Alvin Drew

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Alvin Drew
NASA astronaut
RankColonel, USAF
Time in space
25d 13h[1]
SelectionNASA Group 18 (2000)
Total EVAs
2
Total EVA time
12h 48m
MissionsSTS-118
STS-133
Mission insignia

Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr. (born November 5, 1962) is a

African-American to fly on board a Space Shuttle, as the final two Space Shuttle missions, STS-134 and STS-135
, had no African-American crew members.

Drew was selected to be an astronaut in NASA's

Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Star City
, Russia, overseeing NASA's training operations there as director of operations.

On February 28, 2011, Drew became the 200th person to

Steve Bowen.[3]

Early life

Drew was born in 1962 in Washington, D.C., and spent his early years in Lanham, Maryland. He moved to Brookland, Washington, D.C., when he was four years old.[4] Drew recalls having a desire to be a pilot from as early as four years old.[4] In October 1968, at the age of five, Drew saw the Apollo 7 launch on television, and thereafter reputedly wished to become an astronaut.[4]

After graduating from St. Anthony Catholic School in 1977 for his elementary education, he graduated from

Air War College of Air University.[5]

Military career

Drew received his commission as a second lieutenant from the

Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. He completed USAF Fixed-Wing Qualification in 1993, and the United States Naval Test Pilot School in June 1994. He has commanded two flight test units and served on Air Combat Command staff.[5]

Drew is a command pilot with over 3,000 hours flying time, flown in over 30 types of aircraft. He retired from the air force in September 2010, after more than 25 years of service.[5]

NASA career

Selected as a mission specialist by NASA in July 2000, Drew reported for training in August 2000. Following the completion of two years of training and evaluation, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Station Operations Branch. He served in technical assignments until he took a sabbatical to the U.S. Air Force's

Air War College.[5]

After his first successful spaceflight,

Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Star City.[5] On April 21, 2009, he delivered a lecture “Space Shuttle Flight-118: A Mission to Build the International Space Station” at the ELE public forum in Moscow.[6]

STS-118

Main article: STS-118

When Clayton Anderson was moved to STS-117 Drew was selected for the available position on STS-118.[7]

STS-133

Drew and Nicole Stott during Flight Day 2 of STS-133
Main article: STS-133

Drew served as a mission specialist on

spacewalks. On February 28, Drew became the 200th person to walk in space.[8]

Awards and honors

Drew's decorations include the

Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters; Combat Readiness Medal with 5 Oak Leaf Clusters; National Defense Service Medal; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; and the Southwest Asia Service Medal with 3 service stars.[5]

Patti Grace Smith Fellowship

In October 2020, Drew co-founded the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, a branch of the Brooke Owens Fellowship intended to provide resources for African-American undergraduate students pursuing careers in aerospace.[9]

Personal life

Drew is Catholic.[10]

Gallery

  • Drew during his EVA on STS-133
    Drew during his EVA on STS-133
  • Group portrait in the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module
    Group portrait in the Leonardo Permanent Multipurpose Module
  • Drew floating inside the PMM
    Drew floating inside the PMM
  • Drew inside his EVA suit
    Drew inside his EVA suit
  • Drew working with Cady Coleman in the US laboratory module
    Drew working with Cady Coleman in the US laboratory module

See also

References

  1. ^ "Astronauts and Cosmonauts (sorted by "Time in Space")". Spacefacts.de. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
  2. ^ "STS-118 mission summary". NASA. 2007. Archived from the original on February 3, 2003. Retrieved December 8, 2012.
  3. ^ William Harwood (February 28, 2011). "Spacewalk concludes with all objectives accomplished". Spaceflight Now. Retrieved March 1, 2011.
  4. ^ a b c "Preflight Interview: Alvin Drew, Mission Specialist". NASA. October 7, 2010.
  5. ^ a b c d e f "BENJAMIN ALVIN DREW, JR. (COLONEL, USAF, RET.), NASA ASTRONAUT" (PDF). NASA. March 2011. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  6. ^ "ELE Speakers List". Archived from the original on May 1, 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2014.
  7. ^ Bergin, Chris (April 30, 2007). "Rookie Drew added to STS-118 crew". NASA SpaceFlight.com.
  8. BBC.com
    . March 1, 2011.
  9. ^ Nyirady, Annamarie (October 8, 2020). "Patti Grace Smith Fellowship Created to Empower Black Aerospace Students - Via Satellite -". Via Satellite. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
  10. ^ "Instagram post". Instagram. Retrieved April 15, 2024.

External links

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