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

“We do so in honoring the extraordinary efforts and feats of our predecessors in human space exploration,” said Canadian astronaut and Artemis II mission specialist Jeremy Hansen.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 6, 2026

Artemis II's crew of four is made up of Nasa commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover and mission specialist Christina Koch.

From BBC • Mar. 13, 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