William Shepherd Explained

Bill Shepherd
Type:NASA astronaut
Birth Name:William McMichael Shepherd
Birth Date:26 July 1949
Birth Place:Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.
Education:United States Naval Academy (BS)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Eng, MS)
Awards:Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration"
Rank:Captain, USN
Selection:NASA Group 10 (1984)
Time:159d 7h 49min
Mission:STS-27
STS-41
STS-52
Soyuz TM-31/STS-102 (Expedition 1)
Retirement:August 14, 2002

William McMichael "Bill" Shepherd (born July 26, 1949), (Capt, USN, Ret.), is an American former Navy SEAL, aerospace, ocean, and mechanical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who served as commander of Expedition 1,[1] the first crew on the International Space Station. He is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.[2]

Education and training

Shepherd was born on July 26, 1949, to George R. Shepherd and Barbara Shepherd in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, but he considers Babylon, New York, his hometown. He is married to Beth Stringham of Batavia, New York.[3] He graduated from Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona in 1967, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland in 1971.[4] He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in 1972, then joined the United States Naval Special Warfare Command and qualified as a Navy SEAL. He served with the Navy's Underwater Demolition Team ELEVEN, SEAL Teams ONE and TWO, and Special Boat Unit TWENTY. He obtained an Engineer's degree in Ocean Engineering and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, both in 1978, from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

NASA career

After Shepherd was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 10 in 1984,[5] rumors spread that he had answered a standard interview question about what he did best by saying, "kill people with knives"[6] but he later refused to confirm or deny the account, commenting "it's too good a story".[7] He was the first military non-aviator in astronaut training, following his unsuccessful application for NASA Astronaut Group 9 in 1980.[8] In 1986, Shepherd's Navy SEAL training proved unexpectedly useful to NASA as he helped to direct the underwater salvage operations of the Space Shuttle Challenger after its destruction. Shepherd then served as a mission specialist on three Space Shuttle flights: mission STS-27 in 1988, mission STS-41 in 1990, which deployed the Ulysses probe, and mission STS-52 in 1992. He was the first member of NASA Astronaut Group 10 to fly a space mission.

From March 1993 to January 1996, he was assigned to the International Space Station Program, serving as Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager. In November 1995 he was selected to command the first crew of the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was supposed to launch in 1997,[9] but a long series of political, financial, and technical problems caused significant delays. Although sixteen nations would participate in the ISS program, Russia, along with the United States would bear the majority of the station's costs.

Spaceflight experience

STS-27

Atlantis (December 2–6, 1988) Shepherd served with his crewmates on a mission that lasted 105 hours and carried Department of Defense payloads. The mission is noteworthy due to the severe damage Atlantis sustained to its critical heat-resistant tiles during ascent.[10] [11] [12]

STS-41

Discovery (October 6–10, 1990) during 66 orbits of the Earth, the crew aboard the Orbiter successfully deployed the Ulysses, starting it on a four-year journey (via Jupiter) to investigate the polar regions of the Sun.[13] [14]

STS-52

Columbia (October 22 to November 1, 1992) was the 10-day mission deployed the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS), and conducted U.S. microgravity payload experiments.[15] [16]

Expedition 1

From October 31, 2000,[17] to March 21, 2001,[18] he and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergey Krikalev launched from Baikonur on Soyuz TM 31 and served as Expedition 1, the first crew on board ISS. The crew returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS 102.

Shepherd has logged over 159 days in space.

Post-NASA career

Shepherd was next assigned to the staff of Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command, to assist with the development of new capabilities and programs for the Navy's SEAL and Special Boat units. He retired from the U.S. Navy in January 2002. CAPT Shepherd also served as U.S. Special Operations Command's first Science Advisor from 2008–2011.[19]

