Editing Jan Davis

{{For|those of a similar name|Janet Davies (disambiguation)}}
{{BLP sources|date=November 2012}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name = Nancy Jan Davis
| image = Jan Davis.jpg
| type = [[NASA]] Astronaut
| nationality = American
| status = Retired
|birth_name = Nancy Jan Smotherman
| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1953|11|1}}
| birth_place = Cocoa Beach, Florida
| occupation = Engineer
| selection = [[List of astronauts by selection#1987|1987 NASA Group]]
| time = 28d 02h 07m
| mission = [[STS-47]], [[STS-60]], [[STS-85]]
| insignia = [[File:Sts-47-patch.png|30px]][[File:Sts-60-patch.png|30px]][[File:Sts-85-patch.png|30px]]
}}
'''Nancy Jan Davis''' (born '''Nancy Jan Smotherman''', November 1, 1953) is a former American [[astronaut]]. A veteran of three space flights, Davis logged over 673 hours in space. She is now retired from [[NASA]].<ref name="WNHT-shuttle-anniversary">{{cite web|title=Remembering Huntsville Astronaut Jan Davis’ First Space Shuttle Flight|url=http://whnt.com/2013/07/16/remembering-huntsville-astronaut-jan-davis-first-space-shuttle-flight/|website=WHNT News|accessdate=19 April 2016}}</ref>

==Early life==
Nancy Jan Davis was born in Cocoa Beach, Florida, but considers Huntsville, Alabama, to be her hometown. The former spouse of astronaut [[Mark C. Lee]], she is currently married to Judge Schuyler Richardson.<ref>{{citation |title=Madison County, AL, Probate Record # 20061214300023740}}</ref>

==Education==
She graduated from [[Huntsville High School (Alabama)|Huntsville High School]] in 1971,<ref name="Enginering-hallfame">{{cite web|title=N. Jan Davis|url=http://aehof.eng.ua.edu/members/n-jan-davis/|website=State of Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame|accessdate=19 April 2016}}</ref> received a bachelor of science degree in applied biology from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1975 and another in mechanical engineering from Auburn University in 1977.<ref name="Enginering-hallfame"/> She received a master of science degree in 1983 and a doctorate in 1985, both in mechanical engineering at the [[University of Alabama in Huntsville]].<ref name="UAH1">{{cite web|last1=Lachance|first1=Diane|title=College of Engineering alumna Dr. Jan Davis on UAH, space, and tomorrow’s astronauts|url=http://www.uah.edu/news/people/college-of-engineering-alumna-dr-jan-davis-on-uah-space-and-tomorrow-s-astronauts|website=University of Alabama Huntsville|accessdate=19 April 2016}}</ref>

==Awards==
She has been awarded the [[NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal]] in 1998,<ref name="Ellis2004">{{cite book|author=Lee Ellis|title=Who's who of NASA Astronauts|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=z-M-YksXsqcC&pg=PA53|year=2004|publisher=Americana Group Publishing|isbn=978-0-9667961-4-8|pages=53–}}</ref> the [[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]] in 1995 and 2002,<ref name="JSC-NASA">{{cite web|title=Biographical Data|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/davis.html|website=Johnson Space Centrer, NASA|publisher=NASA|accessdate=19 April 2016}}</ref> and the [[NASA Space Flight Medal]] in 1992, 1994, and 1997, the NASA Fellowship for Full-Time Study in 1983, the ASME National Old Guard Prize in 1978, the ASME Ralph Coates Roe Medal in 2001. She has been inducted to the [[Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame]], the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame,<ref name="Enginering-hallfame" /> and the [[Presidential Rank Award of Meritorious Executive]].<ref name="Auburn-accolades">{{cite web|title=Lifetime Achievement Award|url=http://www.eng.auburn.edu/about/awards/lifetime-achievement-awards.html|website=Auburn University|accessdate=19 April 2016}}</ref>

==Engineering career==
After graduating from Auburn University in 1977, Davis joined [[Texaco]] in [[Bellaire, Texas]], working as a [[petroleum engineer]] in tertiary oil recovery. She left there in 1979 to work for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center as an [[aerospace engineer]]. In 1986, she was named as team leader in the Structural Analysis Division, and her team was responsible for the [[structural analysis]] and verification of the [[Hubble Space Telescope]] (HST), the HST maintenance mission, and the [[Chandra X-ray Observatory|Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility]]. In 1987, she was also assigned to be the lead engineer for the redesign of the solid rocket booster external tank attach ring. Davis did her graduate research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, studying the long-term strength of pressure vessels due to the [[viscoelasticity|viscoelastic]] characteristics of filament-wound [[composite materials|composites]]. She holds one patent, has authored several technical papers, and is a Registered Professional Engineer.

