NASA astronaut Robert Curbeam works on the International Space Station's S1 truss during the space shuttle Discovery's STS-116 mission in Dec. 2006. European Space Agency astronaut Christer Fuglesang (out of frame) was his partner in the 6-hour, 36-minute spacewalk. Selected by NASA in December 1994, Curbeam reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He is a veteran of three space flights: STS-85 in 1997; STS-98 in 2001; and STS-116 in 2006, and has logged more than 900 hours in space. In 2007, President George W. Bush recognized Curbeam and fellow astronaut Joan Higginbotham, during a ceremony honoring African American History Month. Curbeam and Higginbotham were crewmates on Discovery's STS-116 mission, the first shuttle mission with two African-American crew members. President Bush called STS-116 "one of the most challenging missions in NASA's history" and added, "I really appreciate the fact that they are furthering humanity's path of discovery, and I appreciate the fact...