Commander:

Collins, 48, is a retired Air Force colonel and a veteran of the 1990 astronaut class with three spaceflights under her belt. She became the first female shuttle pilot and the first female commander of a shuttle flight in 1999.

On STS-114, Collins will be responsible for manoeuvring the shuttle so the crew of the international space station can examine the orbiter's tiles; rendezvousing and undocking from the station; and landing the shuttle.

Collins, from Elmira, New York, is married to an airline pilot and has two children. Known as "Mom" to her crewmates, Collins holds two master's degrees. Her hobbies include golf, reading and photography. Collins has won several military service awards, including the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Kelly piloted one previous supply mission on the shuttle to the International Space Station in March, 2001.

He will be in charge of systems operations aboard the STS-114. He will also assist in the shuttle's rendezvous with the ISS and manoeuvre the spacewalking crew members and their hardware using the ISS robotic arm.

The 41-year-old Burlington, Iowa native has logged more than 3,000 flight hours in at least 35 different aircraft. He's married with four children, and goes by the nickname "Vegas" because of his skills at poker.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) astronaut is one of the crew's two spacewalkers. Born in Chigasaki, Kanagawa, Japan, the 40-year-old is the crew's youngest member. This will be his first trip into space.

Aboard the STS-114, Noguchi and fellow spacewalker Stephen Robinson will perform three spacewalks. They will test at least two techniques to repair tile damage to the shuttle. The pair will also replace an ISS gyroscope and install a platform to store spare ISS parts.

Noguchi, known as "Squeegee", is married with three children and enjoys jogging, basketball, skiing and flying.

This will be Robinson's third shuttle flight. At 49 years old, Robinson is a 30-year veteran of NASA. He became an astronaut in 1995.

During one of three STS-114 spacewalks, Robinson will be testing a technique to fix small cracks in reinforced carbon-carbon (RCC)panels that line the shuttle wings. On the 2003 Columbia, a hole punched into the leading edge RCC panels during launch. That allowed hot gases to enter the wing during re-entry, which led to the destruction of the orbiter.

Robinson, 49, is a private pilot from Sacramento, California. At the age of 13, he built a hang glider and launched himself from the California hilltops. He plays lead guitar in the all-astronaut rock 'n' roll band Max Q, and is known as "Stevie Ray".

Hailing from Adelaide, South Australia, Thomas is a veteran of four spaceflights. That includes a 141 day stint on the Russian Mir space station in 1998. At the time of the Columbia accident, Thomas served as deputy chief of the Astronaut Office.

Thomas will operate a boom extension outfitted with cameras and sensors on STS-114 to inspect the shuttle's thermal protection system.

Thomas, 53, is married and enjoys horseback riding, mountain biking, windsurfing and playing classical guitar.

Lawrence, 46, has taken part in three previous missions and has logged more than 894 hours in space. Her last mission was the ninth and final shuttle-Mir space station docking.

On STS-114, Lawrence will operate the ISS's robotic arm during three spacewalks.

Hailing from Jacksonville, Florida, Lawrence is a former helicopter pilot. She volunteered to travel to Mir, but was turned down because she was a few inches under the minimum height allowance -- and that led to her nickname "Too short". The Russians eventually relented. Lawrence is single and enjoys rowing and competing in triathlons.

Although this will be Camarda's first shuttle flight, he's worked for NASA for over 20 years in a variety of technical roles. He was selected as an astronaut in 1996.

On STS-114, Camarda will inspect the shuttle's thermal protection system, using the robotic arm's new sensor extension. He'll take pictures and gather data on the shuttle's tiles, and will also help manage the shuttle's docking system during the rendezvous and undocking phase.

A native of New York City, Camarda is married with four children. The 53-year-old plays racquetball, runs and lifts weights.