John Casper

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Not to be confused with Caspar John.
John Casper
NASA astronaut
RankColonel, USAF
Time in space
34d 9h 52m
SelectionNASA Group 10 (1984)
MissionsSTS-36
STS-54
STS-62
STS-77
Mission insignia

John Howard Casper (born July 9, 1943) is a former American astronaut and retired United States Air Force pilot.

Early life and education

Although born on July 9, 1943, in

Life Scout
.

He graduated with a

Engineering Science from the United States Air Force Academy in 1966, and a Master of Science degree in Astronautics from Purdue University in 1967.[1]

Military career

Before he was an astronaut, Casper was a

Royal Air Force Lakenheath, United Kingdom.[1]

Casper was selected to attend the

A-7 Corsair II aircraft. Casper then became operations officer and later commander of the 6513th Test Squadron, where he conducted flight test programs to evaluate and develop tactical aircraft weapons systems. He was then assigned to Headquarters, USAF at the Pentagon and was Deputy Chief of the Special Projects Office, where he developed USAF positions on requirements, operational concepts, policy and force structure for tactical and strategic programs.[1]

Colonel Casper has logged over 10,000 flying hours in 52 different aircraft.[3]

NASA astronaut

Selected by

Mission Control Center
.

Space flights

STS-36 launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 28, 1990, aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis. This mission carried classified Department of Defense payloads and was unique in that it flew at 62 degrees inclination, the highest inclination flown to date by the U.S. human space flight program. After 72 orbits of the Earth, the STS-36 mission concluded with a lakebed landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on March 4, 1990, after traveling 1.87 million miles. Mission duration was 106 hours, 19 minutes, 43 seconds.[5]

Milky Way galaxy. A highly successful extravehicular activity (EVA) resulted in many lessons learned that benefited the International Space Station assembly. The flight was also the first to shut down and restart a fuel cell in flight, successfully demonstrating another Space Station application. Casper landed Endeavour at the Kennedy Space Center on January 19, 1993, after 96 Earth orbits covering over 2.5 million miles. Mission duration was 143 hours and 38 minutes.[6]

Remote Manipulator System arm and for grasping payloads with a new magnetic end effector. Columbia flew at a record low altitude of 195 km (105 nautical miles) to gather data on spacecraft glow and erosion caused by atomic oxygen and nitrogen molecules. Casper landed Columbia at the Kennedy Space Center after 224 Earth orbits and 5.82 million miles.[7]

Spacehab Module. STS-77 deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN satellite, which carried the Inflatable Antenna Experiment designed to test the concept of large, inflatable space structures. A small Satellite Test Unit was also deployed to test the concept of self-stabilization by using aerodynamic forces and magnetic damping. Casper brought Endeavour back to Earth at the Kennedy Space Center after 160 Earth orbits and 4.1 million miles. Mission duration was 240 hours and 39 minutes.[8]

Post-flight Career

Following his last Shuttle mission, Colonel Casper has served in positions of increasing responsibility in NASA. He was Director of Safety, Reliability, and Quality Assurance at the Johnson Space Center, where he was responsible for all safety, reliability and quality activities for JSC's human spaceflight programs, including the International Space Station, the Space Shuttle, Space Launch Initiative, and Crew Return Vehicles. He also was responsible for planning, directing and implementing an effective institutional safety program to prevent injuries, loss of life, or loss of capital assets.[3]

After the Columbia disaster in February 2003, Casper became the NASA Mishap Investigation Team's deputy for the debris recovery operation, which involved directing the efforts of over 6,000 ground, air, and water search personnel, as well as protection and impoundment of debris. He was Co-Chair of the Return-To-Flight Planning Team, a NASA Headquarters-chartered independent team charged with addressing all actions necessary to comply with the Columbia Accident Investigation Board recommendations.[9] He then joined the Space Shuttle program and became Manager of the Management Integration and Planning Office, responsible for Return-to-Flight planning and management integration across all program elements. Casper is currently Associate Manager of the Space Shuttle Program, assisting the program manager in the management, integration, and operations of the program.[3]

In 2022, Casper published an autobiography of his experience in space titled The Sky Above An Astronaut’s Memoir of Adventure, Persistence, and Faith.[10]

Honors

Colonel Casper has been awarded the

Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, two NASA Distinguished Service Medals, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal, four NASA Space Flight Medals, and the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Air Force Col. John H. Casper, Atlantis co-pilot". United Press International. February 21, 1990. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  2. ^ USAF Test Pilot School 50 Years and Beyond. Privately Published. 1994. p. 241.
  3. ^ a b c d "John H. Casper (Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Ret.) Special Assistant for Program Integration Orion Program" (PDF). NASA. April 1991. Retrieved January 10, 2021.
  4. ^ "Spacefacts biography of John Casper". Spacefacts.de. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  5. ^ "STS-36 Atlantis". Spacefacts.de. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  6. ^ "STS-54 Endeavour". Spacefacts.de. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  7. ^ "STS-62 Columbia". Spacefacts.de. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  8. ^ "STS-77 Endeavour". Spacefacts.de. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  9. ^ "CSPAN Appearance - John Casper - Shuttle Return to Flight". C-SPAN. December 6, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2022.
  10. ^ "The Sky Above - An Astronaut's Memoir of Adventure, Persistence, and Faith". Purdue University Press. April 2022. Retrieved December 26, 2022.

External links

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