Second Space Flight For Mission Specialists Alvin Drew And Nicole Stott

Space shuttle Discovery's final launch will be a landmark event for Embry-Riddle – the first time that two of its alumni will serve together in space. U.S. Air Force Col. B. Alvin Drew Jr. and Nicole P. Stott are assigned as mission specialists on the STS-133 flight to the International Space Station (ISS), the second space flight for both of them.

Discovery's launch is currently scheduled for 1640 EDT on November 1, 2010, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

On this next-to-last mission of the space shuttle program, the six-member Discovery crew will deliver to the ISS a prototype human-like robot for long-term testing, a pressurized logistics module, critical spare components, and other equipment and supplies. During the 11-day mission, Drew and a crewmate will perform two spacewalks to update and repair the ISS while Stott coordinates their activities from inside. In addition, Drew and Stott will operate Discovery's robotic arm to perform tasks on the exterior of the space station.

"This unique moment in Embry-Riddle history is a matter of immense pride to everyone associated with our university," said Dr. John P. Johnson, Embry-Riddle president. "Nicole and Alvin are a shining example of the quality of our alumni and of how far, literally, an Embry-Riddle education can take you. I can't think of better role models for students seeking careers in aerospace engineering and sciences."

Alvin Drew NASA Image

Besides Drew and Stott, three other current astronauts – Daniel Burbank, Ronald Garan Jr., and Terry Virts Jr. – and one former astronaut – Susan Kilrain – are Embry-Riddle alumni. In 2011 Garan is scheduled as a member of Expeditions 27 and 28 on the ISS and Burbank is scheduled for Expeditions 29 and 30; they will be transported by Russian Soyuz spacecraft.

STS-133 will be the second trip to the ISS for Drew and Stott. Drew was an STS-118 mission specialist in August 2007. Stott was an STS-128 mission specialist in August 2009. She participated in a six-hour spacewalk while living and working on the ISS as a flight engineer for three months. The astronauts, both 47, have known each other since NASA selected them for the Astronaut Class of 2000.

"We've been close friends for nearly 10 years now," said Drew in a recent interview. "As you might imagine, I'm very excited to be flying with her for that fact alone. What I've figured out in our preparations for our trip to the International Space Station is that as a former resident of ISS she has a wealth of knowledge and useful insights about how to work on and around the outpost."

STS-133 will be the 39th and final flight of Discovery, which first launched in August 1984 and has flown more missions than any other space shuttle in the fleet. In its 26-year history, Discovery carried the Hubble Space Telescope into space as well as astronaut John Glenn, the oldest person ever to leave planet Earth. Discovery was also the return-to-flight vehicle after the Challenger and Columbia tragedies.

Despite the pending retirement of the space shuttle fleet and the uncertain future of the U.S. space program, Stott and Drew are optimistic.

Nicole Stott NASA Image

"I do hold hope that we as a nation are not willing to give up the leading role we have in human spaceflight and will continue to build and launch the vehicles and the astronauts to destinations both in and outside of low Earth orbit," Stott said. "The potential for exploring outside our own relatively close orbit is certainly exciting to me." 

Drew added, "I'm excited for our next generation of astronauts and rocket scientists because of the great untapped opportunities that exist for them. We have yet to re-examine some of the very ambitious concepts from the 1950s and 1960s that could not get around the limits of the technology of that time. I really expect this next generation to head back to the future – Mars ships, flying cars, jet packs, and so on."

What the future of space exploration definitely includes are increasingly sophisticated robotic systems. Robonaut 2, the prototype humanoid robot Discovery is delivering to the ISS, differs from its predecessors in its ability to use the same manual tools as astronauts. Consisting of a head, torso, arms, and hands, Robonaut 2 was developed jointly by NASA and General Motors to serve as an assistant or stand-in for astronauts during spacewalks or tasks too difficult or dangerous for humans. Initially, the prototype will be tested only inside the space station and will remain there as a permanent resident.

Regarding the use of robotics to augment and extend human capability, Drew commented, "Humans and programmed machines have complementary capabilities and limitations. Robonaut 2 has the potential to advance the state of the art for fine dexterous robotic operations on orbit."

Drew, whose hometown is Washington, D.C., earned a Master of Aerospace Science in 1995 at the Las Vegas, Nev., campus of Embry-Riddle Worldwide. In 2008 Drew visited the Daytona Beach Campus as the featured speaker at the Black History Month Banquet co-sponsored by the Embry-Riddle student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers and also spoke at local elementary and middle schools.

Stott, whose hometown is Clearwater, FL, earned a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus in 1987 and is an instrument-rated private pilot. She is a frequent speaker at Embry-Riddle's Daytona Beach Campus and a member of the College of Engineering's Industry Advisory Board. In 2009 she received the Alumni Eagle of Excellence Award. As the guest speaker at the May 2010 commencement ceremony at the Daytona Beach Campus, she received the university's Distinguished Speaker Award. 

"Nicole is one of my favorite former students, and we've stayed in close contact over the years," said Aerospace Engineering professor emeritus Chuck Eastlake. "Current Embry-Riddle students respond enthusiastically to her passion for her career, and they greatly appreciate her guidance."

FMI: www.nasa.gov, www.erau.edu