David Leestma
- STS 41 -G ( 1984)
- STS -28 ( 1989)
- STS -45 ( 1992)
David Cornell Leestma ( born May 6, 1949 in Muskegon, Michigan, United States) is a former American astronaut.
Military career
Leestma 1971 received a bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1972 and a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
Leestma 1971 was stationed on the frigate USS Hepburn. After training as a naval aviator, he participated in three overseas deployments in the Mediterranean Sea and the northern Atlantic Ocean aboard the aircraft carrier USS John F. Kennedy. In 1977 he was transferred to the Naval Air Station Point Mugu in California, where he conducted tests on the F- 14 fighter aircraft.
Astronauts activity
In May 1980, Leestma was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. After his first flight Leestma worked as a speaker connection ( CAPCOM ) for the mission of STS- 51- C to STS -61 -A. He was then head of the Department Mission Development. From February 1990 to September 1991 he was deputy director from November 1992 and Director of Flight Crew Operations, responsible for the selection of astronauts and classification of shuttle crews. From September 1998 to work for the Government Furnished Equipment ( GFE) Project. In August, he was project manager of the Johnson Space Center (JSC ) for the Space Launch Initiative. Then Leestma worked for the Orbital Space Plane program at JSC. He is currently working as a manager at JSC Exploration Programs Office.
STS -41 -G
On October 5, 1984 Leestma started as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Challenger on its first mission (STS -41 -G) into space. In addition to the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite A variety of experiments were carried.
STS -61- E
This mission aboard the space shuttle Columbia had in March 1986, the ASTRO -1 Spacelab mission are to bring into space. After the Challenger disaster the flight was canceled. The team would have consisted of Jon McBride, Richard Richards, David Leestma, Jeffrey Hoffman, Robert Parker, Samuel Durrance and Ronald Parise.
STS -28
August 8, 1989 Leestma flew as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Columbia for the first time into space. STS -28 was a flight for the U.S. Department of Defense with secret payload.
STS -45
On March 24, 1992 Leestma flew as a mission specialist aboard the space shuttle Atlantis during the ATLAS - 1 mission (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science ) into space. This Spacelab mission studies in the areas of atmospheric chemistry, solar radiation, plasma physics and ultraviolet astronomy were carried out.
Private
David Leestma is married and has six children.