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NASA bumps astronaut off space station flight in rare move
phys.org ^ | 001/19/2018 | by Marcia Dunn

Posted on 01/19/2018 12:16:36 PM PST by Red Badger

In this Sept. 16, 2014 photo provided by NASA, astronaut Jeanette Epps participates in a spacewalk training session at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. In June 2018, Epps was supposed to be the first African-American to live on the International Space Station, but on Thursday, Jan. 18, 2018, NASA announced it was pulling her off the mission for undisclosed reasons. (Robert Markowitz/NASA via AP)

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NASA has bumped an astronaut off an upcoming spaceflight, a rare move for the space agency so close to launch.

Astronaut Jeanette Epps was supposed to rocket away in early June, and would have been the first African-American to live on the International Space Station. Late Thursday, NASA announced it was pulling Epps off the mission but didn't disclose why. Astronauts have been removed from missions in the past, mostly for health reasons.

Epps, an engineer, will be considered for future space missions, according to NASA.

She's been replaced by her backup, Serena Aunon-Chancellor, a doctor. Both were chosen as astronauts in 2009.

Epps is returning to Houston from Russia, where she'd been training to fly to the space station with a German and Russian. NASA spokeswoman Brandi Dean said Friday it was a decision by NASA, not the Russian Space Agency.

African-American astronauts have visited the space station, but Epps would have been the first to live there. Space station crews typically stay for five to six months. NASA assigned her to the flight a year ago.



TOPICS: Astronomy; History; Outdoors; Science
KEYWORDS: aunonchancellor; brandidean; germany; iss; jeanetteepps; nasa; russia
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1 posted on 01/19/2018 12:16:36 PM PST by Red Badger
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To: Red Badger

No Justice - No Peace!


2 posted on 01/19/2018 12:18:24 PM PST by TomServo
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Comment #3 Removed by Moderator

To: Red Badger

That’s Racist!


4 posted on 01/19/2018 12:24:42 PM PST by woodbutcher1963
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To: Red Badger
Well, no doubt evil racis' President Donald J Trump ordered it. Don't want none of "them" up there. Must have gotten a call from his pal David duke. 😱🚀💸😴
5 posted on 01/19/2018 12:25:38 PM PST by rktman (Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?!)
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To: WellyP
Okay, that paints a picture. 😹🍿🍻
6 posted on 01/19/2018 12:26:18 PM PST by rktman (Enlisted in the Navy in '67 to protect folks rights to strip my rights. WTH?!)
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To: Red Badger

I’m guessing that her helmet got too small to contain her entitlement.


7 posted on 01/19/2018 12:26:40 PM PST by Sirius Lee (In God We Trust, In Trump We MAGA)
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To: Red Badger

Let’s replace her entitled fanny with Rep Adam Schiff...and then bump his corrupt fanny mid-flight.


8 posted on 01/19/2018 12:29:37 PM PST by RoosterRedux
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To: Red Badger

On no they di-in!


9 posted on 01/19/2018 12:30:15 PM PST by ichabod1 (People don't want to believe it be what it is but it do.)
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To: woodbutcher1963

But it was funny! :)


10 posted on 01/19/2018 12:31:25 PM PST by WellyP (question!)
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Use hook and loop,Velcro is trademarked,sell on Ebay,they are serious;)


11 posted on 01/19/2018 12:32:17 PM PST by mdittmar
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To: TomServo

Can you kneel in space?


12 posted on 01/19/2018 12:33:53 PM PST by beergarden
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To: Red Badger

No Brainer...

This woman, Dr. Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor is a superstar that replaced her:

Dr. Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor began working with NASA as a Flight Surgeon in 2006. In 2009, she was selected as a NASA astronaut. During her NASA career, Dr. Auñón-Chancellor spent more than nine months in Russia supporting medical operations for International Space Station crew members in Star City. She also served as Deputy Crew Surgeon for STS-127. Board certified in both Internal and Aerospace Medicine, Dr. Auñón-Chancellor currently handles medical issues for both the Commercial Crew and International Space Station Operations branch.