Organizations

Awards and honors

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center . Johnson Space Center . William M. Shepherd . Biographical Data . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504145759/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/shepherd_william.pdf . May 4, 2021 . Houston, Texas . January 2002 . live.
  2. Web site: Mahone . Glenn . Jacobs . Bob . S04-238: Challenger Crew Honored With Congressional Space Medal Of Honor . NASA News . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504150023/https://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2004/jul/HQ_04238_challenger_medal.html . May 4, 2021 . Washington, D.C. . July 23, 2004 . live.
  3. Web site: Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center . Johnson Space Center . Beth Ann Stringham Shepherd . Biographical Data . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504150532/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/64089main_ffs_bio_shepherd.pdf . May 4, 2021 . February 2004 . live.
  4. Web site: Garber . Stephen J. . Launius . Roger . Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Forty Years of US Human Spaceflight Symposium . NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504151645/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20030004255/downloads/20030004255.pdf . May 4, 2021 . 228 . May 8, 2001 . live.
  5. Web site: Lawrence . John . 84-028: NASA Select 17 Astronaut Candidates . NASA News . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504152212/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83136main_1984.pdf . May 4, 2021 . Houston, Texas . 66 . May 23, 1984 . live.
  6. Book: Kelly . Scott . Dean . Margaret Lazarus . Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery . 2017 . Transworld Publishing . London . 9781473543195 . 186.
  7. News: Leary . Warren E. . Men in the News; The Crew of the International Space Station . May 4, 2021 . . November 3, 2000 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504204015/https://www.nytimes.com/2000/11/03/world/men-in-the-news-the-crew-of-the-international-space-station.html . May 4, 2021 . It's just too good a story to deny,.
  8. Web site: Kauderer . Amiko . Preflight Interview: William Shepherd . International Space Station . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504153229/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition01/shepherd_interview.html . May 4, 2021 . October 28, 2010 . live.
  9. Web site: Dempsey . Robert . The International Space Station: Operating an Outpost in the New Frontier . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504183600/https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/iss-operating_an_outpost-tagged.pdf . May 4, 2021 . xiv . April 13, 2018 . live.
  10. Web site: Jasper . G. L. . Johnson . D. L. . Batts . G. W. . Atmospheric environment for Space Shuttle (STS-27) launch . NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504180419/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19890017945/downloads/19890017945.pdf . May 4, 2021 . July 1989 . live.
  11. Web site: Riley . Jack . 87-043: STS-27 Crew Named . NASA News . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504180709/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/pdf/83139main_1987.pdf . May 4, 2021 . . 101 . September 15, 1987 . live.
  12. Web site: Ryba . Jeanne . STS-27 . Mission Archives . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504181015/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-27.html . May 4, 2021 . November 23, 2007 . live.
  13. Web site: Ryba . Jeanne . STS-41 . Mission Archives . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504181250/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-41.html . May 4, 2021 . February 18, 2010 . live.
  14. Web site: Camp . David W. . Germany . D. M. . Nicholson . Leonard S. . STS-41: Space Shuttle Mission Report . NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504181401/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19920007755/downloads/19920007755.pdf . May 4, 2021 . November 1990 . live.
  15. Web site: Fricke . Robert W. Jr. . STS-52: Space Shuttle Mission Report . NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504181626/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/19930016804/downloads/19930016804.pdf . May 4, 2021 . December 1992 . live.
  16. Web site: Ryba . Jeanne . STS-52 . Mission Archives . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504181817/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-52.html . May 4, 2021 . March 31, 2010 . live.
  17. Web site: Petty . John Ira . International Space Station Status Report #00-43 . Johnson News . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504182238/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/station/2000/iss00-43.html . May 4, 2021 . . October 31, 2000 . live.
  18. Web site: Petty . John Ira . STS-102 Mission Control Center Status Report # 27 . Johnson News . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504182459/https://www.nasa.gov/centers/johnson/news/shuttle/sts-102/STS-102-27.html . May 4, 2021 . . March 21, 2001 . live.
  19. Web site: CAPT William M. Shepherd . Advisory Board . Systems Engineering Research Center . May 4, 2021 .
  20. News: X-Prize group founder to speak at induction . May 4, 2021 . . . . October 17, 2004 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504164755/https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29988299/el-paso-times/ . May 4, 2021 . Alamogordo, New Mexico. 59. Newspapers.com. live.
  21. Web site: William Shepherd . Astronanaut Hall of Fame . Astronaut Scholarship Foundation . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504165142/https://www.astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/william-shepherd/ . May 4, 2021 . . May 2, 2009 . live.
  22. Web site: William M. Shepherd . ihmc.us . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504170123/https://www.ihmc.us/groups/william-m-shepherd/ . May 4, 2021 . live.
  23. Web site: Keynote Speakers . cser.info . Conference on Systems Engineering Research . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504211954/https://cser.info/program/keynote-speakers/ . May 4, 2021 . 2019 . live.
  24. Web site: CAPT. William M. Shepherd, USN . Symposium 365 Speakers . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504171948/https://www.spacesymposium365.org/speaker/capt-william-m-shepherd-usn-ret/ . May 4, 2021 . . live.
  25. Web site: Spirit of St. Louis Medal . ASME.org . . April 7, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504172419/https://www.asme.org/about-asme/honors-awards/achievement-awards/spirit-of-st-louis-medal . May 4, 2021 . . live.
  26. Web site: Past Goddard Trophy Winners . spaceclub.org . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504173446/https://www.spaceclub.org/events/gmd-trophy.html . May 4, 2021 . . live.
  27. Web site: Kowsky . Joel . Former Astronaut William Shepherd Awarded Russian Medal for Merit in Space Exploration . . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504174053/https://www.flickr.com/photos/nasahqphoto/31343769866 . May 4, 2021 . December 2, 2016 . live.
  28. Web site: Kauderer . Amiko . NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Collier Trophy . International Space Station . . May 4, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210504174454/https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/expeditions/expedition22/iss_award_feature.html . May 4, 2021 . May 13, 2010 . live.