ref> then received a [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.]] [[Doctorate|degree]] in [[polymer science]] and [[engineering]] from the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] in 1991.<ref>[https://www.pse.umass.edu/faculty/researchgroup/mccarthy/people?_ga=2.240175171.178385875.1526338353-1494962831.1526338353 McCarthy Research Group] – website of the University of Massachusetts Amherst</ref><ref name="NASA bio" /> She was advised by [[Thomas J. McCarthy|Professor Thomas J. McCarthy]] on her doctorate.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/umass-amherst-alumna-cady-coleman-returning-space-part-shuttle-crew|title=UMass Amherst Alumna Cady Coleman Returning to Space as Part of Shuttle Crew|newspaper=Office of News & Media Relations {{!}} UMass Amherst|access-date=October 8, 2016|archive-date=October 11, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191011100744/https://www.umass.edu/newsoffice/article/umass-amherst-alumna-cady-coleman-returning-space-part-shuttle-crew|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.masslive.com/living/index.ssf/2009/11/umass_grad_catherine_cady_coleman_ready_for_blastoff.html|title=UMass grad Catherine "Cady" Coleman ready for blastoff |newspaper=masslive.com|access-date=October 8, 2016}}</ref> As an [[undergraduate degree|undergraduate]], she was a member of the [[intercollegiate]] [[Rowing (sport)|rowing crew]] and was a resident of [[Housing at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology|Baker House]].<ref name="mcgann-moon-landing">{{cite web |last1=McGann |first1=Matt |title=Celebrating the Moon Landing |url=https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/celebrating_the_moon_landing/ |website=MIT Admissions |publisher=[[Massachusetts Institute of Technology|MIT]] |access-date=April 27, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210427190011/https://mitadmissions.org/blogs/entry/celebrating_the_moon_landing/ |archive-date=April 27, 2021 |date=July 20, 2009 |quote=Some background on Cady Coleman: She graduated MIT with a bachelor's degree in Chemistry, lived in my dorm, Baker House, and rowed on the Varsity Crew Team. |url-status=live}}</ref>

== Military career ==
Coleman continued to pursue her [[Doctor of Philosophy|PhD]] at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]] as a [[second lieutenant]]. In 1988, she entered active duty at [[Wright-Patterson Air Force Base]] as a [[Chemist|research chemist]]. During her work, she participated as a surface analysis consultant on the [[NASA]] [[Long Duration Exposure Facility]] experiment. In 1991, she received her doctorate in [[polymer science]] and [[engineering]].<ref name="NASA bio" /> She retired from the Air Force in November 2009 as a [[Colonel (United States)|colonel]].<ref name="NASA bio" />

== NASA career ==
[[File:Catherine (Cady) Coleman, Expedition 26 flight engineer.jpg|thumb|left|Coleman in the [[International Space Station|ISS]] in 2011]]
[[File:Valentina Tereshkova and Catherine Coleman.jpg|thumb|Coleman and [[Valentina Tereshkova]] at the [[Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center]] in December 2010]]

Coleman was selected by [[NASA]] in 1992 to join the [[NASA Astronaut Corps]]. In 1995, she was a member of the [[STS-73]] crew on the scientific mission USML-2 with experiments including [[biotechnology]], [[combustion science]], and the [[physics]] of [[fluid]]s. [[STS-93]] was Coleman's second space flight in 1999. She was [[mission specialist]] in charge of deploying the [[Chandra X-ray Observatory]] and its [[Inertial Upper Stage]] out of the shuttle's cargo bay.<ref name="NASA bio" />

