Veteran NASA astronaut Barry “Butch” Wilmore will join astronauts Mike Fincke and Nicole Mann for NASA’s Boeing Crew Flight Test, the inaugural crewed flight of the CST-100 Starliner launching to the International Space Station in 2021.
Wilmore will take the place of
Boeing astronaut Chris Ferguson on the flight test
as part of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program. Ferguson decided not to fly for
personal reasons.
Wilmore has been training
side-by-side with the crew since being named the sole backup for all flight
positions in July 2018. He now will shift his focus
specifically to the spacecraft commander’s duties in preparation for the flight
to the space station. The flight is designed to test the end-to-end
capabilities of the new Starliner system.
“Butch will be able to
step in seamlessly, and his previous experience on both space shuttle and space
station missions make him a valuable addition to this flight,” said Kathy Lueders, associate administrator of NASA’s Human
Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate. “Chris has been a talented
member of the crew for this mission. The NASA and Boeing Commercial Crew teams
sincerely appreciate the invaluable work he has completed and he will continue
to lead in the development of Starliner, which will help ensure that the
Starliner Crew Flight Test will be a success.”
Wilmore has spent a total of
178 days in space over the course of two missions. In 2009, he served as the
pilot of space shuttle Atlantis on STS-129, helping to deliver 14 tons of spare
parts for the space station. In 2014, he returned to the space station via a
Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a 167-day mission, during which he performed four
spacewalks.
A native of Mt. Juliet, Tennessee, Wilmore earned bachelor’s and
master’s degrees in electrical engineering from Tennessee
Technological University in Cookeville,
and a master’s degree in aviation systems from the University
of Tennessee in Knoxville. He is a retired captain in the U.S. Navy,
with more than 7,800 flight hours and 663 carrier landings in tactical jet
aircraft. He was selected as an astronaut in 2000.
“I’m grateful to Chris for
his exceptional leadership and insight into this very complex and most capable
vehicle,” Wilmore said. “Having had the chance to train alongside and
view this outstanding crew as backup has been instrumental in my preparation to
assume this position. Stepping down was a difficult decision for Chris, but
with his leadership and assistance to this point, this crew is positioned for
success. We will move forward in the same professional and dedicated manner
that Chris has forged.”
Ferguson will assume the role
of director of Mission Integration and Operations, as well as director of Crew
Systems for Boeing’s Commercial Crew Program, where he will focus on ensuring
the Starliner spacecraft meets the needs of NASA astronauts. In this role, he
will be one of the last people the crew sees before leaving Earth and one of
the first they see upon their return, as well as supporting them throughout
their training and mission.
“I have full confidence in
the Starliner vehicle, the men and women building and testing it, and the NASA
astronauts who will ultimately fly it,” Ferguson said. “The Boeing
team has taken all lessons from our first uncrewed Orbital Flight Test to
heart, and is making Starliner one of the safest new crewed spacecraft ever
fielded. I will be here on the ground supporting Butch, Nicole, and Mike while
they prove it.”
Ferguson has been an integral
part of the Starliner program since 2011, after retiring from NASA as a
three-time space shuttle veteran, including as commander of STS-135, the final
space shuttle flight to the space station.
“My personal thank you to
Chris for his leadership. He is putting his family first, which Boeing fully
supports,” said Leanne Caret, president and CEO, Boeing Defense, Space &
Security. “We are fortunate he will continue to take an active role on the
Starliner program and bring his depth and breadth of experience in human
spaceflight to the program.”
The development of a safe,
reliable and cost-effective solution for crew transportation services to and
from the International Space Station remains a priority for NASA and Boeing,
allowing the on-orbit research facility to continue to fulfill its promise as a
world-class laboratory.
NASA’s Commercial Crew Program is
working with the American aerospace industry as companies develop and operate a
new generation of spacecraft and launch systems capable of carrying crews to
low-Earth orbit and to the space station. Commercial transportation to and from
the station will provide expanded utility, additional research time and broader
opportunities for discovery on the orbital outpost.
– eTurboNews | Trends | Travel News
