Pamela Melroy
- STS -92 (2000)
- STS- 112 (2002)
- STS- 120 (2007)
Pamela Ann " Pam " Melroy ( born September 17, 1961 in Palo Alto, California, USA) is a former American astronaut.
Since Melroys father was in the military, she spent with him, his mother and two brothers, her childhood in Hawaii, Illinois and Florida. After the retirement of Father David, the family settled in New York. There Melroy first attended until 1975, the Saint Louis School, a small Catholic primary school in Pittsford, and then the Bishop Kearney High School in Rochester. After her high school graduation in 1979, she studied physics and astronomy at Wellesley College in Massachusetts. In 1983 she finished her education with a bachelor's degree and went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There they occupied Earth and Planetary Sciences, reaching in 1984 a master.
Following her studies, she took up her duties in the U.S. Air Force (USAF). In Texas, she was educated at the Reese Air Force Base for military pilot and was from 1985 the next six years stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. With machines of the type KC -10 " Extender" she flew troop transports. She was involved in December 1989 in "Operation Just Cause" in Panama and Central America from the fall of 1990 in the Second Gulf War. Overall, they can refer to more than 200 hours during operations on the KC -10 - first as co-pilot, and later as commander, and finally as an instructor.
In June 1991, Melroy began training at the USAF Test Pilot School in California. Subsequently, she worked as a test pilot on the C -17 Combined Test Force, which is also housed at Edwards Air Force Base, on the further development of the troop carrier C -17A " Globemaster III ".
Astronauts activity
Melroy wanted to be an astronaut since she witnessed as a young girl, the Apollo missions. At the time, she thought, all astronauts were previously been test pilots. That's why she opted for a career in the U.S. Air Force, in order to use as a springboard for a spaceman career. ( Even that was only possible when she was at that age, because at that time women were not military aviators are ). After high school she undertook. The USAF funded her then studying. She had never sat behind the joystick of an airplane, as they then took their pilot training in Texas. Everything was new for them. Added to this was that she needed a special permit to fly - because of her petite stature: The 162 -centimeter Melroy was put on a plane and had to sit a test. Only when it was clear that she could see at the same time out of the window and use the pedals, they got permission.
In her application for the 14th astronaut group of NASA, Melroy admittedly came into the final round, but was rejected. With the next selection in December 1994, she finally made it. They moved from California to Texas and began in March 1995 with the one-year basic training for shuttle pilot. Immediately thereafter, she was assigned to the support teams. These so-called support crews take on important accompanying measures during a space flight.
Since the spring of 1998, Melroy was preparing for its maiden flight as an astronaut. When they broke up in October 2000 with STS -92 to the International Space Station (ISS), it was after Eileen Collins and Susan Still the third pilot in the history of the Space Shuttle. She supported Brian Duffy, the commander of the mission, and helped him to rendezvous with the ISS as well as in the subsequent landing.
Exactly two years after her first space flight, it carried out its second mission. She was the pilot of STS- 112, which brought a large component to the ISS and assembled in the course of the flight. Since they had been on STS- 92, the only freshman among the seven-member crew and everyone was well looked after them, they had made up, this time the " newbies " to serve. Therefore, it was already during the flight preparation Piers Sellers, Sandra Magnus and the Russians Yurchikhin advice. She also played an important role in the three exits: She gave her colleagues ( Sellers and Wolf) from the cockpit instructions and stayed on the schedule.
When in February 2003 accident, the orbiter Columbia, Melroy served on the Columbia Reconstruction Team and led the search for the remains of the crew cabin. Before they were prepared for their next flight, she worked as a liaison officer in the control center.
From the summer of 2006, Melroy prepared excited to lead the mission STS- 120. With the launch on 23 October 2007 she became the second woman after Eileen Collins, who commanded a shuttle. When they docked two days later on the ISS, greeted each other with Melroy and ISS Commander Peggy Whitson the first time two women who ran a space mission at the same time.
Melroy joined in February 2007 from the U.S. Air Force and in July 2009 from NASA.
Private
Melroy is married to his second wife since 2006 and has no children.