Davis, (Nancy) Jan (1953- )

US astronaut and director of safety and mission assurance at the Marshall Space Flight Center. Her first two space shuttle flights, on Endeavour in September 1992 and on Discovery in February 1994, involved operating the Space Habitation Module. During her third flight, on Discovery in August 1997, she was the payload commander who operated the Japanese Manipulator Flight Demonstration robotic arm. Davis joined the Marshall Space Flight Center as an aerospace engineer in 1979 and became an astronaut in 1987.