Kent Rominger
- STS -73 (1995)
- STS -80 ( 1996)
- STS -85 (1997)
- STS -96 ( 1999)
- STS- 100 (2001)
Kent Vernon Rominger ( born August 7, 1956 in Del Norte, Colorado, United States) is a former American astronaut.
Life
Rominger comes from a small town in the U.S. state of Colorado; Del Norte is located about 220 kilometers southwest of Colorado Springs. 1974 Kent went from high school and studied at the Colorado State University civil engineering. After completing his bachelor's exam in 1978, he joined the U.S. Navy and was trained for naval aviation (he had already acquired at college a private pilot's license).
Following his pilot training, he attended a course for the F-14 " Tomcat ", an air defense fighter used primarily on aircraft carriers. After that he was from October 1981 the 2nd Battle Squadron at ( Navy designation VF-2, nicknamed "Bounty Hunters" ), the first on the "USS Ranger" and later on the "USS Kitty Hawk" was on duty at that time. Before he left the VF -2, he graduated from the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School in Miramar (California ), where he received his diploma in 1986 of the tactical officer. Contrary to the official designation Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor, this course is known for the eponymous film starring Tom Cruise as " TOPGUN ".
Then Rominger took part in a training program for student test pilots when the participated Naval Postgraduate School ( NPS) in Monterey, California and the United States Naval Test Pilot School ( USNTPS ) on the U.S. East Coast. At the NPS, he studied aeronautical engineering and finished at the same time a test pilot seminar at the USNTPS, which is located in Maryland at the Naval Air Station Patuxent River. In 1987, the NPS awarded him a master and the USNTPS he received the test pilot certificate with distinction. Following this, he remained in Patuxent River, where he took over the project management of the Department of the aircraft carrier suitability. At the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate, he developed the F-14 for its use on aircraft carriers.
In September, 1990, just a month after Iraqi troops in Kuwait were sunken and thus triggered the Second Gulf War, Rominger ( Navy designation VF -211, nicknamed "Fighting Checkmates " ) was transferred to the 211th Combat Squadron. As operations officer, he was sent as part of " Operation Desert Storm" on board the " USS Nimitz " in the Persian Gulf. During its operation, which lasted from late February to late August 1991, he completed F -14 flights over Iraqi territory.
Astronauts activity
Rominger was presented in March 1992 with the 14th astronaut group NASA as one of only four pilot candidates. From a total of 2,054 applicants who met the formal selection criteria, 87 finalists had emerged. They were invited to the Johnson Space Center (JSC ) to testing, interviews and medical examinations in the autumn of 1991. Kent had first reported for the 13 applicants Group, who also came into the final round, but was not taken into account.
A year after the completion of one-year astronaut basic training he was set up in November 1994 for STS -73 as a pilot. This 16- day mission took place in late October / early November 1995. It was called " two United States Microgravity Laboratory ( USML ) " the second Spacelab flight under American auspices. In a double module of 16 main experiments were carried out in the research disciplines of materials, combustion science, fluid physics and biotechnology.
In January 1996, only 73 days after the landing of STS -73, Rominger received a mandate as a pilot for STS -80. When the last flight of 1996, for the third time was the Wake Shield Facility used a saucer- shaped satellite, which exposed some time flew freely next to the shuttle, and was re-captured. In addition, the team suspended the native of Germany Astronomy platform ORFEUS -SPAS and brought them towards the end of the flight back on board. By contrast, could not be carried out two spacewalks planned due to technical problems.
Romingers third space flight was STS- 85th Actually should be Jeff Ashby pilot on this mission. Without giving reasons this but only half a year was replaced before the start Rominger. During the twelve-day flight in August 1997, the German research platform CRISTA -SPAS was released to study the upper atmosphere for over a week. In addition, the Japanese robotic arm MFD ( Manipulator Flight Demonstration ) was tested by the astronauts.
STS -96 was Romingers debut as a commander. The Space Shuttle Discovery led in the early summer of 1999 by a logistics flight to the International Space Station ( ISS). Several tons of goods and equipment were hauled into orbit to get everything ready for the arrival of the first crew.
His fifth mission led Rominger again to the ISS. STS -100 took place exactly two years after his last flight, bringing a native of Canada Canadarm2 robotic arm to the station. In addition to the installation of the arm two and a half tons of equipment at the station were delivered with the logistics module Raffaello.
Rominger, who headed the astronaut office the last four years at NASA, the U.S. space agency left end of September 2006 and took a position as vice president at defense and aerospace company Alliant Techsystems.
Rominger is married and has one child.