Douglas Wheelock | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Douglas Harry Wheelock (1960-05-05)May 5, 1960 (age 65) Binghamton, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Wheels |
| Education | United States Military Academy (BS) Georgia Institute of Technology (MS) |
| Call sign | KF5BOC[2] |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel,USA |
Time in space | 178d 9h 34m |
| Selection | NASA Group 17 (1998) |
TotalEVAs | 6 |
Total EVA time | 43h 30m[1] |
| Missions | STS-120 Soyuz TMA-19 (Expedition 24/25) |
Mission insignia |    |
Douglas Harry "Wheels" Wheelock (born May 5, 1960) is an Americanengineer andastronaut. He has flown in space twice, logging 178 days on theSpace Shuttle,International Space Station, and RussianSoyuz. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced that he would be returning to active duty with theUnited States Army in support ofOperation Enduring Freedom.[3] He is currently working withNASA to test theOrion spacecraft at theGlenn Research Center in Plum Brook, Ohio.[4]
Douglas Wheelock was born inBinghamton, New York, to Olin and Margaret Wheelock. In a pre-flight interview, Wheelock stated that he was inspired to become an astronaut at an early age. He also stated that a major turning point in his life was theApollo 11 Moon landing in July 1969.[5] In 1978 Wheelock graduated from Windsor Central High School inWindsor, New York, before attending theUnited States Military Academy atWest Point.[6] He earned a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering atGeorgia Institute of Technology in 1992.
Wheelock spent four years as a cadet at West Point, graduating in the class of 1983 with aBachelor of Science degree inapplied science andengineering. After graduation he was commissioned asecond lieutenant in the U.S. Army'sInfantry Branch and entered flight school the next year. In September 1984, then Lieutenant Wheelock graduated at the top of his flight class and was designated anarmy aviator. He subsequently served in the Pacific as a combat aviation section leader, platoon leader, company executive officer, battalion operations officer, and commander of an air cavalry troop in the9th Cavalry. He was later assigned to the Aviation Directorate of Combat Developments as an advanced weapons research and development engineer.
Wheelock was selected as a member of Class 104 at theU.S. Naval Test Pilot School and upon completion was assigned as an experimental test pilot with the Army Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC). His flight testing was focused in the areas of tactical reconnaissance and surveillance systems in theOH-58D,UH-60,RU-21 andC-23 aircraft. He served as division chief for fixed-wing testing of airborne signal and imagery intelligence systems in support of the National Program Office for Intelligence and Electronic Warfare.
While on active duty, Wheelock received aMaster of Science degree inaerospace engineering fromGeorgia Tech in 1992. In August 1996 Wheelock was assigned to theJohnson Space Center as a Space Shuttle integration test engineer. His technical duties involved engineering liaison for launch and landing operations of the Space Shuttle. He was selected as the vehicle integration test team lead for the joint Space Shuttle and Russian Space StationMir missionSTS-86, and lead engineer for International Space Station hardware fit checks.
Wheelock is a graduate of the Army Airborne and Air Assault Courses, the Infantry and Aviation Officer Advanced Courses, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, the Material Acquisition Management Course, and theU.S. Army Command and General Staff College. In July 2011, Wheelock left for a tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A dual-rated master army aviator astronaut, he has logged over 2,500 flight hours in 43 different rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.[6]
In August 1998 Wheelock reported forNASA astronaut candidate training. Having completed the initial two years of intensive Space Shuttle and Space Station training, he was assigned to the Astronaut Office ISS Operations Branch as a Russian Liaison, participating in the testing and integration of Russian hardware and software products developed for the ISS. He worked extensively with the Energia Aerospace Company inMoscow, Russia, developing and verifying dual-language procedures for ISS crews. Wheelock led joint U.S./Russian teams to theBaikonur Cosmodrome inKazakhstan to oversee bench reviews, inventory, loading and launch of the first four uncrewed ISS resupply capsules.
In 2001, Wheelock assumed duties as the crew support astronaut for the ISSExpedition 2 crew, which was in orbit for 147 days from March 2001 to August 2001, and for the ISSExpedition 4 crew, which was on orbit for 195 days from December 2001 to June 2002. He was the primary contact for all crew needs, coordination, planning and interactions, and was the primary representative of the crews while they were in orbit. In August 2002, Wheelock was assigned as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center inHouston, Texas. In this role, he was the primary communication link between crews in orbit and the ground support team in the Control Center. His work as a CAPCOM culminated in his assignment as the lead CAPCOM for the ISSExpedition 8 mission, which was 194 days in duration.
