John M. Fabian
John Fabian | |
---|---|
NASA astronaut | |
Rank | Colonel, USAF |
Time in space | 13d 4h 2m |
Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
Missions | STS-7 STS-51-G |
Mission insignia |
John McCreary Fabian (born January 28, 1939) is a former NASA astronaut and Air Force officer who flew two Space Shuttle missions and worked on the development of the Shuttle's robotic arm. He later led the Air Force's space operations.
Personal data
Born January 28, 1939, in
In 1998 he retired to Port Ludlow, Washington, bordered by Hood Canal and the Olympic Mountains on northwest Washington's Olympic Peninsula. In 2002 he helped form the Hood Canal Coalition, an environmental watchdog group opposing a new industrial harbor complex and a gravel mine's shipping operation slated to transverse the Hood Canal Bridge.[1]
From 2000 to 2011, he participated in the "Lunch with an Astronaut" and "Astronaut Encounter" events at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. He resumed his involvement in 2022, and has since been a regular feature in the restructured "Chat with an Astronaut" program, as well as "Astronaut Encounter".[2]
Education
Graduated from Pullman High School, Pullman, Washington, in 1957; received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Washington State University in 1962;[3] a Master of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology in 1964; and a doctorate in aeronautics and astronautics from the University of Washington in 1974. While at Washington State University, he was a member of the Phi Sigma Kappa fraternity. Member of Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Tau engineering honor societies.[1] WSU Commander of Arnold Air Society 1960–61.
Military experience
Fabian, an Air Force
He has logged 4,000 hours flying time, including 3,400 hours in jet aircraft.[1]
NASA experience
Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978, and became an astronaut in August 1979. During the following years, he worked extensively on satellite deployment and retrieval activities, including development of the Canadian
Colonel Fabian retired from the USAF in June 1987 and joined
He currently lives in Port Ludlow, Washington. Fabian continues to serve as an independent consultant and public speaker on the NASA space program and environmental stewardship.Space flight experience
Fabian first flew as a mission specialist on
Fabian was the first person to deploy and subsequently retrieve a free-flying satellite. In doing so, he used the Canadian-built robotic arm to release and later recapture the SPAS-01 satellite.[1]
On his second mission, Fabian flew on STS-51-G which launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 17, 1985, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on June 24, 1985, after completing approximately 170 hours of space flight. This international crew deployed communications satellites for Mexico (Morelos), the Arab League (Arabsat), and the United States (AT&T Telstar). They used the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to deploy and later retrieve the SPARTAN satellite which performed 17 hours of x-ray astronomy experiments while separated from the Space Shuttle. In addition, the crew activated the Automated Directional Solidification Furnace (ADSF), six Getaway Specials, participated in biomedical experiments, and conducted a laser tracking experiment as part of the Strategic Defense Initiative.[1][8]
Associations
Fellow, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Fellow, American Astronautical Society; President, Association of Space Explorers - USA; Member, International Academy of Astronautics; Vice President, International Astronautical Federation; Served 4 terms as International Co-president of the Association of Space Explorers. Trustee, Washington State University Foundation. Trustee, Phi Sigma Kappa Foundation. Served with the Presidential Commission Investigating the Space Shuttle Challenger Accident and the Presidential Commission on Design of the International Space Station. Member of NASA Advisory Committees on the Joint US-Russian Space Shuttle - MIR Program and the International Space Station Operation and Utilization. Member, Advisory Committee, Georgia Tech Research Institute.
Founder of Hood Canal Coalition, a statewide organization of nearly 4000 members with the support of more than 60 other, independent environmental, political, recreational, tribal, and community groups. The coalition opposes the industrialization of Hood Canal and the development of a harbor complex intended to load strip-mined gravel onto ships the size of aircraft carriers and barges the size of football fields. Major national, state, regional and local elected officials support the work of the coalition.[9]
Knight or Chevalier, Confrerie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, France, 1989. Honorary Commander, Commanderie du Bontemps, Pulliac France, 1985.
Honors
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Biographical data: John M. Fabian (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) NASA Astronaut (Former)" (PDF). NASA. December 1993. Retrieved January 21, 2021.
- ^ "Astronaut Appearance Schedule | Meet an Astronaut | Kennedy Space Center | John Fabian". Retrieved June 11, 2023.
- ^ "John Fabian "It's all about the derivative"". Washington State University. 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ a b Ross-Nazzal, Jennifer (February 10, 2006). "NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project, Edited Oral History Transcript, John M. Fabian" (Interview). Houston, Texas. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "1991: ANSER's Lead: Englund to Fabian". anser.org. August 22, 1991. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ "STS-7 Challenger". spacefacts.de. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Seattle Post-Intelligencer (March 25, 2004). "Seeing Earth from on high made ex-astronaut want to save it". Retrieved May 31, 2008.
- ^ "STS-51G Discovery". spacefacts.de. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ a b McFarland, Cydney (October 8, 2017). "John Fabian wins Eleanor Stopps award for Hood Canal Coalition work". Retrieved January 29, 2023.
- ^ Chew, Jeff (May 9, 2010). "Retired astronaut in Port Ludlow among Puget Sound Legacy recipients". Peninsula Daily News. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
External links