Documents - STS-76 Biographies

STS-76 Biographies

Kevin P. Chilton, Commander

NAME: Kevin P. Chilton (Brigadier General, USAF) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born November 3, 1954, in Los Angeles, California. Married; four children. He enjoys reading and all sports, including running, snow skiing, sailing, and softball. He also plays the guitar in a rock and roll band.

EDUCATION: Graduated from St. Bernard High School, Playa del Rey, California, in 1972; received a bachelor of science degree in engineering sciences from the USAF Academy in 1976, and a master of science degree in mechanical engineering from Columbia University on a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1977.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member, Order of Daedalians, USAF Academy Association of Graduates, American Legion.

SPECIAL HONORS: Distinguished Graduate USAF Academy, and Guggenheim Fellowship recipient (1976). Commanders Trophy winner as top graduate from Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (1978). Secretary of the Air Force Leadership Award recipient as top graduate of Air Force Squadron Officer School for 1982. Recipient of the Liethen-Tittle Award as the outstanding test pilot of the USAF Test Pilot School Class 84A (1984). NASA "Top Fox" Flight Safety Award Winner (1991). Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, two USAF Meritorious Service Medals and the Air Force Commendation Medal.

EXPERIENCE: Chilton received his Air Force commission from the USAF Academy in 1976, and then completed a masters degree in mechanical engineering on a Guggenheim Fellowship at Columbia University in 1977. In 1978, after receiving his wings at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, he qualified in the RF-4 Phantom II and was assigned to the 15th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Japan.

From 1978 until 1980, he served as a combat-ready pilot and instructor pilot in the RF-4 in Korea, Japan, and the Philippines. In 1981, he converted to the F-15 Eagle and was assigned to the 67th Tactical Fighter Squadron at Kadena Air Base in Japan as a squadron pilot. In 1982, Chilton attended the USAF Squadron Officer School at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, and finished as the number one graduate for the year, receiving the Secretary of the Air Force Leadership Award.

Subsequently assigned to the 9th and 7th Tactical Fighter Squadrons at Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico, Chilton served as an F-15 squadron weapons officer, instructor pilot, and flight commander until 1984, when he was selected for the USAF Test Pilot School. Graduating number one in his class in 1984, Chilton was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he conducted weapons and systems tests in all models of the F-15 and F-4. While a member of the 3247th Test Squadron, Chilton served as squadron safety officer, as chief of test and evaluation, and as squadron operations officer.

In August 1987 he was assigned to NASA as an astronaut candidate.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in June 1987, Chilton became an astronaut in August 1988, qualified for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Since then he has held a variety of technical assignments. He served in the Mission Development Branch of the Astronaut Office in support of the Infrared Background Signature Survey (IBSS) satellite, and the Orbital Maneuvering Vehicle (OMV) programs. He also served as the Astronaut Office T-38 safety officer, was leader of the Astronaut Support Personnel team at the Kennedy Space Center, and lead spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) for several Shuttle flights. Most recently, he served as Deputy Program Manager for the International Space Station Program.

A veteran of three space flights, Chilton has logged over 704 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-49 in 1992 and STS-59 in 1994, and commanded STS-76 in 1996.

Chilton left NASA in 1998. Currently he serves as Deputy to the Director of Operations, USAF Space Command, Peterson Air Force Base, Colorado.

STS-49, May 7-16, 1992, was the maiden voyage of Space Shuttle Endeavour. During the mission, the crew conducted the initial test flight of Endeavour, performed a record four EVA's (space walks) to retrieve, repair and deploy the International Telecommunications Satellite (INTELSAT), and to demonstrate and evaluate numerous EVA tasks to be used for the assembly of Space Station Freedom. Additionally, a variety of medical, scientific and operational tests were conducted throughout the mission. STS-49 logged 213 hours in space and 141 Earth orbits prior to landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where the crew conducted the first test of the Endeavour's drag chute.