In July 2004, Wheelock served as anaquanaut during theNEEMO 6 mission aboard theAquariusunderwater laboratory, living and working underwater for ten days.[7]
In January 2005 and again in 2016, he was assigned as NASA's Director of Operations – Russia where he served at theGagarin Cosmonaut Training Center inStar City, Russia. He was responsible for supporting Russia-based training, logistic, and administrative needs of NASA astronauts preparing for flight on the ISS. Wheelock was the primary liaison between Star City and NASA operations in Houston, including medical, training, science, contracting, public affairs, and administration departments. He was also responsible for liaison duties between NASA and theRussian Space Agency, as well as the Russian aerospace industry.[6]
After his first spaceflight, Wheelock was assigned as the backup toT.J. Creamer for theSoyuz TMA-17/Expedition 22/Expedition 23 mission to theInternational Space Station. Creamer completed a successful 163-day mission from 2009 to 2010.[8]
As of September 2019, Wheelock is currently working as an astronaut trainer testing systems aboard theOrion spacecraft.[4] That month, he contributed to an article inThe Columbus Dispatch detailing the inaccuracies of the space science fiction filmAd Astra.[9]
On October 23, 2007, Wheelock launched on his first spaceflight aboardSpace ShuttleDiscovery. During theSTS-120 mission, Wheelock wasMission Specialist 3 on a multinational crew whose mission was to deliver theNode 2 module to the International Space Station. Wheelock participated in threespacewalks with fellow astronautScott Parazynski in order to perform mission critical tasks on the exterior of the Station. The spacewalks involved outfitting the Node 2 module, storing an S-band antenna, work on theIntegrated Truss Structure, andExternal Stowage Platform 2. During the mission a solar array on the P6 truss tore requiring an emergency repair by Wheelock and Parazynski. Parazynski attached cufflinks to the solar array allowing it to expand without additional damage. Wheelock orbited the Earth 238 times during the 15-day mission.[10]
Wheelock launched to the International Space Station on June 15, 2010, aboard theSoyuz TMA-19 spacecraft withFyodor Yurchikhin andShannon Walker.
Wheelock joined theExpedition 24 crew in progress.[11] During the mission he participated in several scientific investigations. On July 31, 2010, a pump module on the exterior of the Space Station failed. Wheelock andTracy Caldwell-Dyson made three spacewalks to replace the module, during which he sustained long-term damage to his vision.[12][9] The failed pump module was later returned home onSTS-135.[13]
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On September 22, 2010, Wheelock took command of theInternational Space Station at the beginning ofExpedition 25.[14] He is the first U.S. Army officer to command the ISS.[15] Wheelock and his crew continued science and maintenance of the space station.Wheelock is sharing pictures of the Earth, station and views of space viaTwitter, asSoichi Noguchi did before him.[16] In September 2010, Wheelock tweeted photos from space ofHurricane Earl.[17] He also participated in aNASA Tweetup on March 16, 2011.[18]
He became the first person to "check in" from space on October 22, using the mobile social networking applicationFoursquare. Wheelock's check-in to the International Space Station launched a partnership between NASA and Foursquare to connect its users to the space agency, enabling them to explore the universe and discover Earth.[19]
He returned to Earth on November 26, 2010, aboard the Soyuz.
 Master Army Astronaut Badge |
 Master Space Operations Badge |
 Basic Parachutist Badge |
 Air Assault Badge |
Doug has also been awarded:
His hometown is Windsor, New York. Wheelock's parents, Olin and Margaret Wheelock, reside in upstate New York.
In 1989 he was selected by the U.S.Jaycees as one of "Ten Outstanding Young Men of America". In 1990 theVeterans of Foreign Wars selected Wheelock as an "Outstanding Spokesman for Freedom".
Wheelock is a member of theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots, theSociety of American Military Engineers, theAssociation of the United States Army, and theArmy Aviation Association of America.
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
| Preceded by | ISS Expedition Commander September 25 to November 26, 2010 | Succeeded by |
NASA Astronaut Group 16 ← NASA Astronaut Group 17 →NASA Astronaut Group 18 | |||||||
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