David Leestma
| David Leestma | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Country: | United States |
| Organization: | NASA |
| selected on | May 19, 1980 ( 9th NASA Group ) |
| Calls: | 3 space flights |
| Start of the first space flight: |
5th October 1984 |
| Landing of the last space flight: |
April 2, 1992 |
| Time in space: | 22d 4h 32min |
| EVA inserts: | 1 |
| EVA total duration: | 3h 29min |
| retired on | December 1992 |
| Space flights | |
David Cornell Leestma (born May 6, 1949 in Muskegon , Michigan , USA ) is a retired American astronaut .
Military career
Leestma received a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1971 and a masters' degree in aerospace engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1972 .
Leestma was stationed on the frigate USS Hepburn in 1971 . After his training as a naval aviator, he took part in three overseas missions in the Mediterranean and North Atlantic on board the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy . In 1977 he was transferred to Naval Air Station Point Mugu , California, where he conducted tests on the F-14 fighter.
Astronaut activity
In May 1980, Leestma was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. After his first flight, Leestma worked as a liaison officer ( CAPCOM ) for the missions from STS-51-C to STS-61-A . He then became head of the Mission Development department. From February 1990 to September 1991 he was Deputy Director and from November 1992 Director of Flight Crew Operations, responsible for the selection of spacemen and the allocation of the shuttle crews. As of September 1998 worked for the Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) Project. In August he became project manager for the Johnson Space Center (JSC) for the Space Launch Initiative. After that, Leestma worked for the orbital space plane program at JSC. He currently works as a manager in the JSC Exploration Programs Office.
STS-41-G
On October 5, 1984, Leestma started as a mission specialist with the space shuttle Challenger for its first mission ( STS-41-G ) into space . In addition to the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, a large number of experiments were carried out. Together with Kathryn Sullivan , he undertook an EVA of 3.5 hours, during which, among other things, the refueling of satellites with hydrazine fuel was practiced.
STS-61-E
The STS-61-E mission with the Columbia space shuttle should have launched the ASTRO-1 Spacelab mission into space in March 1986. The flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster . The team would have consisted of Jon McBride , Richard Richards , David Leestma, Jeffrey Hoffman , Robert Parker , Samuel Durrance and Ronald Parise .
STS 61-N
His second nomination to a space shuttle crew Leestma received in December 1985. He served as mission specialist for the mission 61-N STS of the US Department of Defense provided. Other crew members were Commander Brewster Shaw , pilot Mike McCulley , the other mission specialists Jim Adamson and Mark Brown , as well as payload specialist Frank Casserino of the US Air Force. However, this flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster .
STS-71-A
The STS-71-A mission with the space shuttle Atlantis should have brought the ASTRO-2 Spacelab mission into space on January 12, 1987. The flight was canceled after the Challenger disaster. The team would have consisted of Jon McBride , Richard Richards , David Leestma, Jeffrey Hoffman , Robert Parker , payload specialist Kenneth Nordsieck and one of the two other payload specialists Samuel Durrance and Ronald Parise .
STS-28
On August 8, 1989, Leestma flew into space for the second time as a mission specialist on the Columbia space shuttle . STS-28 was a US Department of Defense flight with a secret payload.
STS-45
On March 24, 1992, Leestma flew into space as a mission specialist on the space shuttle Atlantis as part of the ATLAS-1 mission (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science). During this Spacelab mission, studies in the fields of atmospheric chemistry , solar radiation , plasma physics and ultraviolet astronomy were carried out.
Private
David Leestma is married with six children.
See also
Web links
- Short biography of David Leestma at spacefacts.de
- NASA biography of David Leestma (English; PDF)
- Biography of David Leestma in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Leestma, David |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Leestma, David Cornell |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronaut |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 6, 1949 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Muskegon , Michigan, USA |