STS-59, the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) mission, April 9-20, 1994, was launched aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. SRL consisted of three large radars, SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar), and a carbon monoxide sensor that were used to enhance studies of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. The imaging radars operated in three frequencies and four polarizations. This multispectral capability of the radars provided information about the Earth's surface over a wide range of scales not discernible with previous single-frequency experiments. The carbon monoxide sensor (MAPS) used gas filter radiometry to measure the global distribution of CO in the troposphere. Real-time crew observations of surface phenomena and climatic conditions augmented with over 14,000 photographs aided investigators in interpretation and calibration of the data. The mission concluded with a landing at Edwards AFB after orbiting the Earth 183 times in 269 hours.

Col. Chilton commanded STS-76, the third docking mission to the Russian space station Mir, which launched on March 22, 1996 with a crew of six aboard Atlantis. Following rendezvous and docking with Mir, transfer of a NASA astronaut to Mir for a 5-month stay was accomplished to begin a continuous presence of U.S. astronauts aboard Mir for the next two-year period. The crew also transferred 4800 pounds of science and mission hardware, food, water and air to Mir and returned over 1100 pounds of U.S. and ESA science and Russian hardware.

The first spacewalk from the Shuttle while docked to Mir was conducted. Experiment packages were transferred from the Shuttle and mounted on the Mir docking module to detect and assess debris and contamination in a space station environment. The Spacehab module carried in the Shuttle payload bay was utilized extensively for transfer and return stowage of logistics and science and also carried Biorack, a small multipurpose laboratory used during this mission for research of plant and animal cellular function. This mission was also the first flight of Kidsat, an electronic camera controlled by classroom students via a Ku-band link between JSC Mission Control and the Shuttle, which uses digitized photography from the Shuttle for science and education. Following 145 orbits of the Earth, Atlantis landed with a crew of five at Edwards Air Force Base in California on March 31, 1996, 221 hours after liftoff.

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Richard A. Searfoss, Pilot

NAME: Richard A. Searfoss (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born June 5, 1956, in Mount Clemens, Michigan, but considers Portsmouth, New Hampshire, to be his hometown. Married; three children. He enjoys running, soccer, radio-controlled model aircraft, Scouting, backpacking, and classical music.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Portsmouth Senior High School, Portsmouth, New Hampshire in 1974; received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the USAF Academy in 1978, and a master of science degree in aeronautics from the California Institute of Technology on a National Science Foundation Fellowship in 1979. USAF Squadron Officer School, Air Command and Staff College, and Air War College.

ORGANIZATIONS: Association of Space Explorers, National Eagle Scout Association, Air Force Association, Academy of Model Aeronautics.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Harmon, Fairchild, Price and Tober Awards (top overall, academic, engineering, and aeronautical engineering graduate), United States Air Force Academy Class of 1978. Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory Excellence in Turbine Engine Design award. USAF Squadron Officer's School Commandant's Trophy as top graduate. Distinguished graduate, USAF Fighter Weapons School. Named the Tactical Air Command F-111 Instructor Pilot of the Year, 1985. Selected for Outstanding Young Men of America, 1987. Recipient of the Air Force Commendation Medal, Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, NASA Spaceflight Medal (3), NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, and Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross.

EXPERIENCE: Searfoss graduated in 1980 from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona. From 1981-1984, he flew the F-111F operationally at RAF Lakenheath, England, followed by a tour at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho, where he was an F-111A instructor pilot and weapons officer until 1987.

In 1988 he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland, as a USAF exchange officer. He was a flight instructor at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California, when selected for the astronaut program. He has logged over 5,000 hours flying time in 56 different types of aircraft and over 939 hours in space. He also holds FAA Airline Transport Pilot, glider, and flight instructor ratings.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in January 1990, Searfoss became an astronaut in July 1991. Initially assigned to the Astronaut Office Mission Support Branch, Searfoss was part of a team responsible for crew ingress/strap-in prior to launch and crew egress after landing. He was subsequently assigned to flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL).