Coleman served as Chief of Robotics for the Astronaut Office, to include [[Mobile Servicing System|robotic arm]] operations and training for all Space Shuttle and [[International Space Station]] missions.<ref>{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition26/coleman_interview.html|title=NASA – Preflight Interview: Catherine Coleman|website=nasa.gov|access-date=December 9, 2010|archive-date=November 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121102121507/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition26/coleman_interview.html|url-status=dead}} }}</ref> In October 2004, Coleman served as an [[aquanaut]] during the [[NEEMO]] 7 mission aboard the [[Aquarius (laboratory)|Aquarius]] [[Underwater habitat|underwater laboratory]], living and working underwater for eleven days.<ref name="seven">{{citation-attribution|1={{cite web|url=http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/neemo7/|title=NEEMO 7|access-date=September 23, 2011|publisher=NASA|date=October 13, 2004|archive-date=September 25, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120925185617/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/shuttle/support/training/neemo/neemo7/|url-status=dead}} }}</ref><ref name="seven2">{{cite web|url=http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/neemo7/backgrounder_0809.asp|title=CSA – Neemo 7 Mission|access-date=September 23, 2011|date=August 9, 2004|publisher=Canadian Space Agency|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120309030159/http://www.asc-csa.gc.ca/eng/missions/neemo7/backgrounder_0809.asp |archive-date=March 9, 2012}}</ref>

Coleman was assigned as a backup U.S. crew member for Expeditions [[Expedition 19|19]], [[Expedition 20|20]] and [[Expedition 21|21]] and served as a backup crew member for Expeditions [[Expedition 24|24]] and [[Expedition 25|25]] as part of her training for [[Expedition 26]].

Coleman launched on December 15, 2010 (December 16, 2010 [[Baikonur Cosmodrome|Baikonur time]]), aboard [[Soyuz TMA-20]] to join the [[Expedition 26]] mission aboard the [[International Space Station]].<ref>{{citation-attribution|1=[http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2010/nov/HQ_M10-164A_Soyuz_Update.html NASA Television Will Air Next Soyuz Landing And Launch] – Media Advisory : M10-164A – November 18, 2010. }}</ref> She retired from NASA on December 1, 2016.

=== Spaceflight experience ===
[[File:ISS27 Catherine Coleman plays a flute.jpg|thumb|Coleman playing a flute inside the [[International Space Station]] in 2011]]

[[STS-73]] on Space Shuttle ''[[Space Shuttle Columbia|Columbia]]'' (October 20 to November 5, 1995) was the second United States Microgravity Laboratory (USML-2) mission. The mission focused on [[materials science]], [[biotechnology]], [[Combustion Science and Technology|combustion science]], the [[physics]] of [[fluids]], and numerous scientific experiments housed in the pressurized [[Spacelab]] module. In completing her first space flight, Coleman orbited the [[Earth]] 256 times, traveled over 6 million miles, and logged a total of 15 days, 21 hours, 52 minutes and 21 seconds in space.

[[STS-93]] on ''Columbia'' (July 22 to 27, 1999) was a five-day mission during which Coleman was the lead [[mission specialist]] for the deployment of the [[Chandra X-ray Observatory]]. Designed to conduct comprehensive studies of the [[universe]], the [[telescope]] will enable scientists to study exotic [[Phenomenon|phenomena]] such as exploding [[stars]], [[quasars]], and [[black hole]]s. Mission duration was 118 hours and 50 minutes.

[[Soyuz TMA-20]] / Expedition 26/[[Expedition 27|27]] (December 15, 2010, to May 23, 2011) was an extended duration mission to the [[International Space Station]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://spaceports.blogspot.com/2011/01/blog-post.html|title=Blogger|website=spaceports.blogspot.com}}</ref>

== Personal ==
Coleman is married to [[glass art]]ist [[Josh Simpson (glass artist)|Josh Simpson]] who lives in [[Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://joshsimpson.com/site/|title=Josh Simpson – Contemporary Glass}}</ref> They have two sons Jamey (born 2002) and Cady. She is part of the band Bandella, which also includes fellow NASA astronaut [[Stephen Robinson]], Canadian astronaut [[Chris Hadfield]], and Micki Pettit (wife of the astronaut [[Donald Pettit]]). Coleman is a [[flute]] player and has taken several flutes with her to the ISS, including a [[pennywhistle]] from [[Paddy Moloney]] of [[The Chieftains]], an old [[Irish flute]] from [[Matt Molloy]] of The Chieftains, and a flute from [[Ian Anderson]] of [[Jethro Tull (band)]]. On February 15, 2011, she played one of the instruments live from orbit on [[National Public Radio]].<ref name=NPR20110217>{{cite web|title=Flutes in Space: Astronaut Plays Aboard Space Station|work=NPR |date=February 15, 2011 |url=https://www.npr.org/2011/02/15/133780067/flutes-in-space-astronaut-plays-aboard-space-station|publisher=[[NPR]] |access-date=February 17, 2011}}</ref>

