Jon McBride

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This article is about the astronaut. For the film director, see Jon McBride (filmmaker).
Jon McBride
NASA astronaut
RankCaptain, USN
Time in space
8d 5h 23m
SelectionNASA Group 8 (1978)
MissionsSTS-41-G
STS-61-E (never flew)
Mission insignia
RetirementMay 12, 1989

Jon Andrew McBride (born August 14, 1943), is a retired NASA astronaut and American naval officer.

Over the course of his career with the

aeronautical engineer.[1]
He had achieved the rank of captain when he retired in 1989.

McBride was also an

cancelled in the wake of the Challenger disaster
.

Early life, education and personal life

Jon McBride was born August 14, 1943, in

Human Resource Management at Pepperdine University. At West Virginia, McBride became a member of the Phi Delta Theta
fraternity.

McBride has three children: Richard M. (March 3, 1962 – January 14, 1992),[2] Melissa L. (December 12, 1966), and Jon A. (born October 21, 1970). He has 8 grandchildren: Megan, Collin, Richard, Austin, Cadi, Bailey, Ryan (1999–2021), and Kendall.[3]

Military career

McBride's naval service began in 1965 with flight training at

F-4 Phantom II aircraft. He was subsequently assigned to Fighter Squadron 41 (VF-41) where he served 3 years as a fighter pilot and division officer. He has also served tours with VF-11 and VF-103. While deployed to Southeast Asia, McBride flew 64 combat missions during the Vietnam War
.

He attended the

civilian commercial pilot certificate (multi-engine), instrument, and glider
; and he previously served as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).

He logged over 8,800 hours flying time—including 4,700 hours in jet aircraft and over 600 carrier landings.

NASA career

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978, McBride became an astronaut in August 1979. His NASA assignments have included lead

orbital rendezvous
procedures development.

The crew of the STS-41-G mission. McBride is 1st from left on the bottom

McBride was pilot of STS-41-G, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 5, 1984, aboard the Orbiter Challenger. This was the first crew of seven. During their eight-day mission, crew members deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, conducted scientific observations of the Earth with the OSTA-3 pallet and Large Format Camera, and demonstrated potential satellite refueling with an EVA and associated hydrazine transfer. Mission duration was 197 hours and concluded with a landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 13, 1984.

McBride (sitting in the middle), as commander of never flown STS-61-E spaceflight

McBride was scheduled to fly next in March 1986, as the commander of

STS-61-E crew. This flight was one of several deferred by NASA in the wake of the Challenger accident
in January 1986.

On July 30, 1987, McBride was assigned to NASA Headquarters to serve as Assistant Administrator for Congressional Relations, with responsibility for NASA's relationship with the United States Congress, and for providing coordination and direction to all Headquarters and Field Center communications with Congressional support organizations. He held this post from September 1987 through March 1989. In 1988, McBride was named to command the crew of the STS-35 (ASTRO-1) mission, scheduled for launch in March 1990, but chose to retire from NASA instead.

On September 23, 2011, the NASA

Independent Verification and Validation Facility (IV&V) in Fairmont, West Virginia
dedicated a NASA software laboratory to the West Virginia native Jon McBride. The laboratory's official name is the Jon McBride Software Testing and Research Laboratory, or JSTAR. JSTAR is NASA IV&V's environment for adaptable testing and simulation, designed to enhance tools and methods used to critically assess mission and safety critical software across NASA's missions. The lab supports end to end testing on mission flight software through the application of analytical rigor to reduce the threat of software-related mission failure.

In September 2012, at the JSTAR one year celebration, NASA's IV&V Program launched the JSTAR website. The JSTAR website highlights all the work being performed under the JSTAR umbrella at NASA's IV&V facility.

Post-NASA career

Business career

In May 1989, McBride retired from NASA and the U.S. Navy, in order to pursue a business career. He was

Chief Executive Officer of the Flying Eagle Corporation in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and President of the Constructors' Labor Council of West Virginia (heavy/highway construction contractors).[4]

Political career

In 1996, he unsuccessfully vied for the

Governor of West Virginia, losing to Cecil H. Underwood.[5]

In subsequent years, he left West Virginia to pursue business opportunities in Arizona.

Kennedy Space Center & Retirement

By 2008, McBride was retired and living near Cocoa, Florida. According to a short interview on September 20, 2017, during a "Meet an Astronaut" event, he was also actively working on improving the Space Shuttle Experience ride. He proposed to assist in the development of a landing sequence for the ride.[6][7] McBride remained active supporting the "Lunch with an Astronaut" program at Kennedy Space Center until 2020 when he announced his retirement from duty at the visitor's center.[8]

Organizations

Executive Committee, Association of Space Explorers (Co-President, 1995–1996)

Awards and honors

See also

References

  1. ^ Ogintz, Eileen (March 16, 2009). "Astronaut encounters at Kennedy Space Center". CNN. Archived from the original on March 12, 2012. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  2. ^ "Richard M. McBride, LT, USN". U.S. Naval Academy Virtual Memorial Hall. U. S. Naval Academy. Retrieved May 30, 2022.
  3. ^ "McBride's children". Archived from the original on September 23, 2018. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
  4. ^ "Jon McBride". Williamson Daily News. May 10, 1996. p. 5A. Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  5. ISBN 9780847686117
    . Retrieved May 8, 2012.
  6. ^ KSC, Jeff Stuckey. "NASA - Space Shuttle Launch Experience". www.nasa.gov. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  7. ^ Tapscott, Sean. Personal interview with Jon A. McBride. September 20, 2017.
  8. ^ Kelly, Emre (January 10, 2020). "NASA astronaut Jon McBride retires from Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex". Florida Today. Retrieved January 16, 2023.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Jon McBride.

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