Shannon Walker is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut, whose first space mission was Expedition 24 on the International Space Station with take-off on 15 June 2010.She is married to a fellow NASA astronaut, the Australian-born Andy Thomas. She is a member of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) and The Ninety-Nines International Organization of Women Pilots.
Soyuz TMA-19 begins Expedition 24 by carrying 3 astronauts and cosmonauts to the International Space Station. Russian Commander, cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin alongside Flight Engineers, Shannon Walker (NASA) & Douglas H. Wheelock (NASA) will launch aboard the Soyuz spacecraft from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan and then rendezvous with the station. It landed on November 26, 2010, 04:46 UTC
Low Earth OrbitThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is an independent agency of the executive branch of the United States federal government responsible for the civilian space program, as well as aeronautics and aerospace research. NASA have many launch facilities but most are inactive. The most commonly used pad will be LC-39B at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.