NAME:  N. Jan Davis (Ph.D.)
       NASA Astronaut
 
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE:  Born November 1, 1953, at Cocoa Beach, Florida,
but considers Huntsville Alabama, to be her hometown.  Her parents, B.
Bryce and Dolly Jo Davis, reside in Huntsville.
 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:  Blond hair; blue eyes; 5 feet 5 inches; 125
pounds.
 
EDUCATION:  Graduated from Huntsville High School in 1971; received
bachelor of science degrees in applied biology from Georgia Institute
of Technology, and in mechanical engineering from Auburn University,
in 1975 and 1977 respectively; received a master of science degree and
a doctorate in mechanical engineering from University of Alabama in
Huntsville, in 1983 and 1985, respectively.
 
MARITAL STATUS:  Married to astronaut Mark Lee.  His parents, Charles
M. and Ruth Lee, reside in Viroqua, Wisconsin.
 
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:  She enjoys flying, ice skating, aerobics,
bicycling, snow skiing, water sports, and needlework. She is a
volunteer Girl Scout troop assistant leader.
 
ORGANIZATIONS:  Fellow, American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Member, Tau Beta Pi, Omicron Delta Kappa, Pi Tau Sigma, and Alpha Xi
Delta social sorority.
 
SPECIAL HONORS:  Recipient of Marshall Space Flight Center Director's
Commendation (1987), three NASA Special Service Awards (1982, 1983,
1986), NASA Fellowship for Full-Time Study (1983), and ASME National
Old Guard Prize (1978).
 
EXPERIENCE:  After graduating from Auburn University in 1977, Dr.
Davis joined Texaco in Bellaire, Texas, working as a Petroleum
Engineer in tertiary oil recovery.  She left there in 1979 to work for
NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center as Aerospace Engineer.  In 1986,
she was named as team leader in the Structural Analysis Division, and
her team was responsible for the structural analysis and verification
of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST), the HST Maintenance Mission, and
the Advanced X-Ray Astrophysics Facility.  In 1987, she was also
assigned to be the lead engineer for the redesign of the Solid Rocket
Booster external tank attach ring.  Dr. Davis did her graduate
research at the University of Alabama in Huntsville, studying the
long-term strength of pressure vessels due to the viscoelastic
characteristics of filament-wound composites.  She holds one patent
and has authored several technical papers.
 
NASA EXPERIENCE:  Dr. Davis became an astronaut in June 1987 and is
qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle
flight crews.  Her initial technical assignment was in the Astronaut
Office Mission Development Branch, where she provided technical
support for the Tethered Satellite System, the Italian Upper Stage,
the PAM Upper Stage, and Spacelab missions.  She then served as a
Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control communicating with
Shuttle crews for STS-37, 39, 40, 43, 48 and 44.  In addition to being
certified as an operator of the Remote Manipulator System (RMS)
mechanical arm, Dr. Davis is a member of the extravehicular activity
(EVA) cadre.
 
CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:  Dr. Davis is assigned as a mission specialist on
STS-47, Spacelab-J.  This cooperative venture between the United
States and Japan, to conduct experiments in life sciences and
materials processing, is scheduled for launch in September 1992.
 
MAY 1992