Charles J. Precourt
- STS -55 ( 1993)
- STS -71 (1995)
- STS -84 (1997)
- STS -91 (1998)
Charles Joseph Precourt ( born June 29, 1955 in Waltham, Massachusetts, USA ) is a former American astronaut.
Precourt 1977, he received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Air Force Academy and in 1988 a master's in industrial engineering from the Golden Gate University. In 1990 he received a Masters in National Security Affairs and Strategic Studies from the United States Naval War College.
1978 made Precourt in the U.S. Air Force his pilot's license. He then worked as a pilot instructor. From 1982 to 1984 he was stationed as a F -15 fighter pilot in Germany ( Bitburg ). In 1985, he trained as a test pilot and flew as such until 1989, the types of aircraft used. On 31 March 2000 Precourt retired from the Air Force.
Astronauts activity
In January 1990, Precourt was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. He was engaged in the development department of the Astronaut Office and he was speaker connection ( CAPCOM ) for various space shuttle missions. From October 1995 to April 1996 he served as Director of Operations for NASA at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Zvezdny Gorodok in Russia responsible for the Shuttle -Mir program. From May 1996 to September 1998 he was technical assistant director at the Johnson Space Center. From October 1998 to November 2002, he was Head of the Astronaut Office. Since November 2002, he was Deputy Manager for the ISS program at the Johnson Space Center.
STS -55
Precourts first flight took him as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Columbia into space. The flight is known in Germany as the second German Spacelab mission "D -2". The ten-day flight had to be postponed several times due to various technical problems and could not begin until April 26, 1993. When the mission was first carried an IMAX camera. Also on board were with Ulrich Walter and Hans Schlegel two German astronauts.
STS -71
June 27, 1995 Precourt flew as pilot of the Atlantis mission to the 100th of a manned spacecraft of the United States. Main tasks was the first coupling during the third flight in the Shuttle -Mir program between the Space Shuttle Atlantis and the Mir space station. Moreover, in the module Spacelab various medical experiments to study the effects of microgravity were conducted on the vascular system, bone, and the lungs of the human.
STS -84
On 15 May 1997 Precourt flew as commander of Atlantis again to the space station Mir. It was the sixth coupling mission as part of the Shuttle -Mir program. After docking several tons were brought to equipment and experiments in the Russian space station. In addition, a crew change was made. Astronaut Jerry Linenger was replaced after four months and returned with the shuttle to Earth. His place was taken by Michael Foale. After nine days of the mission STS -84 was on 24 May to the end.
STS -91
Precourt launched on 2 June 1998 as commander of the space shuttle Discovery on its final flight into space. It was the ninth and final docking of a shuttle to the Russian space station Mir and marked the completion of a successful collaboration. Takeoff and landing took place at the Kennedy Space Center.
According to the NASA
After retiring from NASA in March 2005 Precourt went to ATK Thiokol company.
Private
Charles Precourt is married and has three children. In his spare time he flies a VariEze aircraft.