NASA Astronaut Group 12

NASA's Astronaut Group 12 (the GAFFers) was announced by NASA on 5 June 1987.

Pilots

 * Andrew M. Allen (born 1955), U.S. Marine Corps (3 flights)
 * STS-46 - Pilot
 * STS-62 - Pilot
 * STS-75 - Commander


 * Kenneth D. Bowersox (born 1956), U.S. Navy (5 flights)
 * STS-50 - Pilot
 * STS-61 - Pilot
 * STS-73 - Commander
 * STS-82 - Commander
 * STS-113 - Mission Specialist 3 (launched only)
 * ISS Expedition 6 - ISS Commander
 * Soyuz TMA-1 - Flight Engineer (landed only)


 * Curtis L. Brown, Jr. (born 1956), U.S. Air Force (6 flights)
 * STS-47 - Pilot
 * STS-66 - Pilot
 * STS-77 - Pilot
 * STS-85 - Commander
 * STS-95 - Commander
 * STS-103 - Commander


 * Kevin P. Chilton (born 1954), U.S. Air Force (3 flights)
 * STS-49 - Pilot
 * STS-59 - Pilot
 * STS-76 - Commander


 * Donald R. McMonagle (born 1952), U.S. Air Force (3 flights)
 * STS-39 - Mission Specialist 4
 * STS-54 - Pilot
 * STS-66 - Commander


 * William F. Readdy (born 1952), U.S. Navy (3 flights)
 * STS-42 - Mission Specialist 3
 * STS-51 - Pilot
 * STS-79 - Commander


 * Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr. (born 1951), U.S. Navy (2 flights)
 * STS-48 - Pilot
 * STS-60 - Pilot

Mission specialists

 * Thomas D. Akers (born 1951), U.S. Air Force (4 flights)
 * STS-41 - Mission Specialist 3
 * STS-49 - Mission Specialist 4
 * STS-61 - Mission Specialist 5
 * STS-79 - Mission Specialist 1


 * N. Jan Davis (born 1953), Engineer (3 flights)
 * STS-47 - Mission Specialist 2
 * STS-60 - Mission Specialist 1
 * STS-85 - Payload Commander


 * C. Michael Foale (born 1957), Astrophysicist (6 flights)
 * STS-45 - Mission Specialist 3
 * STS-56 - Mission Specialist 1
 * STS-63 - Mission Specialist 1
 * STS-84 - Mission Specialist 5 (launched only)
 * Mir EO-23/Mir EO-24 - Flight Engineer 2
 * STS-86 - Mission Specialist 5 (landed only)
 * STS-103 - Mission Specialist 3
 * Soyuz TMA-3 - Flight Engineer
 * ISS Expedition 8 - ISS Commander


 * Gregory J. Harbaugh (born 1956), Engineer (4 flights)
 * STS-39 - Mission Specialist 2
 * STS-54 - Mission Specialist 2
 * STS-71 - Mission Specialist 1
 * STS-82 - Mission Specialist 3


 * Mae C. Jemison (born 1956), Physician (1 flight)
 * STS-47 - Mission Specialist 4


 * Bruce E. Melnick (born 1949), U.S. Coat Guard (2 flights)
 * STS-41 - Mission Specialist 2
 * STS-49 - Mission Specialist 5


 * Mario Runco, Jr. (born 1952), U.S. Navy (3 flights)
 * STS-44 - Mission Specialist 2
 * STS-54 - Mission Specialist 1
 * STS-77 - Mission Specialist 3


 * James S. Voss (born 1949), U.S. Army (5 flights)
 * STS-44 - Mission Specialist 3
 * STS-53 - Mission Specialist 2
 * STS-69 - Mission Specialist 1
 * STS-101 - Mission Specialist 3
 * STS-102 - Mission Specialist 4 (launched only)
 * ISS Expedition 2 - Flight Engineer 2
 * STS-105 - Mission Specialist 4 (landed only)

Further information
The group's informal nickname is an acronym for "George Abbey Final Fifteen". Of this group, Mae Jemison would become the first female African-American in space, while Michael Foale would fly aboard the Mir space station. At the time of the Columbia accident in 2003, William Readdy was Associate Administrator for Space Flight and Kenneth Bowersox was commanding the Expedition 6 crew on the ISS. Chilton, after leaving NASA, became the first NASA astronaut to become a General in the U.S. Air Force (Lt. Gen. Thomas Stafford, USAF, and VADM Richard Truly, USN were three-star officers) and is currently the commander of U.S. Strategic Command.