Additionally, he served as the Astronaut Office representative for both flight crew procedures and Shuttle computer software development. He also served as the Astronaut Office Vehicle System and Operations Branch Chief, leading a team of several astronauts and support engineers working on Shuttle and International Space Station systems development, rendezvous and landing/rollout operations, and advanced projects initiatives.

A veteran of three space flights, Searfoss has logged over 39 days in space. He served as pilot on STS-58 (October 18 to November 1, 1993) and STS-76 (March 22-31, 1996), and was the mission commander on STS-90 (April 17, to May 3, 1998). Searfoss retired from the Air Force and left NASA in 1998.

Searfoss served as STS-58 pilot on the seven-person life science research mission aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, launching from the Kennedy Space Center on October 18, 1993, and landing at Edwards Air Force Base on November 1, 1993. The crew performed neurovestibular, cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, metabolic, and musculoskeletal medical experiments on themselves and 48 rats, expanding our knowledge of human and animal physiology both on Earth and in space flight. In addition, the crew performed 16 engineering tests aboard the Orbiter Columbia and 20 Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project experiments. The mission was accomplished in 225 orbits of the Earth.

Launching March 22, 1996, Searfoss flew his second mission as pilot of STS-76 aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis. During this 9-day mission the STS-76 crew performed the third docking of an American spacecraft with the Russian space station Mir. In support of a joint U.S./Russian program, the crew transported to Mir nearly two tons of water, food, supplies, and scientific equipment, as well as U.S. Astronaut Shannon Lucid to begin her six-month stay in space. STS-76 included the first ever spacewalk on a combined Space Shuttle-Space Station complex. The flight crew also conducted scientific investigations, including European Space Agency sponsored biology experiments, the Kidsat Earth observations project, and several engineering flight tests. Completed in 145 orbits, STS-76 landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on March 31, 1996.

Searfoss commanded a seven person crew on the STS-90 Neurolab mission which launched on April 17, 1998. During the 16-day Spacelab flight the crew served as both experiment subjects and operators for 26 individual life science experiments focusing on the effects of microgravity on the brain and nervous system. STS-90 was the last and most complex of the twenty-five Spacelab missions NASA has flown. Neurolab's scientific results will have broad applicability both in preparing for future long duration human space missions and in clinical applications on Earth. Completed in 256 orbits, STS-90 landed at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on May 3, 1998.

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Shannon W. Lucid, NASA-2 Mir Resident

NAME: Shannon W. Lucid (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born January 14, 1943, in Shanghai, China, but considers Bethany, Oklahoma, to be her hometown. Married to Michael F. Lucid of Indianapolis, Indiana. They have two daughters and one son. She enjoys flying, camping, hiking, and reading. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph O. Wells, are deceased.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Bethany High School, Bethany, Oklahoma, in 1960; received a bachelor of science degree in chemistry from the University of Oklahoma in 1963, and master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees in biochemistry from the University of Oklahoma in 1970 and 1973, respectively.

SPECIAL HONORS: The recipient of numerous awards, Dr. Lucid most recently was awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor by the President of the United States. She is the first and only woman to have earned this prestigious award. Dr. Lucid was also awarded the Order of Friendship Medal by Russian President Boris Yeltsin. This is one of the highest Russian civilian awards and the highest award that can be presented to a non-citizen.

EXPERIENCE: Dr. Lucids experience includes a variety of academic assignments, such as teaching assistant at the University of Oklahomas Department of Chemistry from 1963 to 1964; senior laboratory technician at the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation from 1964 to 1966; chemist at Kerr-McGee, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, 1966 to 1968; graduate assistant at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Centers Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from 1969 to 1973; and research associate with the Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, from 1974 until her selection to the astronaut candidate training program.