Personal Data:
Dr. Auñón-Chancellor came to Johnson Space Center in August 2006, employed as a Flight Surgeon under the UTMB/Wyle Bioastronautics contract. She spent more than nine months in Russia supporting medical operations for International Space Station crew members in Star City, including water survival training in the Ukraine. Dr. Auñón-Chancellor served as the Deputy Crew Surgeon for STS-127. She also held the role of Deputy Lead for Orion - Medical Operations.

Education:
Graduated from Poudre High School, Fort Collins, Colorado in 1993. Received a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering from The George Washington University, Washington, D.C., in 1997 and a Doctorate of Medicine from The University of Texas - Health Science Center at Houston in 2001. Completed a three-year residency in internal medicine at The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas, in 2004, and then completed an additional year as Chief Resident in the Internal Medicine Department in 2005. She also completed an aerospace medicine residency at UTMB as well as a Master of Public Health in 2007. She is board certified in Internal and Aerospace Medicine.

Experience:
Dr. Auñón-Chancellor came to Johnson Space Center in August 2006, employed as a Flight Surgeon under the UTMB/Wyle Bioastronautics contract. She spent more than nine months in Russia supporting medical operations for International Space Station crew members in Star City, including water survival training in the Ukraine. Dr. Auñón-Chancellor served as the Deputy Crew Surgeon for STS-127. She also held the role of Deputy Lead for Orion - Medical Operations.

NASA Experience:
Dr. Auñón-Chancellor was selected in July 2009 as one of 14 members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. She graduated in November 2011 from Astronaut Candidate Training, which included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in space station systems, spacewalks, robotics, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. She spent 2 months in Antarctica from 2010 to 2011 searching for meteorites as part of the ANSMET expedition. Most of that time was spent living on the ice 200 nautical miles from the South Pole. In June 2012, Dr. Auñón-Chancellor operated the Deep Worker submersible as part of the NEEMO 16 mission. She subsequently served as an Aquanaut aboard the Aquarius underwater laboratory during the NEEMO 20 undersea exploration mission. Currently, Dr. Auñón-Chancellor spends most of her time handling medical issues for both the International Space Station Operations branch and Commercial Crew Branch. She is also certified as an International Space Station CAPCOM and served as the lead Capcom for the SpaceX-4 and SpaceX-8 cargo resupply missions.

Awards/Honors:
United States Air Force Flight Surgeons Julian Ward Award (2009), Outstanding UTMB Resident Award (2007), William K. Douglas Award (2006), Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society (2005), Thomas N. and Gleaves James Award for Excellent Performance by a Third-Year Resident in Internal Medicine (2004).


13 posted on 01/19/2018 12:35:58 PM PST by tired&retired (Blessings)
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To: Red Badger

Likely a diversity pick with few qualifications.


14 posted on 01/19/2018 12:37:36 PM PST by Uncle Sam 911
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To: tired&retired

None of that matters in a world of intersectionality politics.


15 posted on 01/19/2018 12:37:45 PM PST by ichabod1 (People don't want to believe it be what it is but it do.)
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To: Red Badger

Caught her stockpiling adult diapers for a long car trip, perhaps?


16 posted on 01/19/2018 12:38:23 PM PST by noiseman (The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.)
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To: Red Badger

Pregnant?

Very possible.


17 posted on 01/19/2018 12:38:24 PM PST by Hulka
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To: Red Badger

After Challenger, NASA decided to not have civilians on board anymore. I don’t know how long that lasted.


18 posted on 01/19/2018 12:39:53 PM PST by Slyfox (Not my circus, not my monkeys)
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To: Red Badger

She will play the race card.


19 posted on 01/19/2018 12:41:40 PM PST by tennmountainman ("Prophet Mountainman" Predicter Of All Things RINO...for a small fee.)
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To: Hulka

I doubt that a woman who has trained and looked forward to space travel as much as these folks do, would choose to get pregnant at just the wrong time.

So either an accidental pregnancy - or more likely, some sort of behavioral problem, with an incident that made it impossible to ignore, and impossible to allow into a sealed space station for five months.


20 posted on 01/19/2018 12:42:31 PM PST by Dagnabitt (Bill of Love? No thanks. Let's love America instead.)
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