Richard M. Mullane
From The Space Library
 Richard M. Mullane | |
| Birth Name | Richard M. Mullane |
|---|---|
| Birth Date | Sept 10 1945 |
| Occupation | NASA Astronaut (former), (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) |
Contents |
Personal Data
Born September 10, 1945, in Wichita Falls, Texas, but considers Albuquerque, New Mexico, to be his hometown. Married to the former Donna Marie Sei of Albuquerque, New Mexico. They have three grown children. Recreational interests include backpacking, skiing, and running.
Education
Graduated from St. Pius X Catholic High School, Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1963; received a bachelor of science degree in Military Engineering from the United States Military Academy in 1967; and awarded a master of science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1975.
Experience
Mullane, an Air Force Colonel, was graduated from West Point in 1967. He completed 150 combat missions as an RF-4C weapon system operator while stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Base, Vietnam, from January to November 1969. He subsequently served a 4-year tour of duty in England. In July 1976, upon completing the USAF Flight Test Engineering Course at Edwards Air Force Base, California, he was assigned as a flight test weapon system operator to the 3246th Test Wing at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
Spaceflight Experience
NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in January 1978, Mullane became an astronaut in August 1979. A veteran of three space flights, he has logged a total of 356 hours in space. He was a mission specialist on the crew of STS-41D (August 30 to September 5, 1984), STS-27 (December 2-6, 1988), and STS-36 in (February 28 to March 4, 1990). STS-41D Discovery, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30, 1984. This was the maiden flight of the Orbiter Discovery. During this 7-day mission the crew successfully activated the OAST-1 solar cell wing experiment, deployed three satellites, operated the CFES-III experiment, the student crystal growth experiment, and photography experiments using the IMAX motion picture camera. STS-41D completed 96 orbits of the earth in 145 hours before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 5, 1984. STS-27 Atlantis, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 2, 1988. The mission carried a DOD payload, as well as a number of secondary payloads. After 68 orbits of the earth, the mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 6, 1988. Mission duration was 105 hours. STS-36 Atlantis, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 28, 1990. This mission carried Department of Defense payloads together with a number of secondary payloads. After 72 orbits of the earth, the STS-36 mission concluded with a lakebed landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on March 4, 1990.
Organizations
Special Honours
Awarded 6 Air Medals, the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, Meritorious Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Air Force Commendation Medal, and NASA Space Flight Medal; named a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Navigator Training School (and recipient of its Commander's Trophy), the USAF Institute of Technology; and the USAF Test Pilot School.
Other Information
Colonel Mullane retired from NASA and the USAF in September 1990. He is self-employed as a professional speaker & writer and resides in Albuquerque, NM. His first novel, Red Sky, A Novel of Love, Space, & War was published in June 1993 by Northwest Publishing, Inc. of Salt Lake City, UT.
Jan-96