On April 12, 2011, she played a duet with Ian Anderson to honour [[Yuri Gagarin]]'s 50th anniversary of his flight. She first recorded her part, which later on Anderson joined while on tour in [[Perm, Russia|Perm]].<ref>{{cite web|title=NASA Astronaut Cady Coleman, Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson Perform First Space-Earth Flute Duet|website=[[NASA]] |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-astronaut-cady-coleman-jethro-tulls-ian-anderson-perform-first-space-earth-flute-duet/}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XeC4nqBB5BM| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211124/XeC4nqBB5BM| archive-date=2021-11-24 | url-status=live|title=Ian Anderson + Cady Coleman flute duet in space| website=[[YouTube]]| date=April 8, 2011}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

On May 13 of that year, Coleman delivered a taped commencement address to the class of 2011 at the [[University of Massachusetts Amherst]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.masslive.com/news/index.ssf/2011/05/nasa_astronaut_catherine_cady_coleman_2011_umass_commencement.html|title=NASA astronaut Catherine 'Cady' Coleman has message from space for 2011 UMass graduates: Work as a team to solve nation's problems|website=masslive.com|date=May 14, 2011 }}</ref>

As do many other astronauts, Coleman holds an [[amateur radio]] license (callsign: KC5ZTH).

As of 2015, she is also known to be working as a guest speaker at the [[Baylor College of Medicine]], for the children's program "Saturday Morning Science".

In 2018, she gave a graduation address to [[Carter Lynch]], the sole graduate of [[Cuttyhunk Elementary School]], on [[Cuttyhunk Island]], [[Massachusetts]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Taylor|first1=Derrick Bryson |title=Jenny Slate Will Give a Graduation Speech to a Class of One|url=https://nyti.ms/2K61dpd|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 5, 2019|access-date=June 5, 2019}}</ref>

In 2019 the Irish postal service [[An Post]] issued a set of commemorative stamps for the 50th anniversary of the [[Apollo program|Apollo Moon landings]], Catherine Coleman is featured alongside fellow astronauts [[Neil Armstrong]], [[Michael Collins (astronaut)|Michael Collins]], and [[Eileen Collins]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/Forum20/HTML/001421.html |title=Touch Down for Astronaut to unveil Space Exploration stamps | author=Robert Pearlman |date= July 23, 2019 |website=collectspace.com}}</ref>

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
{{Portal|Spaceflight|Biography}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20170626221430/http://www.makers.com/cady-coleman Cady Coleman] Video produced by ''[[Makers: Women Who Make America]]''
* {{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/coleman.pdf |title=Biographical Data: Catherine "Cady" Coleman, Ph.D. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) NASA Astronaut |publisher=NASA |access-date=January 15, 2021 |date=December 2016}}

{{NASA Astronaut Group 14}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Coleman, Catherine}}
[[Category:1960 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Aquanauts]]
[[Category:American women astronauts]]
[[Category:United States Air Force astronauts]]
[[Category:NASA civilian astronauts]]
[[Category:Crew members of the International Space Station]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Charleston, South Carolina]]
[[Category:People from Fairfax, Virginia]]
[[Category:People from Franklin County, Massachusetts]]
[[Category:Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni]]
[[Category:University of Massachusetts Amherst College of Engineering alumni]]
[[Category:Female officers of the United States Air Force]]
[[Category:21st-century American chemists]]
[[Category:American chemical engineers]]
[[Category:21st-century American women engineers]]
[[Category:21st-century American engineers]]
[[Category:Amateur radio people]]
[[Category:Amateur radio women]]
[[Category:Scientists from Virginia]]
[[Category:United States Air Force colonels]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Carter G. Woodson High School alumni]]
[[Category:MIT Engineers athletes]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Massachusetts]]

Wikipedia - User contributions [en]

Catherine Coleman