==Astronaut career==
Davis became an astronaut in June 1987.<ref name="JSC-NASA" /> Her first assignment was in the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch, where she provided technical support for [[Space shuttle]] payloads.<ref name="Ellis2004"/> folling this, Davis was a CAPCOM in Mission Control, responsible for communicating with Shuttle crews for seven missions. After her first space flight, Davis served as the Astronaut Office representative for the [[Remote Manipulator System]] (RMS), with responsibility for RMS operations, training, and payloads. After her second space flight, she served as the Chairperson of the NASA Education Working Group and as Chief for the Payloads Branch, which provided Astronaut Office support for all Shuttle and [[International Space Station]] payloads. A veteran of three space flights, Davis has logged over 673 hours in space. She flew as a mission specialist on [[STS-47]] in 1992 and [[STS-60]] in 1994, and was the payload commander on [[STS-85]] in 1997.<ref>[http://www.spacefacts.de//bios/astronauts/english/davis_nancy.htm Spacefacts biography of Jan Davis]</ref>

===STS-47===
[[STS-47]], [[Spacelab]]-J, was the 50th Space Shuttle mission. Launched on September 12, 1992,<ref name="NSA-archive">{{cite web|title=Space Shuttle Mission Archives|url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/list_1992.html|website=NASA|accessdate=19 April 2016}}</ref> this cooperative venture between the United States and [[Japan]] conducted 43 experiments in life sciences and materials processing. During the eight-day mission, she was responsible for operating Spacelab and its subsystems and performing a variety of experiments. Davis' then-husband [[Mark C. Lee]] was payload commander on [[STS-47]]. After completing 126 orbits of the Earth, [[STS-47]] [[Space Shuttle Endeavour|Endeavour]] landed at [[Kennedy Space Center]] on September 20, 1992.

===STS-60===
[[STS-60]] was the second flight of [[Spacehab]] (Space Habitation Module) and the first flight of the [[Wake Shield Facility]] (WSF). Launched on February 3, 1994, this flight was the first Space Shuttle flight on which a Russian cosmonaut was a crew member. During the eight-day mission, her prime responsibility was to maneuver the WSF on the RMS, to conduct [[thin-film deposition|thin film crystal]] growth and she was also responsible for performing scientific experiments in the Spacehab. The STS-60 [[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]] landed at Kennedy Space Center on February 11, 1994, after completing 130 orbits of the Earth.

===STS-85===
Davis was the payload commander for [[STS-85]], which was launched on Discovery on August 7, 1997. During this 12-day mission, Davis deployed and retrieved the [[CRISTA-SPAS]] payload, and operated the Japanese Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD) robotic arm. The mission also included several other scientific payloads for the conduct of research on astronomy, [[Earth sciences]], [[life sciences]], and materials science. The mission was accomplished in 189 Earth orbits, traveling 4.7 million miles. The STS-85 Discovery landed at Kennedy Space Center on August 19, 1997.

==Later NASA career==
After her flight on STS-85, Davis was assigned to NASA Headquarters as the Director of the [[Human Exploration and Development of Space]] (HEDS), Independent Assurance Office for the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance. In that position, Davis managed and directed independent assessments for the programs and projects assigned to the HEDS enterprise. In July 1999, she transferred to the Marshall Space Flight Center as Director of the Flight Projects Directorate, which was responsible for the International Space Station (ISS) Payload Operations Center, ISS hardware and the [[Chandra X-Ray Observatory]] Program. After the Columbia accident, she was named head of Safety and Mission Assurance at Marshall, where she assured the safe return to flight of the Space Shuttle. Davis retired from NASA in 2005, and currently works for [[Jacobs Engineering Group]] as a Vice President and Deputy General Manager.

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

{{NASA Astronaut Group 12}}

{{Wikipedia|Jan Davis}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Jan}}
[[Category:1953 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:American astronauts]]
[[Category:Women astronauts]]
[[Category:Auburn University alumni]]
[[Category:University of Alabama in Huntsville alumni]]
[[Category:People from Cocoa Beach, Florida]]
[[Category:People from Huntsville, Alabama]]
[[Category:Georgia Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Women in engineering]]
[[Category:Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers]]
[[Category:Women in technology]]
[[Category:NASA civilian astronauts]]