James van Hoften
| James van Hoften | |
|---|---|
|
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| Country: | United States |
| Organization: | NASA |
| selected on | January 16, 1978 ( 8th NASA Group ) |
| Calls: | 2 space flights |
| Start of the first space flight: |
April 6, 1984 |
| Landing of the last space flight: |
3rd September 1985 |
| Time in space: | 14d 1h 57min |
| EVA inserts: | 4th |
| EVA total duration: | 21h 8min |
| retired on | August 1, 1986 |
| Space flights | |
James Dougal Adrianus "Ox" van Hoften (born June 11, 1944 in Fresno , California ) is a former American astronaut .
Van Hoften received a bachelor's degree in civil engineering from the University of California, Berkeley in 1966 and a masters degree in 1968 and an honorary doctorate in 1976 , both in hydraulic engineering from Colorado State University . From 1969 to 1974 he was a pilot in the United States Navy . In 1972 he flew about 60 combat missions over Vietnam. From 1974 van Hoften resumed his academic studies for his doctoral thesis. In September 1976 he accepted a position as assistant professor in civil engineering at the University of Houston .
Astronaut activity
In January 1978, James van Hoften was selected by NASA as an astronaut aspirant. He was involved in the preparations for the first space shuttle flight STS-1 and, as head of the support team at the Kennedy Space Center, was responsible for tests and preparations for the shuttle launch.
STS-41-C
On April 6, 1984 van Hoften started as a mission specialist with the space shuttle Challenger on his first flight into space . During two space exits , the defective solar observation satellite SolarMax was caught and repaired by van Hoften and his astronaut colleague George Nelson . In addition, the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF) with 57 experiments was suspended, which was later recaptured with STS-32 and brought back to Earth. After seven days, van Hoften landed at Edwards Air Force Base .
STS-51-I
With the space shuttle Discovery van Hoften started on August 27, 1985 as a mission specialist for the mission STS-51-I . The five-man crew put three communications satellites into orbit. In addition, a defective satellite launched on the STS-51-D mission was captured, repaired and then relocated. Van Hoften and his colleague William Fisher carried out two space exits .
STS-61-G
Van Hoften's third assignment was scheduled for May 1986. The Galileo space probe should have been deployed during the STS-61-G mission . However, after the Challenger disaster in January 1986, all shuttle flights were suspended.
According to NASA
In 1986 van Hoften moved to the Bechtel Corporation . He is currently Senior Vice President and Managing Director of Global Aviation at Bechtel in London .
Private
James van Hoften is married and has three children.
See also
Web links
- Short biography of James van Hoften at spacefacts.de
- NASA biography of James van Hoften (English; PDF)
- Biography of James van Hoften in the Encyclopedia Astronautica (English)
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Hoften, James van |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Hoften, James Dougal Adrianus van; Hoften, Ox van (nickname) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American astronaut |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 11, 1944 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Fresno , California |