Dr. Lucid is a commercial, instrument, and multi-engine rated pilot.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in January 1978, Dr. Lucid became an astronaut in August 1979. She is qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle flight crews. Some of her technical assignments have included: the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); the Flight Software Laboratory, in Downey, California, working with the rendezvous and proximity operations group; Astronaut Office interface at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, participating in payload testing, Shuttle testing, and launch countdowns; spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in the JSC Mission Control Center during numerous Space Shuttle missions; Chief of Mission Support; Chief of Astronaut Appearances.

A veteran of five space flights, Dr. Lucid has logged 5,354 hours (223 days) in space. She served as a mission specialist on STS-51G (June 17-24, 1985), STS-34 (October 18-23, 1989), STS-43 (August 2-11, 1991), STS-58 (October 18 to November 1, 1993), and most recently served as a Board Engineer 2 on Russias Space Station Mir (launching March 22, 1996 aboard STS-76 and returning September 26, 1996 aboard STS-79).

Dr. Lucid holds an international record for the most flight hours in orbit by any non-Russian, and holds the record for the most flight hours in orbit by any woman in the world.

STS-51G Discovery (June 17-24, 1985) was a 7-day mission during which crew deployed communications satellites for Mexico (Morelos), the Arab League (Arabsat), and the United States (AT&T Telstar). They used the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to deploy and later retrieve the SPARTAN satellite which performed 17 hours of x-ray astronomy experiments while separated from the Space Shuttle. In addition, the crew activated the Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (ADSF), six Getaway Specials, and participated in biomedical experiments. The mission was accomplished in 112 orbits of the Earth, traveling 2.5 million miles in 169 hours and 39 minutes. Landing was at Edwards Air Force Base (EAFB), California.

STS-34 Atlantis (October 18-23, 1989) was a 5-day mission during which the deployed the Galileo spacecraft on its journey to explore Jupiter, operated the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SSBUV) to map atmospheric ozone, and performed numerous secondary experiments involving radiation measurements, polymer morphology, lightning research, microgravity effects on plants, and a student experiment on ice crystal growth in space. The mission was accomplished in 79 orbits of the Earth, traveling 1.8 million miles in 119 hours and 41 minutes. Landing was at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

STS-43 Atlantis (August 2-11, 1991) was a nine-day mission during which the crew deployed the fifth Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-E). The crew also conducted 32 physical, material, and life science experiments, mostly relating to the Extended Duration Orbiter and Space Station Freedom. The mission was accomplished in 142 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.7 million miles in 213 hours, 21 minutes, 25 seconds. STS-43 Atlantis was the eighth Space Shuttle to land at KSC).

STS-58 Columbia (October 18 to November 1, 1993). This record duration fourteen-day mission was recognized by NASA management as the most successful and efficient Spacelab flight flown by NASA. The STS-58 crew performed neurovestibular, cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, metabolic, and musculoskeletal medical experiments on themselves and 48 rats, expanding our knowledge of human and animal physiology both on Earth and in space flight. In addition, they performed 16 engineering tests aboard the Orbiter Columbia and 20 Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project experiments. The mission was accomplished in 225 orbits of the Earth, traveling 5.8 million miles in 336 hours, 13 minutes, 01 seconds. Landing was at Edwards Air Force Base, California.

In completing this flight Dr. Lucid logged 838 hours, 54 minutes in space making her Americas female space traveler with the most hours in space. Dr. Lucid currently holds the United States single mission space flight endurance record on the Russian Space Station Mir.

Following a year of training in Star City, Russia, her journey started with liftoff at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on March 22, 1996 aboard STS-76 Atlantis. Following docking, she transferred to the Mir Space Station. Assigned as a Board Engineer 2, she performed numerous life science and physical science experiments during the course of her stay aboard Mir. Her return journey to KSC was made aboard STS-79 Atlantis on September 26, 1996. In completing this mission Dr. Lucid traveled 75.2 million miles in 188 days, 04 hours, 00 minutes, 14 seconds.

