posted 08-31-2010 04:36 PM               

Astronaut Linda Godwin Leaves NASA

NASA astronaut Linda Godwin has announced plans to leave the agency and retire.

Godwin joined NASA in 1980 and worked in the Payload Operations Division. She was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1985. A veteran of four spaceflights, Godwin logged more than 38 days in space, including more than 10 hours during two spacewalks. She flew aboard STS-37 in 1991; served as payload commander of STS-59 in 1994; and flew on STS-76 in 1996 and STS-108 in 2001. Godwin also supported numerous technical assignments within NASA's Astronaut Office and most recently served as the assistant to the director for exploration, Flight Crew Operations Directorate.

"Linda's 30-year career at NASA was filled with contributions to the human spaceflight mission," said Brent Jett, director of Flight Crew Operations at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. "She should be proud of her service to the agency and the country."

posted 09-15-2011 03:55 PM               

"I want the class to be more than a general education credit," said Godwin, who earned graduate degrees at MU. "I want them to take away a greater appreciation of science and the world around us and what it means."