George Nelson | |
|---|---|
 Nelson in September 1984 | |
| Born | George Driver Nelson (1950-07-13)July 13, 1950 (age 75) Charles City, Iowa, U.S. |
| Other names | Pinky |
| Education | Harvey Mudd College (BS) University of Washington (MS,PhD) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
Time in space | 17d 2h 43m |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
TotalEVAs | 2 |
Total EVA time | 10h 6m[1] |
| Missions | STS-41-C STS-61-C STS-26 |
Mission insignia |    |
| Retirement | June 30, 1989 |
George Driver "Pinky" Nelson (born July 13, 1950) is an Americanphysicist,astronomer,science educator, and retiredNASAastronaut.
Nelson was born on July 13, 1950, inCharles City, Iowa, but considersWillmar, Minnesota, to be his hometown. He graduated from Willmar Senior High School, Willmar, Minnesota, in 1968.[2] He received aBachelor of Science degree inphysics fromHarvey Mudd College in 1972, and aMaster of Science and aDoctor of Philosophy degrees inastronomy from theUniversity of Washington in 1974 and 1978, respectively.[3]
Nelson was aBoy Scout and earned the rank ofFirst Class Scout.[4]
His wife, Susie, is fromAlhambra, California. They have two daughters, Aimee Tess (born April 25, 1972) and Marti Ann (born February 27, 1975). Pinky enjoys playinggolf,reading,swimming,running, andmusic.[3]
Nelson performed astronomical research at theSacramento Peak Solar Observatory,Sunspot, New Mexico; theAstronomical Institute at Utrecht (Utrecht, Netherlands) and theUniversity of Göttingen Observatory, (Göttingen,West Germany), and at theJoint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics (Boulder, Colorado). His last research was in systemic education reform and the preparation of science teachers.[3]
George was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978. He flew as a scientific equipment operator in theWB-57F earth resources aircraft and served as theAstronaut Office representative in the Space Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (space suit) development effort. DuringSTS-1 he was the photographer in the primechase plane. He also served as support crewman andCAPCOM for the last two OFT flights,STS-3 andSTS-4, and as head of the Astronaut Office Mission Development Group. A veteran of three space flights, Nelson served aboardSTS-41-C in 1984,STS-61C in 1986 andSTS-26 in 1988. He has logged a total of 411 hours in space, including 10 hours ofEVA flight time.[3]
This was a seven-day (April 6–13, 1984) mission during which the crew successfully deployed theLong Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF), retrieved the ailingSolar Maximum satellite, repaired it on board the Orbiter, and replaced it in orbit. The mission also included flight testing ofManned Maneuvering Units (MMUs) in two extravehicular activities (EVAs), and operation of the Cinema 360 andIMAX Camera Systems. Nelson performed EVAs in support of the satellite retrieval and the MMU testing.[5]
This mission, from January 12–18, 1986, launched from theKennedy Space Center and returned to a night landing atEdwards Air Force Base,California. During the six-day flight, the crew deployed theSATCOM KU satellite and conducted experiments inastrophysics and materials processing.[6]
This mission (September 29–October 3, 1988) was the first flown after theChallenger accident. During the four-day flight, the crew successfully deployed the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C) and operated eleven mid-deck science experiments. The mission completed 64 orbits of the Earth and landed on October 3, 1988.[7]
Nelson left NASA in June 1989, became an assistantprovost at the University of Washington,[8] and now directs the Science, Mathematics and Technology Education program atWestern Washington University inBellingham. He is also the principal investigator of the North Cascades and Olympic Science Partnership, a mathematics and science partnership grant from the National Science Foundation.[9] Nelson served as faculty on the Fall 2013Semester at Sea voyage, where he taught introductory astronomy and celestial navigation.[10]
NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal,NASA Exceptional Service Medal, 3NASA Space Flight Medals,AIAA Haley Space Flight Award,Fédération Aéronautique InternationaleV. M. Komarov Diploma, Western Washington University Faculty Outstanding Service Award.[3] In 2009, Nelson was inducted into theU.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame.[11] He is also an elected member of Washington State Academy of Science[12] and an Elected Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.[13]
NASA Astronaut Group 8, "TFNG (Thirty-Five New Guys)", 1978  | |||||||
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