PERSONAL
DATA: Born
April 27, 1953, in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but considers New
York City her hometown. Married to Kenneth J. Baker. They have
two daughters. She enjoys swimming, skiing, running, movies,
music, and reading Ellen's parents, Dr. & Mrs. Melvin Shulman,
reside in Beechhurst, New York. Ken's parents, Mr. & Mrs. James
Baker, reside in Columbus, Ohio.
EDUCATION:
Graduated from Bayside High School, New York, New York, in 1970; received
a bachelor of arts degree in geology from the State University of
New York at Buffalo in 1974, a doctorate of medicine degree from Cornell
University in 1978, and a masters in public health from University
of Texas School of Public Health in 1994.
EXPERIENCE:
After completing medical school, Dr. Baker trained in internal medicine
at the University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio, Texas.
In 1981, after three years of training, she was certified by the American
Board of Internal Medicine.
NASA
EXPERIENCE: In 1981, following her residency, Dr.
Baker joined NASA as a medical officer at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space
Center. That same year, she graduated from the Air Force Aerospace
Medicine Course at Brooks Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas. Prior
to her selection as an astronaut candidate she served as a physician
in the Flight Medicine Clinic at the Johnson Space Center. Selected
by NASA in May 1984, Dr. Baker became an astronaut in June 1985. Since
then, she has worked a variety of jobs at NASA in support of the Space
Shuttle program and Space Station development. A veteran of three
space flights, Dr. Baker has logged over 686 hours in space. She was
a mission specialist on STS-34 in 1989, STS-50 in 1992, and STS-71
in 1995.
SPACE
FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-34 Atlantis (October 18-23,
1989) launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, and landed
at Edwards Air Force Base in California. During the mission, the crew
successfully deployed the Galileo to explore Jupiter, operated the
Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SSBUV) to map atmospheric
ozone, conducted several medical experiments, and numerous scientific
experiments. Mission objectives were accomplished in 79 orbits of
the Earth, traveling 1.8 million miles in 119 hours and 41 minutes.
STS-50 Columbia (June 25-July 9, 1992) launched and landed at the
Kennedy Space Center in Florida. STS-50 was the first flight of the
United States Microgravity Laboratory and the first Extended Duration
Orbiter flight. Over a two-week period, the crew conducted scientific
experiments involving crystal growth, fluid physics, fluid dynamics,
biological science, and combustion science. Mission objectives were
accomplished in 221 orbits of the Earth, traveling 5.7 million miles
in 331 hours 30 seconds and 4 minutes in space.
STS-71 Atlantis (June 27-July 7, 1995) launched from the Kennedy Space
Center with a seven-member crew and returned there with an eight-member
crew. STS-71 was the first Space Shuttle mission to dock with the
Russian Space Station Mir, and involved an exchange of crews. The
Atlantis Space Shuttle was modified to carry a docking system compatible
with the Russian Mir Space Station. It also carried a Spacelab module
in the payload bay in which the crew performed various life sciences
experiments and data collections. Mission accomplished in 153 orbits
of the Earth, traveling 4.1 million miles in 235 hours and 23 minutes.
JANUARY
1998