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Linda M. Godwin, Mission Specialist

NAME: Linda M. Godwin (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born July 2, 1952, in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Her hometown is Jackson, Missouri. Married to Steven R. Nagel of Houston, Texas. Two daughters. She enjoys playing saxophone and clarinet, reading, and flying. Her father, Mr. James M. Godwin, resides in Oak Ridge, Missouri. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ivan R. Nagel, reside in Canton, Illinois.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Jackson High School in Jackson, Missouri, in 1970; received a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and physics from Southeast Missouri State in 1974, and a master of science degree and a doctorate in physics from the University of Missouri in 1976 and 1980.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the American Physical Society, Space City Chapter of the Ninety-Nines, Inc., Association of Space Explorers, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

SPECIAL HONORS: Recipient of NASA Outstanding Performance Rating, Sustained Superior Performance Award, and Outstanding Leadership Award.

EXPERIENCE: After completing undergraduate studies in physics and mathematics at Southeast Missouri State University, Dr. Godwin attended graduate school at the University of Missouri in Columbia, Missouri. During that time she taught undergraduate physics labs and was the recipient of several research assistantships. She conducted research in low temperature solid state physics, including studies in electron tunneling and vibrational modes of absorbed molecular species on metallic substrates at liquid helium temperatures. Results of her research have been published in several journals.

Dr. Godwin is an instrument rated private pilot.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Dr. Dr. Godwin joined NASA in 1980, in the Payload Operations Division, Mission Operations Directorate, where she worked in payload integration (attached payloads and Spacelabs), and as a flight controller and payloads officer on several Shuttle missions.

Selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in June 1985, Dr. Godwin became an astronaut in July 1986. Her technical assignments have included working with flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), and coordinating mission development activities for the Inertial Upper Stage (IUS), deployable payloads, and Spacelab missions. She also has served as Chief of Astronaut Appearances, Chief of the Mission Development Branch of the Astronaut Office and as the astronaut liaison to its Educational Working Group, Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office, and Deputy Director, Flight Crew Operations Directorate.

A veteran of three space flights, Dr. Godwin has logged over 633 hours in space, including a 6-hour spacewalk. In 1991 she served as a Mission Specialist on STS-37, was the Payload Commander on STS-59 in 1994, and in 1996 was on the crew of STS-76, a Mir docking mission.

STS-37 Atlantis (April 5-11, 1991) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. During the 93 orbits of the mission, the crew deployed the Gamma Ray Observatory (GRO) to study gamma ray sources in the universe. GRO, at almost 35,000 pounds, was the heaviest payload deployed to date by the Shuttle Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The crew also conducted an unscheduled space walk to free the GRO high gain antenna, and conducted the first scheduled extravehicular activity in 5-1/2 years to test concepts for moving about large space structures.

Several middeck experiments and activities were conducted including test of elements of a heat pipe to study fluid transfer processed in microgravity environments (SHARE), a chemical processing apparatus to characterize the structure of biologicalmaterials (BIMDA), and an experiment to grow larger and more perfect protein crystals than can be grown on the ground (PCG II). Atlantis carried amateur radio equipment for voice contact, fast scan and slow scan TV, and packet radio. Several hundred contacts were made with amateur radio operators around the world. Mission duration was 143 hours, 32 minutes, 44 seconds.

STS-59 Endeavour (April 9-20, 1994) was the Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) mission. SRL consisted of three large radars, SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar), and a carbon monoxide sensor that were used to enhance studies of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. The imaging radars operated in three frequencies and four polarizations. This multispectral capability of the radars provided information about the Earth's surface over a wide range of scales not discernible with previous single-frequency experiments. The carbon monoxide sensor MAPS (Measurement of Air Pollution by Satellite) used gas filter radiometry to measure the global distribution of CO in the troposphere. Real-time crew observations of surface phenomena and climatic conditions augmented with over 14,000 photographs aided investigators in interpretation and calibration of the data. The mission concluded with a landing at Edwards AFB after orbiting the Earth 183 times in 269 hours, 29 minutes.

