William G. Gregory
From The Space Library
William G. Gregory | |
Birth Name | William G. Gregory |
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Birth Date | May 14 1957 |
Occupation | NASA Astronaut (former), (Lieutenant Colonel, USAF, Ret.) |
Contents |
[edit] Personal Data
Born May 14, 1957, in Lockport, New York. Married. He enjoys distance running, biking, triathlon, water and snow skiing. He has competed in the World Championships for Duathlon and the IRONMAN Triathlon; and flies a Pitts Special aerobatic biplane for fun.
[edit] Education
Graduated from Lockport Senior High School, Lockport, New York, in 1975; received a bachelor of science degree in engineering sciences from the United States Air Force Academy in 1979, a master of science degree in engineering mechanics from Columbia University in 1980, and a master of science degree in Management from Troy State in 1984.
[edit] Experience
Between 1981 and 1986, Gregory served as an operational fighter pilot flying the D and F models of the F-111. He attended the USAF Test Pilot School in 1987, and between 1988 and 1990 Gregory served as a test pilot at Edwards AFB flying the F-4, A-7D, and all five models of the F-15. Having flown in excess of 40 types of aircraft, Gregory has accumulated more than 5,000 hours of flight time.
[edit] Spaceflight Experience
NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in January 1990, Gregory became an astronaut in July 1991. Gregory's technical assignments included: Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); astronaut office representative for Landing/Rollout, T-38 Flying Safety; Kennedy Space Center Astronaut Support Personnel (ASP); spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in mission control; astronaut office representative for rendezvous and proximity operations; and Spacecraft Operations Branch Chief. He flew on STS-67 (1995) and has logged 400 hours in space. Gregory retired from the Air Force and left NASA in the Summer of 1999. Gregory served as the STS-67 pilot on the seven-person astronomical research mission aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavour. Launching from the Kennedy Space Center on March 2, 1995, and landing at Edwards AFB on March 18, 1995, the crew established a new mission duration record of 16 days, 15 hours, 8 minutes and 46 seconds, while completing 262 orbits and traveling nearly seven million miles. This second flight of the ASTRO telescope primary payload also included numerous secondary payloads.
[edit] Organizations
Member of the USAF Academy Association of Graduates, the Order of Daedalians, and several professional organizations.
[edit] Special Honours
Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the National Defense Service Medal. He is a Distinguished Graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, a Guggenheim Fellowship recipient, and is a Professional Engineer registered in the State of Colorado. Recipient of the 1996 Ellis Island Medal of Honor. Twice awarded the Honeywell Sales "Top Performer" award.
[edit] Other Information
Gregory spent nine years in Phoenix, Arizona, with Honeywell Defense & Space as the Senior Sales Manager for Human Spaceflight, landing the avionics role on the Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV). Beginning August 2008, he spent 2 years as vice president of business development for Micro-Tronics, Inc., in Tempe, Arizona. Then, in November 2010, Gregory was named as vice president of business development for Qwaltec, Inc.
Dec-10