Jeffrey Williams (astronaut)

  • STS- 101 (2000)
  • Soyuz TMA -8 ( 2006)   ISS Expedition 13
  • ISS Expedition 21
  • ISS Expedition 22

Jeffrey Nels " Jeff" Williams ( born January 18, 1958 in Superior, Wisconsin, United States) is an American astronaut.

Life

Williams comes from the northern part of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and grew up on the southern tip of Lake Superior. In 1976, he graduated from high school in the winter and joined the U.S. Army. He attended the prestigious Military Academy ( USMA ) at West Point (New York) and studied Applied Sciences. He received his Bachelor's degree in May 1980. At the USMA he began skydiving, was a member of the varsity team and brought it in this sport to the teacher.

After Williams had completed his pilot training in September 1981 he was transferred for three years abroad. He came to the Federal Republic of Germany and served in the Squadron of the 3rd Armored Division ( 3rd Armored Division ) in Friedberg, Hesse. The most famous soldier of the 1992 resolved Division was Elvis Presley, who served in the Ray Barracks for two years from March 1958.

Back in the United States, Williams continued his studies. He went to the location south of San Francisco Naval Postgraduate School ( NPS) in Monterey ( California). In 1987, the NPS awarded him a master's in aeronautical engineering and praised his performance in school with an award.

Subsequently, the Army borrowed from Williams to NASA. In the Johnson Space Center (JSC ) in Texas, he tested in a special space shuttle simulator, the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ), new instruments and computer programs for the space shuttles. He also headed the Operations Development Office in the so-called Flight Crew Operations Directorate ( FCOD ). In FCOD it all together when it comes to the use of astronauts in the U.S. space. Starting from the selection of new candidates or teams, on the elaboration of training plans, to advice in developing new space vehicles.

1992 Williams left the JSC and allowed to continue their education in California at Edwards Air Force Base ( EAFB ) as a test pilot. He passed the United States Naval Test Pilot School in June 1993 as the best in class and got a job as a test pilot and director of flight testing in the quality assurance department of EAFB. Two years later he visited some officer training at the Naval War College ( NWC ), which is located on Aquidneck Iceland in Rhode Iceland. In addition to military leaders he was taught in national security and strategic studies. The NWC awarded him in 1996 in these subjects another master.

Astronauts activity

Williams had already several times in vain advertised as astronaut candidate at NASA before he was actually selected in May 1996. Previously, he had made it twice in the final round and was invited to the mandatory job interviews and medical tests: in 1987, when he was a student at NPS and in 1992, when he worked at JSC.

Williams and his 43 classmates - ten pilots, 25 mission specialists and nine international contender - began their two-year basic training in August 1996 Since autumn 1998 he has been a full-fledged mission specialist. . It was followed by a training phase in the JSC Department of Space Systems. After that he became familiar with the systems of the International Space Station (ISS) at the Marshall Space Flight Center.

In November 1998, Williams was selected for his first space flight. The mission STS -101 took place in May 2000 and led to the ISS. A day after the Atlantis was docked to the space station, and before the crew opened the hatches, Williams conducted an outboard activity (EVA). Together with his colleague James Voss he undertook some maintenance work on the ISS. The shuttle flight left after ten days to an end.

After STS -101 Williams stood before a committee, which was tasked with improving the Shuttle cockpit. He then worked briefly at NASA Headquarters, and finally in the EVA Branch of the Astronaut Office. Williams also went once for NASA into the water. Together with the astronaut John Olivas and Greg Chamitoff and three other volunteers in July 2002, he spent one and a half weeks in the underwater laboratory "Aquarius". This excursion was part of the NEEMO program. For years, the U.S. space agency, this " NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations " by. NASA closed to the U.S. Weather Service NOAA, where the laboratory is one off the Florida coast, a cooperation agreement. The Aquarius is a 80-ton steel structure, which is anchored since 1987, six kilometers off the coast of Key Largo on the seabed 18 meters. Due to space limitations correspond approximately to those of the Zvezda module of the ISS.

In December 2002, Williams was appointed commander of the backup crew of ISS Expedition 10. His U.S. counterpart Sunita Williams and Russian cosmonaut Konstantin Kosejew should act as flight engineers. After the disaster of the Columbia in February 2003, the manning of ISS from the seventh crew of supply reasons, was reduced to two. This had an impact on all previously appointed teams. The Williams crew was disbanded and replaced by Bill McArthur and Valery Tokarev. Williams was given a new chance to participate in a future mission as commander of the backup crew of the twelfth crew.

In January 2006, Williams Flight Engineer of ISS Expedition 13 Together with the Russian Pavel Vinogradov and Brazilian Marcos Pontes he broke the end of March 2006 in the direction of the ISS. Guest cosmonaut Pontes flew to one and a half weeks along with the ISS Expedition 12 returns to Earth. Vinogradov and Williams left early June for six and a half hours, the space station for maintenance. Five weeks later made ​​STS -121 stop at the ISS and brought alongside food, equipment and experiments, another crew member - Thomas Reiter. Together with the German led Williams in early August by a second EVA. After six months aboard the station commander Vinogradov landed and his Flight Engineer Williams in September 2006 with Soyuz TMA -8 on the earth again.

Williams started on 30 September 2009 with Soyuz TMA -16 again to the ISS. On November 24, he took over command of the ISS by Frank De Winne and on December 1 of the ISS Expedition 22 On 18 March 2010 he returned to Earth.

Another long-term stay aboard the ISS for 2016Vorlage: Future / planned in 2 years. Williams will start in the spring of 2016 with Soyuz TMA -20M to the ISS and his Flight Engineer of ISS Expedition 47. After undocking of Soyuz TMA -19M he will take command of the ISS Expedition 48, and return to the earth in the fall of 2016.

Private

Williams and his wife have two sons.

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