STS-76 Atlantis (March 22-31, 1996) was the third docking mission to the Russian space station Mir. Following rendezvous and docking with Mir, transfer of a NASA astronaut to Mir for a 5-month stay was accomplished to begin a continuous presence of U.S. astronauts aboard Mir for the next two year period. The crew also transferred 4800 pounds of science and mission hardware, food, water and air to Mir and returned over 1100 pounds of U.S. and ESA science and Russian hardware.

Dr. Godwin performed a six-hour spacewalk, the first while docked to an orbiting space station, to mount experiment packages on the Mir docking module to detect and assess debris and contamination in a space station environment. The packages will be retrieved by a future Shuttle mission. The Spacehab module carried in the Shuttle payload bay was utilized extensively for transfer and return stowage of logistics and science and also carried Biorack, a small multipurpose laboratory used during this mission for research of plant and animal cellular function. This mission was also the first flight of Kidsat, an electronic camera controlled by classroom students via a Ku-band link between JSC Mission Control and the Shuttle, which uses digitized photography from the Shuttle for science and education. The STS-76 mission was accomplished in 145 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.8 million miles in 221 hours and 15 minutes.

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Michael R. Clifford, Mission Specialist

NAME: Michael Richard "Rich" Clifford (Lieutenant Colonel, USA) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born October 13, 1952 in San Bernadino, California, but considers Ogden, Utah, to be his hometown. Married to the former Nancy Elizabeth Brunson of Darlington, South Carolina. They have two sons. He enjoys flying, golf, tennis, water and snow skiing, baseball, and coaching youth sports. His parents, Gordon and Lenore Clifford, reside in Ogden. Her parents, R. Ben and Mary Lee Brunson, reside in Darlington.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Ben Lomond High School, Ogden, Utah in 1970; received a bachelor of science degree from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, in 1974, and a master of science degree in aerospace engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Association of Space Explorers, American Helicopter Society, Army Aviation Association, and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

SPECIAL HONORS: Recipient of the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement, NASA Space Flight Medal and the Army Commendation Medal.

EXPERIENCE: Clifford graduated from West Point in June 1974 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He served a tour with the 10th Cavalry in Fort Carson, Colorado. He then entered the U.S. Army Aviation School in 1976. He was the top graduate of his flight class and was designated an Army Aviator in October 1976. He was subsequently assigned for three years as a service platoon commander with the Attack Troop, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Nuremberg, West Germany.

After completing a master of science degree at Georgia Tech in 1982, he was assigned to the Department of Mechanics at West Point as an instructor and assistant professor. In December 1986 he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and was designated an Experimental Test Pilot. A Master Army Aviator, he has logged 3,400 flying hours in a wide variety of fixed and rotary winged aircraft. In December 1995 Lieutenant Colonel Clifford retired from the United States Army.

NASA EXPERIENCE: As a military officer, Clifford was assigned to the Johnson Space Center in July of 1987. As a Space Shuttle Vehicle Integration engineer, his duties involved engineering liaison for launch and landing operations of the Space Shuttle Program. He was involved in design certification and integration of the Shuttle Crew Escape System, and was an executive board member of the Solid Rocket Booster Postflight Assessment Team.

Selected as an astronaut by NASA in July 1990, Clifford has served in a variety of technical assignments. From April to August 1991, Clifford was assigned to the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch where he participated in the design, development, and evaluation of Space Shuttle payloads and crew equipment having extravehicular activity (EVA) interfaces. From May 1994 to September 1995 he served as lead for space station vehicle/assembly issues.

A veteran of three space flights, Clifford flew as a mission specialist on STS-53 in 1992, STS-59 in 1994, and STS-76 in 1996. He has logged 665 hours in space, including a 6-hour spacewalk.

