Terrence W. Wilcutt
Terrence Wilcutt | |
---|---|
NASA astronaut | |
Rank | Colonel, USMC |
Time in space | 42d 0h 5m |
Selection | NASA Group 13 (1990) |
Missions | STS-68 STS-79 STS-89 STS-106 |
Mission insignia |
Terrence Wade Wilcutt (born October 31, 1949) is a United States Marine Corps officer and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. Wilcutt was NASA's Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance, until his retirement from NASA in December 2020.[1]
Personal
Born October 31, 1949, in Russellville, Kentucky, but raised in Louisville, Kentucky, Wilcutt graduated from Southern High School in 1967; and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics in 1974 from Western Kentucky University where he was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity. He then taught high school math for two years before entering the United States Marine Corps.
He was commissioned in 1976 and earned his
He has over 6,600 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.
NASA career
Wilcutt was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1990; he piloted missions STS-68 (1994) and STS-79 (1996). Wilcutt commanded mission STS-89 (1998) to the Mir space station and STS-106 (2000) to the International Space Station.
Wilcutt served as director of safety and mission assurance at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston where he was tasked with the Safety Technical Authority of the programs and projects at JSC as well as JSC's Institutional Safety program. Since Sept 1, 2011, Wilcutt has served as NASA's chief of safety and mission assurance. He was responsible for the development, implementation and oversight of all safety and mission assurance policies and procedures for all NASA programs. He retired from NASA on December 31, 2020.[1]
Spaceflight experience
STS-68 Endeavour (September 30 to October 11, 1994) was part of NASA's Mission to Planet Earth. STS-68, Space Radar Lab-2 (SRL-2), was the second flight of three advanced radars called SIR-C/X-SAR (Spaceborne Imaging Radar-C/X-Band Synthetic Aperture Radar), and a carbon-monoxide pollution sensor, MAPS (Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites). SIR-C/X-SAR and MAPS operated together in Endeavour's cargo bay to study Earth's surface and atmosphere, creating radar images of Earth's surface environment and mapping global production and transport of carbon monoxide pollution. Real-time crew observations of environmental conditions, along with over 14,000 photographs, aided the science team in interpreting the SRL data. The SRL-2 mission was a highly successful test of technology intended for long-term environmental and geological monitoring of planet Earth. STS-68 launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Mission duration was 11 days, 5 hours, 46 minutes, traveling 4.7 million miles in 183 orbits of the Earth.
STS-79
STS-89 Endeavour (January 22–31, 1998), was the eighth Shuttle-Mir docking mission during which the crew transferred more than 9,000 pounds of scientific equipment, logistical hardware and water from Space Shuttle Endeavour to Mir. In the fifth and last exchange of a U.S. astronaut, STS-89 delivered Andy Thomas to Mir and returned with David Wolf. Mission duration was 8 days, 19 hours and 47 seconds, traveling 3.6 million miles in 138 orbits of the Earth.
STS-106
Special honors
- Defense Superior Service Medal (1995)
- Distinguished Flying Cross (1998)
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal (1997)
- Navy Commendation Medal(1990)
- Sea Service Deployment Ribbon
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal (2001)
- NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal (2000)
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1998)
- NASA Space Flight Medals (4), (1994, 1996, 1998, 2000)
- American Astronautical Society Flight Achievement Award (1997)
- Federation Aeronautique Internationale(FAI) space award for outstanding achievements in the field of exploration of outer space.
- Distinguished Alumnus, Western Kentucky University
- Honorary Ph.D. of Science, Western Kentucky University (2000).
References
- ^ a b "Terrence W. Wilcutt, NASA's Chief of Safety and Mission Assurance". NASA. December 2020 [April 22, 2019]. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
- "TERRENCE W. WILCUTT (COLONEL, USMC), DIRECTOR, SAFETY & MISSION ASSURANCE, JOHNSON SPACE CENTER" (PDF). NASA. March 2010. Retrieved June 24, 2021. This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
- Biography of Terrence W. Wilcutt at Spacefacts.de