James Bagian is an American physician, engineer, and former NASA astronaut of Armenian descent. He was born in 1952 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to parents who had immigrated from Trebizond, a city in the Ottoman Empire where the Armenian genocide occurred Bagian grew up with a passion for science and engineering, and graduated first in his class from Drexel University with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1973. He then pursued a medical degree from Thomas Jefferson University, graduating in 1977
Bagian worked as a flight surgeon and research medical officer at the Johnson Space Center, and completed a residency in anesthesiology at the University of Pennsylvania. He was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in 1980, and became an astronaut in 1981. He flew on two space shuttle missions, STS-29 and STS-40, logging 337 hours of space flight
His first mission, STS-29, was the third shuttle mission following the Challenger disaster in 1986. It launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on March 13, 1989, aboard Space Shuttle Discovery. The primary payload was a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS), which was deployed into Earth orbit. The crew also conducted various scientific experiments, including protein crystal growth, plant cell division, and space station heat pipe. Bagian also photographed Earth with a hand-held IMAX camera
During the mission, Bagian made 30 circuits around the globe and covered 3 million and 219,000 kilometers. The flight lasted four days, 23 hours and 41 minutes, and ended with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on March 18, 1989
Bagian’s second mission, STS-40, was the first dedicated to life sciences research. It launched from Cape Canaveral on June 5, 1991, aboard Space Shuttle Columbia. The crew carried the Spacelab module, which housed 18 experiments on the effects of microgravity on humans, animals, and cells. Bagian served as the payload commander and the primary crew medical officer. He also performed two spacewalks, totaling 14 hours and 29 minutes, to test new tools and techniques for extravehicular activity
The mission lasted nine days, two hours and 14 minutes, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base on June 14, 1991. It was the longest shuttle mission at the time, and the last shuttle flight to include a crew of five
Bagian left NASA in 1995, and became a member of the Institute of Medicine and the National Academy of Engineering. He also worked for the Environmental Protection Agency, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the University of Michigan. He is currently the director of the Center for Healthcare Engineering and Patient Safety at the University of Michigan
Bagian is the only person of Armenian descent to have been in space He is also a mountain rescue expert, a professional engineer, and a board-certified aerospace medicine specialist. He has received numerous awards and honors, including the NASA Space Flight Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, and the Federation Aeronautique Internationale Komarov Diploma
Bagian is a remarkable example of a person who has excelled in multiple fields and contributed to the advancement of science, engineering, medicine, and space exploration. He is also a proud descendant of the Armenian people, who have survived and thrived despite the hardships and atrocities they have faced throughout history
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