Clifford first flew on the crew of STS-53 which launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 2, 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission carried a Department of Defense payload and a variety of secondary payloads. Clifford was responsible for operating a number of experiments which included the Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) and the Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST). FARE was a microgravity fluid transfer experiment designed to evaluate improved spacecraft propellant tanks. BLAST was a hand-held laser energy detector designed to detect and interpret a data message in a low-power Earth-based laser. After completing 115 orbits of the Earth, STS-53 landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 9, 1992.

He next served aboard Endeavour on the STS-59 Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) mission which launched April 9, 1994. SRL consisted of three large radars, SIR-C/X-SAR (Shuttle Imaging Radar C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar), and a carbon monoxide sensor that were used to enhance studies of the Earth's surface and atmosphere. The imaging radars operated in three frequencies and four polarizations. This multispectral capability of the radars provided information about the Earth's surface over a wide range of scales not discernible with previous single-frequency experiments. The carbon monoxide sensor (MAPS) used gas filter radiometry to measure the global distribution of CO in the troposphere. Real time crew observations of surface phenomena and climatic conditions augmented with over 14,000 photographs aided investigators in interpretation and calibration of the data. The mission concluded on April 20, 1994, with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base after orbiting the Earth 183 times in 269 hours.

Clifford next served on STS-76, the third docking mission to the Russian space station Mir, which launched on March 22, 1996 with a crew of six aboard Atlantis. Following rendezvous and docking with Mir, transfer of a NASA Astronaut to Mir for a five month stay was accomplished to begin a continuous presence of U.S. astronauts aboard Mir for the next two year period. The crew also transferred 4800 pounds of science and mission hardware, food, water and air to Mir and returned over 1100 pounds of U.S. and ESA science and Russian hardware.

Clifford performed a 6-hour spacewalk, the first while docked to an orbiting space station, to mount experiment packages on the Mir docking module to detect and assess debris and contamination in a space station environment. The experiments will be retrieved by a future Shuttle mission. This mission was also the first flight of Kidsat, an electronic camera controlled by classroom students via a Ku-bank link between JSC Mission Control and the Shuttle, which uses digitized photography from the Shuttle for science and education. Following 145 orbits of the Earth, Atlantis landed with a crew of five at Edwards Air Force Base in California on March 31, 1996.

Rich Clifford left NASA in January 1997 to accept the position of Space Station Flight Operations Manager for Boeing Defense and Space Group.

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Ronald M. Sega, Mission Specialist

NAME: Ronald M. Sega (Ph.D.) NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born December 4, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Nordonia High School, Macedonia, Ohio, in 1970; received a bachelor of science degree in Mathematics and Physics from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1974, a master of science degree in Physics from Ohio State in 1975, and a doctorate in Electrical Engineering from University of Colorado in 1982.

ORGANIZATIONS: American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) - Associate Fellow (1992), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), American Physical Society (APS), Institute for the Advancement of Engineering - Fellow (1992), Society for Photo-Optical Instrumentation Engineers (SPIE), Air Force Reserve Officer Association, Association of Space Explorers, and Eta Kappa Nu.

SPECIAL HONORS: Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, 1974. Top Graduate of the Pilot Instructor Training Course, 1976. Officer of the Year in the Department of Physics, U.S. Air Force Academy, 1980. Recipient of Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, Commendation Medal, and Reserve Achievement Medal. Air Force Research Fellow - Air Force Office of Scientific Research, 1985. Received the Outstanding Faculty Award - Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Colorado, 1985. Selected to the Academic Hall of Fame of his high school in Macedonia, Ohio, 1988. Reserve Officer of the Year (IMA), Air Force Space Command, 1988; Reserve Officer of the Year (IMA), U.S. Air Force, 1988. Received an honorary doctorate from Clarkson University, 1993. Recipient of the NASA Space Flight Medal, 1994 and 1996. Superior Achievement Award (NASA Director of Operations, Russia), 1995.

EXPERIENCE: Dr. Sega graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1974, and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force. He earned a masters degree in Physics at Ohio State University in 1975. Completing pilot training in 1976 he served as an Instructor Pilot at Williams AFB, Arizona, until 1979.

