Donald H. Peterson
Encyclopedia
Donald Herod Peterson is a retired United States Air Force
officer and a former USAF and NASA
astronaut
. He was born in Winona
, Mississippi
, on October 22, 1933. Peterson is married, and has three children and four grandchildren.
; received a bachelor of science
degree from the United States Military Academy
at West Point
, New York
in 1955, and a master's degree in Nuclear Engineering
from the Air Force Institute of Technology
, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
, Ohio
in 1962.
and military training officer with the Air Training Command
, three years as a nuclear systems analyst with the Air Force Systems Command
, and one year as a fighter pilot
with Tactical Air Command
, including 3 months combat weapons training.
He is a graduate of the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base
, California
, and was one of the third group of astronauts assigned to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory
(MOL) program.
He has logged over 5,300 hours flying time—including more than 5,000 hours in jet aircraft
.
astronaut in September 1969 after the MOL program was cancelled. He served on the astronaut support crew for Apollo 16
.
Peterson retired from the United States Air Force
with the rank of colonel
after having completed more than 24 years of active service, but continued his assignment as a NASA astronaut in a civilian capacity. His areas of responsibility have included engineering support, man/machine interface, and safety assessment.
Peterson was a mission specialist
on STS-6
, which launched from Kennedy Space Center
, Florida
, on April 4, 1983. He was accompanied by Paul J. Weitz
(spacecraft commander), Col. Karol J. Bobko
(pilot), and Dr. F. Story Musgrave (mission specialist). During this maiden voyage of the spacecraft Challenger
, the STS-6 crew conducted numerous experiments in materials processing, recorded lightning activities, deployed the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
(TDRS-A), and activated three Getaway Specials. Peterson and Musgrave conducted an extravehicular activity (EVA), commonly called a "spacewalk," to test the new suit, the Shuttle airlock
, and new tools and techniques for construction and repair outside a spacecraft
. After 120 hours of orbital operations STS-6 landed on the concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on April 9, 1983. With the completion of this flight Don Peterson has logged 4 hours 15 minutes in extravehicular activity, and a total of 120 hours in space.
in the area of manned aerospace operations.
, and the JSC Group Achievement Award (1972).
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
officer and a former USAF and NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
. He was born in Winona
Winona, Mississippi
Winona is a city in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,482 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County....
, Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, on October 22, 1933. Peterson is married, and has three children and four grandchildren.
Education
He graduated from Winona High School, Winona, MississippiWinona, Mississippi
Winona is a city in Montgomery County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,482 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Montgomery County....
; received a bachelor of science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree from the United States Military Academy
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
at West Point
West Point, New York
West Point is a federal military reservation established by President of the United States Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It is a census-designated place located in Town of Highlands in Orange County, New York, United States. The population was 7,138 at the 2000 census...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
in 1955, and a master's degree in Nuclear Engineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
from the Air Force Institute of Technology
Air Force Institute of Technology
The Air Force Institute of Technology is a graduate school and provider of professional and continuing education that is part of the United States Air Force. It is located on Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio. A component of Air University and Air Education and Training Command, AFIT has been...
, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Greene and Montgomery counties in the state of Ohio. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wright Field and Fairfield Aviation General Supply Depot. Patterson Field is located approximately...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
in 1962.
USAF career
Peterson graduated from West Point in 1955. His assignments included four years as a flight instructorFlight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...
and military training officer with the Air Training Command
Air Training Command
Air Training Command is a former major command of the United States Army Air Forces and United States Air Force. ATC came into being as a redesignation of the Army Air Forces Training Command on July 1, 1946...
, three years as a nuclear systems analyst with the Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command
Air Force Systems Command is a former United States Air Force command. Its headquarters was located at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland...
, and one year as a fighter pilot
Fighter pilot
A fighter pilot is a military aviator trained in air-to-air combat while piloting a fighter aircraft . Fighter pilots undergo specialized training in aerial warfare and dogfighting...
with Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command
Tactical Air Command is an inactive United States Air Force organization. It was a Major Command of the United States Air Force, established on 21 March 1946 being headquartered at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia...
