George D. Zamka

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George Zamka
George Zamka
Country: United States
Organization: NASA
selected on June 4, 1998
( 17th NASA Group )
Calls: 2 space flights
Start of the
first space flight: 		October 23, 2007
Landing of the
last space flight: 		February 22, 2010
Time in space: 28d 20h 29min
retired on August 2011
Space flights

George David Zamka (born June 29, 1962 in Jersey City , New Jersey , USA ) is a former American astronaut .

education

Zamka grew up in Rochester ( Michigan on), where he graduated from high school 1980th He then studied at the US Naval Academy and earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics in 1984 .

Zamka joined the US Marines and was trained as a pilot in 1985 after completing an officer course. He was transferred to an A-6 unit posted to Japan, Korea, and the Philippines. This was followed by training courses for instructors in tactics and aircraft armament. After an advanced course on the F / A-18 fighter-bomber , he was assigned to a squadron that also carried out missions in Asia. His unit was also involved in Operation Desert Storm in early 1991 - of the 557 combat missions, 66 were on Zamka.

After receiving his test pilot license in 1994, Zamka further developed the F / A-18 at the Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron in Patuxent River, Maryland . He then enrolled at the Florida Institute of Technology , studied industrial engineering and received a master's degree in 1997 . Then he resumed his military service and worked as an aircraft maintenance officer.

Astronaut activity

Zamka was introduced by NASA as an astronaut candidate in June 1998; he was one of eight shuttle pilots. After completing the basic course, he worked as a trainer, among other things. He also led the shuttle training for the 19th astronaut group in 2004.

STS-120

From June 2006, Zamka was preparing for its first space flight. He was a pilot of the STS-120 mission , which started on October 23, 2007 and ended after 15 days.

STS-130

On December 5, 2008, his participation in the STS-130 mission as a commander was announced. The take-off took place on February 8, 2010, the landing on February 22.

According to NASA

Zamka resigned from NASA in August 2011 and went to the FAA . Zamka has been working for Bigelow Aerospace since July 2014 as Director of the BA 330 Crew and Cargo Program.

See also

Web links

Commons : George D. Zamka  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ NASA Assigns Astronaut Crews for Future Space Shuttle Missions. NASA, December 5, 2008, accessed December 7, 2008 .
  2. ^ NASA astronaut George Zamka Leaves Agency. In: NASA Press Release J13-006. NASA, March 11, 2013, accessed March 15, 2013 .
personal data
SURNAME Zamka, George D.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Zamka, George David (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American astronaut
DATE OF BIRTH June 29, 1962
PLACE OF BIRTH Jersey City , New Jersey