From 1979 to 1982 he was on the faculty of the U.S. Air Force Academy in the Department of Physics where he designed and constructed a laboratory facility to investigate microwave fields using infrared techniques while pursuing a doctorate in Electrical Engineering.

In 1982 he joined the faculty of the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs as Assistant Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. He was promoted to Associate Professor in 1985, granted tenure in 1988, promoted to Professor in 1990, and is currently on an extended leave of absence.

From 1987 to 1988 he served as Technical Director, Lasers and Aerospace Mechanics Directorate, of the Frank J. Seiler Research Laboratory at the U.S. Air Force Academy. From 1989 to 1990, while on leave from the University of Colorado, he served as Research Associate Professor of Physics at the University of Houston, affiliated with the Space Vacuum Epitaxy Center, and currently is Adjunct Professor of Physics. Dr. Sega is a Co-Principal Investigator of the Wake Shield Facility (WSF)which has flown on Space Shuttle mission STS-60 in February 1994 and STS-69 in 1995, also serving as mission director for WSF. He has authored or co-authored over 100 technical publications.

An Air Force Reserve Officer, he holds an aeronautical rating of Command Pilot and the rank of Colonel. He serves as a reserve augmentee to the Director, Plans, Air Force Space Command.

As a pilot, Dr. Sega has logged over 4,000 hours in the Air Force, Air Force Reserves, and NASA.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Sega became an astronaut in July 1991, qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle flight crews. His technical assignments have included: working Remote Manipulator System (RMS) issues for the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch; supporting Orbiter software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); Chief of Astronaut Appearances; Science Support Group Lead; Space Station integration team; Astronaut Representative to the Space Station Science and Utilization Advisory Board (primarily an external board for NASA).

Dr. Sega was a mission specialist on STS-60, the first joint U.S./Russian Space Shuttle Mission. Launched on February 3, 1994, STS-60 was the second flight of the Space Habitation Module-2 (Spacehab-2), and the first flight of the Wake Shield Facility (WSF-1). During the 8-day flight, the crew of Discovery conducted a wide variety of biological materials science, Earth observation, and life science experiments. He was the "flight engineer" for ascent and entry on this mission, performed several experiments on orbit, and operated the robotic arm, berthing the Wake Shield onto its payload bay carrier on four separate occasions. Following 130 orbits of the Earth in 3,439,705 miles, STS-60 landed at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 11, 1994. With the completion of his first space flight, Dr. Sega has logged 199 hours in space.

From November 1994 to March 1995, Dr. Sega was the NASA Director of Operations, Star City, Russia (The Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center) responsible for managing NASA activities at Star City. These activities involved building an organization and infrastructure to support Astronaut and Cosmonaut mission and science training for flight on the Russian Space Station Mir. He also participated in training on Russian Space Systems and was the first American to train in the Russian EVA suit (Orlan) in their underwater facility (Hydrolaboratory).

Dr. Sega was a mission specialist on STS-76, the third docking mission to the Russian space station Mir, launched on March 22, 1996 with a crew of six aboard Atlantis. Following rendezvous and docking with Mir, a NASA Astronaut transferred to Mir for a five month stay to begin a continuous presence of U.S. astronauts aboard Mir for the next two year period. Dr. Sega was the Payload Commander for this mission and lead on Biorack, a small multipurpose laboratory located in the Spacehab module carried in the Shuttle payload bay. Biorack was used to technology development, fundamental biology (research into plant and animal cellular function), and environment characterization. He was responsible for planning and on-orbit operations, including extensive transfer of logistics and science, including 4800 pounds of science and mission hardware, food, water and air to Mir, and returning over 1100 pounds of U.S. and ESA science and Russian hardware. Following 144 orbits of the Earth, Atlantis landed with a crew of five at Edwards Air Force Base in California on March 31, 1996.

Dr. Sega left NASA on July 1, 1996 to become Dean of the College of Engineering and Applied Science, University of Colorado at Colorado Springs.