Jerry L. Ross

Jerry Ross
NASA astronaut
Rank	Colonel, USAF
Time in space	58d 0h 52m
Selection	NASA Group 9 (1980)
Total EVAs	9
Total EVA time	57h 55m[1]
Missions	STS-61-B STS-27 STS-37 STS-55 STS-74 STS-88 STS-110
Mission insignia

Jerry Lynn Ross (born January 20, 1948,

).

His papers, photographs, and many personal items are in the Barron Hilton Flight and Space Exploration Archives at Purdue University. He was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame during ceremonies in May 2014.

Ross is the author of Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer (Purdue University Press, 2013) with John Norberg. In March 2014, it was announced Spacewalker would be available in a French translation through the specialist aerospace publisher, Altipresse.

Fellow astronaut, Chris Hadfield, describes Ross in his 2013 autobiography, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth, as "the embodiment of the trustworthy, loyal, courteous and brave astronaut archetype."^[2]

Education

Ross graduated from

Military career

Ross, an Air Force ROTC student at Purdue University, received his commission upon graduation in 1970. After receiving his master's degree from Purdue in 1972, he entered active duty with the Air Force and was assigned to the Ramjet Engine Division of Air Force Aero-Propulsion Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, in Ohio. He conducted computer-aided design studies on ramjet propulsion systems, served as the project engineer for captive tests of a supersonic ramjet missile using a rocket sled track, and as the project manager for preliminary configuration development of the ASALM strategic air-launched missile.

From June 1974 to July 1975, he was the

flying qualities flight test engineer, was responsible for the stability, control, and flight control system testing performance on the B-1 aircraft. As chief B-1 flight test engineer, he was also responsible for training and supervising all Air Force B-1 flight test engineer crew members and for performing the mission planning for the B-1 offensive avionics test aircraft.

Ross has flown in 21 different types of aircraft, holds a

's license, and has logged over 3,900 flying hours, the majority in military aircraft. He retired from the Air Force on March 31, 2000.

NASA career

In February 1979, Ross was assigned to the

.

Ross flew as a

(see below)

In addition to his record number of launches, among his many personal milestones, Ross held the U.S. record for spacewalks (9) until that was surpassed by the current record holder,

satellite launch and therefore information about the flight has never been released.

In 2013 John Norberg, who worked with Ross on his book, filed a Freedom of Information Act concerning STS-27 with the National Reconnaissance Office. The NRO confirmed it had control of the records and declined to release any information about the flight. Ross has never commented on the objectives or his work on STS-27. Ross officially ranks third in the world for spacewalks behind Russian Anatoly Solovyev (16) and Lopez-Alegria.

Ross served as Chief of the Vehicle Integration Test Office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas until he retired in January 2012.

Ross retired from NASA on January 28, 2012, after being the first person to launch into space 7 times. He also leaves NASA after placing third in the most spacewalks after completing 9 EVA's.^[4]

Spaceflight experience

, California, on December 3, 1985.

STS-27 Atlantis, was launched from KSC on December 2, 1988. The mission carried a Department of Defense payload, as well as a number of secondary payloads. After 68 orbits of the Earth in 105 hours, 6 minutes, 19 seconds, the mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 6, 1988. The mission is noteworthy due to the severe damage Atlantis sustained to its critical heat-resistant tiles during ascent.

STS-37 Atlantis, was launched from KSC on April 5, 1991, and deployed the 35,000 pound Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Ross performed two spacewalks totaling 10 hours and 49 minutes to manually deploy the stuck Gamma Ray Observatory antenna and to test prototype Space Station Freedom hardware. After 93 orbits of the Earth in 143 hours, 32 minutes, 44 seconds, the mission concluded with a landing on Runway 33, at Edwards Air Force Base, on April 11, 1991.

STS-74 Atlantis, launched from KSC on November 12, 1995, was NASA's second Space Shuttle mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. During the eight-day flight, t the crew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis attached a permanent docking module to Mir, conducted a number of secondary experiments, and transferred 1+1⁄2 tons of supplies and experiment equipment between Atlantis and the Mir station. Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center on November 20 after accomplishing their achievements in 129 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.4 million miles in 196 hours, 30 minutes, 44 seconds.^[5]

STS-88 Endeavour (December 4–15, 1998) was the first International Space Station assembly mission. During the 12-day mission, the U.S.-built Unity module was mated with the Russian Zarya module. Ross performed three spacewalks totaling 21 hours 22 minutes to connect umbilicals and attach tools/hardware. The crew also deployed two satellites, Mighty Sat 1 and SAC-A. The mission was accomplished in 185 orbits of the Earth in 283 hours and 18 minutes.^[5]

Organizations

Ross is a lifetime member of the Association of Space Explorers, the Purdue Alumni Association, and a corresponding member of the International Academy of Astronautics.

Awards and honors

• Defense Superior Service Medal with one Oak Leaf
• Legion of Merit
• Oak Leaf Clusters
• Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf
• USAF Test Pilot School
• Outstanding Flight Test Engineer Award, Class 75B
• Recipient of 15 NASA medals
• American Astronautical Society Victor A. Prather Award for space walking achievements (1985, 1990, 1999), and Flight Achievement Award (1992, 1996, 1999, 2002)
• Honorary Doctor of Science
  , Purdue University
• Jerry Ross Elementary School in Crown Point, Indiana was named after him.

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the

.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jerry L. Ross.