Richard Alan Searfoss

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Richard Searfoss
Richard Searfoss
Country: United States
Organization: NASA
selected on Jan 17, 1990
( 13th NASA Group )
Calls: 3 space flights
Start of the
first space flight: 		October 18, 1993
Landing of the
last space flight: 		May 3, 1998
Time in space: 39d 3h 18min
retired on 1998
Space flights

Richard Alan Searfoss (born June 5, 1956 in Mount Clemens , state of Michigan , USA - † September 29, 2018 in Bear Valley Springs , California ) was an American astronaut .

Career

Searfoss received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1978 and a master's degree in aerospace engineering from the California Institute of Technology in 1979 .

After joining the US Air Force, Searfoss received his pilot's license in 1980. From 1981 to 1984 he was stationed as an F-111F pilot in Lakeneath, England. He was then until 1987 at Mountain Home Air Force Base , Idaho, pilot instructor and weapons systems officer on the F-111A . In 1988 he received training as a test pilot and worked until 1990 as a pilot instructor at Edwards Air Force Base .

Astronaut activity

In January 1990, Searfoss was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. After completing his training as a shuttle pilot, he worked in various areas of the astronaut's office.

STS-58

On October 18, 1993, Searfoss took off as a pilot of the Columbia space shuttle on its first mission into space . This was the Spacelab mission SLS-2 and served to research the effects of weightlessness on the human body. The landing took place at Edwards Air Force Base.

STS-76

On March 22, 1996 Searfoss took off as a pilot of the space shuttle Atlantis to the Russian space station Mir . On the third rendezvous mission, the astronaut Shannon Lucid was brought to the Mir space station. In addition, supplies, equipment and experimental supplies were delivered. In addition, various devices were installed outboard of the station and technological and biological experiments were carried out in the spacehab.

STS-90

On April 17, 1998, Searfoss took part in its second Spacelab mission, STS-90, as commander of the Columbia space shuttle. The 16-day Neurolab mission primarily served to research the effects of weightlessness on the brain and nervous system .

According to NASA

After retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1998, Searfoss worked as a test pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center . He officiated as referee for the Ansari X-Prize and on October 4, 2004 named SpaceShipOne as the winner in the competition for the first private space flight. He was also a test pilot instructor at the National Test Pilot School at Mojave Air & Space Port . As a test pilot, he flew the EZ-Rocket rocket aircraft from XCOR Aerospace .

Searfoss worked as a flight instructor at the National Test Pilot School on the Mojave Air & Space Port and acted as a motivational speaker. In several Hollywood films he acted as a consultant a. a. at The Core - The Inner Core and Oblivion . He made a cameo in the film Green Lantern .

Searfoss received u. a. the Air Force Commendation Medal , the Distinguished Flying Cross and NASA both the Medals for Exceptional Service Medal as well as for Outstanding Leadership .

Private

Richard Searfoss leaves behind a wife and three daughters.

See also

Web links

Commons : Richard A. Searfoss  - Collection of Images, Videos and Audio Files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d Astronaut Rick Searfoss, flew three space shuttle missions, dies at 62 collectspace, October 9, 2018
personal data
SURNAME Searfoss, Richard Alan
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American astronaut
DATE OF BIRTH 5th June 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Mount Clemens , Michigan, USA
DATE OF DEATH 29th September 2018
Place of death Bear Valley Springs , California