, including 3 months combat weapons training.
He is a graduate of the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, and was one of the third group of astronauts assigned to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory
Manned Orbiting Laboratory
The Manned Orbiting Laboratory , originally referred to as the Manned Orbital Laboratory, was part of the United States Air Force's manned spaceflight program, a successor to the cancelled Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar military reconnaissance space plane project...
(MOL) program.
He has logged over 5,300 hours flying time—including more than 5,000 hours in jet aircraft
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
.
NASA career
Peterson became a NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
astronaut in September 1969 after the MOL program was cancelled. He served on the astronaut support crew for Apollo 16
Apollo 16
Young and Duke served as the backup crew for Apollo 13; Mattingly was slated to be the Apollo 13 command module pilot until being pulled from the mission due to his exposure to rubella through Duke.-Backup crew:...
.
Peterson retired from the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
with the rank of colonel
Colonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
after having completed more than 24 years of active service, but continued his assignment as a NASA astronaut in a civilian capacity. His areas of responsibility have included engineering support, man/machine interface, and safety assessment.
Peterson was a mission specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
on STS-6
STS-6
STS-6 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission conducted using Space Shuttle Challenger, carrying the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-1, into orbit. Launched on 4 April 1983, STS-6 was the sixth shuttle mission and the first of the ten missions flown by Challenger...
, which launched from Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, on April 4, 1983. He was accompanied by Paul J. Weitz
Paul J. Weitz
Paul Joseph Weitz is an American former astronaut who flew in space twice.-Personal data:Born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 25, 1932. Married to the former Suzanne M. Berry of Harborcreek, Pennsylvania. Two children: Matthew and Cynthia. Hunting and fishing are among his hobbies. His mother, Mrs...
(spacecraft commander), Col. Karol J. Bobko
Karol J. Bobko
Karol Joseph "Bo" Bobko is an engineer, retired United States Air Force officer and a former USAF and NASA astronaut.-Personal:Bobko was born in New York City, New York to a Lithuanian-American family...
(pilot), and Dr. F. Story Musgrave (mission specialist). During this maiden voyage of the spacecraft Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
, the STS-6 crew conducted numerous experiments in materials processing, recorded lightning activities, deployed the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
Tracking and Data Relay Satellite
A Tracking and Data Relay Satellite is a type of communications satellite that forms part of the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite System used by NASA and other United States government agencies for communications to and from independent "User Platforms" such as satellites, balloons, aircraft,...
(TDRS-A), and activated three Getaway Specials. Peterson and Musgrave conducted an extravehicular activity (EVA), commonly called a "spacewalk," to test the new suit, the Shuttle airlock
Airlock
An airlock is a device which permits the passage of people and objects between a pressure vessel and its surroundings while minimizing the change of pressure in the vessel and loss of air from it...
, and new tools and techniques for construction and repair outside a spacecraft
Spacecraft
A spacecraft or spaceship is a craft or machine designed for spaceflight. Spacecraft are used for a variety of purposes, including communications, earth observation, meteorology, navigation, planetary exploration and transportation of humans and cargo....
. After 120 hours of orbital operations STS-6 landed on the concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on April 9, 1983. With the completion of this flight Don Peterson has logged 4 hours 15 minutes in extravehicular activity, and a total of 120 hours in space.
Post-NASA career
Peterson resigned from the NASA Astronaut Corps in November 1984, and since that time has worked as a consultantConsultant
A consultant is a professional who provides professional or expert advice in a particular area such as management, accountancy, the environment, entertainment, technology, law , human resources, marketing, emergency management, food production, medicine, finance, life management, economics, public...
in the area of manned aerospace operations.
Honors
He was awarded the Air Force Commendation Medal, the Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
, and the JSC Group Achievement Award (1972).