Kevin R. Kregel

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Kevin Kregel
NASA astronaut
RankColonel, USAF
Time in space
52d 18h 21m
SelectionNASA Group 14 (1992)
MissionsSTS-70
STS-78
STS-87
STS-99
Mission insignia
RetirementJune 27, 2002

Kevin Richard Kregel (born September 16, 1956) is an American former astronaut, and former member of the Space Launch Initiative Project at the

Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
.

Personal data

Born on September 16, 1956, Kregel grew up in

Life Scout. Kregel is currently married to Jeanne F. Kammer of Farmingdale, New York, with whom he has four children. His parents, Alfred H. Kregel Jr., and Frances T. Kregel, are deceased.[1]

Education

He graduated from

National Merit Scholar in 1974. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1978 and received a Master of Science degree in public administration from Troy University
in 1988.

Experience

Kregel graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978, and earned his

F-15E
aircraft. Kregel resigned from active duty in 1990 in order to work for NASA. He has logged over 5,000 flight hours in 30 different aircraft.

NASA experience

In April 1990, Kregel was employed by

T-38
avionics upgrade aircraft.

Selected by NASA in March 1992, Kregel reported to the

CAPCOM in Mission Control. A veteran of four space flights, Kregel has logged 52 days, 17 hours, 20 minutes and 5 seconds in space. He was the pilot on STS-70 (July 13–22, 1995) and STS-78 (June 20 to July 7, 1996), and was the spacecraft commander on STS-87 (November 19 to December 5, 1997) and STS-99 (February 11–22, 2000). Kregel was assigned to the Space Launch Initiative Project, Engineering Directorate, Johnson Space Center, until 2003, when he decided to retire from NASA. He went on to become a pilot for Southwest Airlines
until retiring on December 7, 2018.

Space flight experience

STS-70 Discovery (July 13–22, 1995) was a 9-day mission during which the crew performed a variety of experiments in addition to deploying the sixth and final NASA Tracking and Data Relay Satellite. The mission was completed in 142 orbits of the Earth, traveling 3.7 million miles in 214 hours, 20 minutes. STS-70 was the first mission controlled from the new combined control center.

STS-78 Columbia (June 20 to July 7, 1996) was a 16-day Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission. It included studies sponsored by ten nations and five space agencies, was the first mission to combine both a full microgravity studies agenda and a comprehensive life science investigation, and served as a model for future studies on board the International Space Station. STS-78 orbited the Earth 271 times, covering 7 million miles in 405 hours, 48 minutes.

STS-87 Columbia (November 19 to December 5, 1997) was the fourth U.S Microgravity Payload flight and focused on experiments to study how the weightless environment of space affects various physical processes, and observations of the Sun's outer atmospheric layers. Two members of the crew performed an EVA (spacewalk) which featured the manual capture of a Spartan satellite and also tested EVA tools and procedures for future Space Station assembly. The mission was accomplished in 252 Earth orbits during which the crew traveled 6.5 million miles in 376 hours, 34 minutes.

STS-99 (February 11–22, 2000) was an 11-day mission during which the international crew aboard Endeavour worked dual shifts to support payload operations. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission mapped more than 47 million miles of the Earth's land surface. The STS-99 mission was accomplished in 181 Earth orbits, traveling over 4 million miles in 268 hours and 38 minutes.

Special honors

References

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

National Aeronautics and Space Administration
.

  1. ^ "Kevin Kregel NASA Biography" (PDF). NASA. Retrieved April 3, 2021.

External links

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