Alan G. Poindexter
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Alan Poindexter | |
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NASA astronaut | |
Rank | Captain, USN |
Time in space | 27d 21h 9m |
Selection | NASA Group 17 (1998) |
Missions | STS-122 STS-131 |
Mission insignia |
Alan Goodwin "Dex" Poindexter (November 5, 1961 – July 1, 2012) was an American naval officer and a NASA astronaut. Poindexter was selected in the 1998 NASA Group (G17) and went into orbit aboard Space Shuttle missions STS-122 and STS-131.
Personal life
Poindexter was born to John Poindexter and Linda Poindexter in Pasadena, California, and grew up in Rockville, Maryland, which he considered to be his hometown. He was married to Lisa A. Pfeiffer of Gulf Breeze, Florida. They had two children. His recreational interests included motorcycling, running, weight lifting, water skiing, boating, hunting and fishing.
Education
Poindexter attended high school at
Military career
Poindexter was commissioned in the
Poindexter had more than 4,000 hours in over 30 aircraft types and logged over 450 carrier landings.
Following his retirement from the NASA Astronaut Corps in 2010, Poindexter returned to serve in the U.S. Navy as dean of students and executive director of programs at the Naval Postgraduate School.[2]
NASA career
Selected by NASA in June 1998, he reported for training in August 1998. Initially, Poindexter served in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch performing duties as the lead support astronaut at Kennedy Space Center. In December 2002, he was named as pilot on STS-120 mission to deliver the Harmony connecting node to the International Space Station; an assignment which abruptly ended with the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster just two months later. In July 2006, Poindexter was assigned as pilot on the STS-122 mission that delivered the European Space Agency's Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station in February 2008.
Poindexter served as a lead CAPCOM for the STS-125 mission to service the Hubble Space Telescope in May 2009, as well as the launch CAPCOM for the STS-127 mission in July 2009. He was the commander of STS-131, which launched in April 2010. The mission's primary payload was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module.
On his retirement from NASA service in December 2010,
Spaceflights
STS-131 aboard Discovery (April 5–20, 2010), a resupply mission to the International Space Station (ISS), launched just before dawn from the Kennedy Space Center. Upon arrival at the station, Discovery's crew performed three spacewalks to replace an empty ammonia tank for the ISS Thermal Control System. They also transferred more than 13,000 pounds of hardware, supplies and equipment. Included in the transfer, were a new crew sleeping quarters, and three scientific experiment racks. On the return journey, the MPLM (Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module) inside Discovery's payload bay was packed with more than 6,000 pounds of hardware, and scientific and technical research return samples. The STS-131 mission lasted 15 days, 02 hours, 47 minutes, 10 seconds, and traveled 6,232,235 statute miles in 238 Earth orbits.
After NASA he returned to the U.S. Navy.
Death
On July 1, 2012, Poindexter died due to injuries he received from a water scooter accident in Little Sabine Bay in Pensacola Beach, Florida. Poindexter had stopped his jet ski while riding with his son and was hit by another jet ski driven by his other son.[3] After being thrown in the water, he lost consciousness while being taken to shore. CPR was attempted, and he was airlifted to Baptist Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. NASA released a statement after he died, stating "The NASA family was sad to learn of the passing of our former friend, and colleague Alan Poindexter who was killed today during a jet ski accident in Florida. Our thoughts and hearts are with his family."[3][4][5][6]
Organizations
Awards and honors
1st Row | Naval Aviator Badge
| |||
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2nd Row | Legion of Merit | Defense Meritorious Service Medal | ||
3rd Row | Distinguished Flying Cross | Valor device
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Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
| |
4th Row | Navy Meritorious Unit Commendation
|
Battle “E”
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NASA Space Flight Medal | |
5th Row | National Defense Service Medal | Southwest Asia Service Medal | Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
| |
6th Row | Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) |
Marksmanship Medal for Rifle Expert |
Marksmanship Medal for Pistol Expert |
- Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division Test Pilot of the Year 1996
- Top Ten Carrier Aviator, Carrier Air Wing Nine
- NASA Aviation Safety Award
See also
References
- ^ "He reached the stars". Pensacola News Journal. Archived from the original on June 30, 2013. Retrieved June 19, 2008.
- ^ "Astronaut Alan Poindexter Leaves NASA". NASA. December 10, 2010. Archived from the original on December 15, 2010. Retrieved December 10, 2010.
- ^ a b c d "Alan G. Poindexter (1961–2012)". National Air and Space Museum. August 8, 2012.
- ^ "Retired NASA Astronaut Alan Poindexter Killed in Jet Ski Accident". AmericaSpace. July 2, 2012.
- ^ "NASA Extends Sympathy to Poindexter Family on Death of Former Astronaut". NASA. Retrieved July 3, 2012.
- ^ Spaceflight, Robert Z. Pearlman 2012-07-02T11:23:22Z Human (2 July 2012). "Former NASA Astronaut Alan Poindexter, 50, Dies in Jet Ski Accident". Space.com.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ "S.S. Alan Poindexter: Orbital ATK freighter named for late shuttle astronaut". collectSPACE. 7 June 2015.
External links
- "NASA Biography, ALAN G. POINDEXTER (CAPTAIN, USN) NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED)" (PDF). NASA. August 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2021.
- Spacefacts biography of Alan G. Poindexter