Spaceflight
| Clarence William "Bill" Nelson | |
|---|---|
| NASA Payload Specialist | |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | September 29, 1942 Miami, Florida |
| Current occupation | U.S. Senator |
| Previous occupation | Representative, U.S. House |
| Time in space | 6d 02h 03m |
| Missions | STS-61-C |
| Mission insignia | |
In 1986, Nelson became the second sitting member of Congress (and the first member of the House) to travel into space. He went through NASA training with Senator Jake Garn of Utah. He was a Payload Specialist on Space Shuttle Columbia's STS-61-C mission from January 12 to 18, 1986. Columbia landed at Edwards AFB at 5:59 a.m. PST, on January 18. Mission elapsed time was 6 days, 2 hours, 3 minutes, 51 seconds. It was the last successful Space Shuttle flight before the Challenger accident, as the disaster occurred only 10 days after Columbia's return.
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