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mission specialist

American

noun

U.S. Aerospace.

the crew member of a space shuttle who is assigned primary responsibility for carrying out operations related to the payload of the shuttle.

Etymology

Origin of mission specialist

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Artemis II mission specialist Christina Koch described the scattering of tiny craters across the daytime side proudly reflecting sunlight, like pinpricks in a lampshade.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

After the burn was completed, the crew were "glued to the windows" taking pictures, mission specialist Jeremy Hansen told mission control in Houston.

From BBC • Apr. 3, 2026

Commander Jessica Meir and mission specialist Andrey Fedyaev are each flying for the second time.

From Science Daily • Feb. 2, 2026

After rigorous training, he’s launched into space in 2009 as a mission specialist aboard the shuttle Discovery.

From Seattle Times • Sep. 14, 2023

This time, she flew on NASA's Atlantis as a mission specialist.

From "Women in Space" by Karen Bush Gibson

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023