mission specialist

American  

noun

U.S. Aerospace.

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

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Etymology

Origin of mission specialist

First recorded in 1975–80

Example Sentences

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

While speaking to Earth via a video link on Thursday, mission specialist Koch mentioned there had been a slight "priming" issue with the toilet.

From BBC • Apr. 5, 2026

Crew-12 marks the first spaceflight for mission specialist Sophie Adenot and pilot Jack Hathaway, both of whom have test pilot backgrounds.

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