William Shepherd

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For other people named William Shepherd, see William Shepherd (disambiguation).
William M. Shepherd
William Shepherd.jpg
Born (1949-07-26) July 26, 1949 (age 72)
Oak Ridge, Tennessee, U.S.
StatusRetired
NationalityAmerican
Other namesWilliam McMichael Shepherd
Alma materUnited States Naval Academy, B.S. 1971
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, E.O.E. and M.S. 1978
OccupationNavy SEAL, engineer
AwardsCongressional Space Medal of Honor Russia-Space-Medal.png
Space career
NASA Astronaut
RankUS-O6 insignia.svg Captain, United States Navy
Time in space
159d 07h 49min
Selection1984 NASA Group 10
MissionsSTS-27, STS-41, STS-52, Soyuz TM-31, Expedition 1, STS-102
Mission insignia
Sts-27-patch.png Sts-41-patch.png Sts-52-patch.png Soyuz TM-31 patch.png Expedition 1 insignia.svg STS-102 Patch.svg
RetirementAugust 14, 2002

William McMichael "Bill" Shepherd (born July 26, 1949, Capt. USN, Ret.) is an American former Navy SEAL, aerospace, ocean, and mechanical engineer, and NASA astronaut who served as Commander of Expedition 1,[1] the first crew on the International Space Station. He is also a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.[2]

Education and training[]

Shepherd was born on July 26, 1949, to George R. Shepherd and Barbara Shepherd in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, but he considers Babylon, New York, his hometown.[1] He is married to Beth Stringham of Batavia, New York.[3] He graduated from Arcadia High School in Phoenix, Arizona in 1967, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1971.[4] He completed Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) training in 1972, then joined the United States Naval Special Warfare Command and qualified as a Navy SEAL. He served with the Navy's Underwater Demolition Team ELEVEN, SEAL Teams ONE and TWO, and Special Boat Unit TWENTY. He obtained an Engineer's degree in Ocean Engineering and an MS in mechanical engineering in 1978 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.[4][1]

NASA career[]

When I was little I used to cut up two-by-fours and make little boats. I'm still in the boat-building business. It's just in orbit.

—William M. Shepherd.[5]

Shepherd during Soyuz winter survival training in March 1998 near Star City, Russia
William Shepherd on the ISS as Commander of Expedition 1

After Shepherd was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 10 in 1984,[6] rumors spread that he had answered a standard interview question about what he did best by saying, "kill people with knives"[7] but he later refused to confirm or deny the account, commenting "it's too good a story".[8] He was the first military non-aviator in astronaut training, following his unsuccessful application for NASA Astronaut Group 9 in 1980.[9] In 1986, Shepherd's Navy SEAL training proved unexpectedly useful to NASA as he helped to direct the underwater salvage operations of the Space Shuttle Challenger after its destruction. Shepherd then served as a Mission Specialist on three Space Shuttle flights: mission STS-27 in 1988,[10] mission STS-41 in 1990,[11] which deployed the Ulysses probe, and mission STS-52 in 1992.[12] He was the first member of NASA Astronaut Group 10 to fly a space mission.

From March 1993 to January 1996, he was assigned to the International Space Station Program,[4] serving as Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager. In November 1995 he was selected to command the first crew of the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was supposed to launch in 1997,[13] but a long series of political, financial, and technical problems caused significant delays. Although sixteen nations would participate in the ISS program, Russia, along with the United States would bear the majority of the station's costs.[5]

Spaceflight experience[]

STS-27: Atlantis (December 2–6, 1988) Shepherd served with his crewmates on a mission that lasted 105 hours and carried Department of Defense payloads. The mission is noteworthy due to the severe damage Atlantis sustained to its critical heat-resistant tiles during ascent.[14][15][10]

STS-41: Discovery (October 6–10, 1990) during 66 orbits of the Earth, the crew aboard the Orbiter successfully deployed the Ulysses, starting it on a four-year journey (via Jupiter) to investigate the polar regions of the Sun.[11][16]

STS-52: Columbia (October 22 to November 1, 1992) was the 10-day mission deployed the Laser Geodynamic Satellite (LAGEOS), and conducted U.S. microgravity payload experiments.[17][12]

Expedition 1: From October 31, 2000,[18] to March 21, 2001,[19] he and Russian cosmonauts Yuri Gidzenko and Sergey Krikalev launched from Baikonur on Soyuz TM 31 and served as Expedition 1, the first crew on board ISS. The crew returned to Earth on the Space Shuttle Discovery, STS 102.[19]

Shepherd has logged over 159 days in space.[1]

Post-NASA career[]

Shepherd was next assigned to the staff of Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command,[5] to assist with the development of new capabilities and programs for the Navy's SEAL and Special Boat units. He retired from the U.S. Navy in January 2002.[5] Capt Shepherd also served as U.S. Special Operations Command's first Science Advisor from 2008–2011.[20]

Organizations[]

  • American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)

Awards and honors[]

Shepherd, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak after Shepherd was awarded the Russian Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration", December 2, 2016

References[]

Public Domain This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

  1. ^ a b c d Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (January 2002). "William M. Shepherd" (PDF). Biographical Data. Houston, Texas: NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b Mahone, Glenn; Jacobs, Bob (23 July 2004). "S04-238: Challenger Crew Honored With Congressional Space Medal Of Honor". NASA News. Washington, D.C.: NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  3. ^ Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (February 2004). "Beth Ann Stringham Shepherd" (pdf). Biographical Data. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Garber, Stephen J.; Launius, Roger (8 May 2001). "Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Forty Years of US Human Spaceflight Symposium" (PDF). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. p. 228. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  5. ^ a b c d "Capt. William Shepherd: First Commander of the International Space Station". Hall of Fame. Alamogordo, New Mexico: New Mexico Museum of Space History. 2004. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  6. ^ Lawrence, John (23 May 1984). "84-028: NASA Select 17 Astronaut Candidates" (PDF). NASA News. Houston, Texas: NASA. p. 66. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  7. ^ Kelly, Scott; Dean, Margaret Lazarus (2017). Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery. London: Transworld Publishing. p. 186. ISBN 9781473543195.
  8. ^ Leary, Warren E. (3 November 2000). "Men in the News; The Crew of the International Space Station". New York Times. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021. It's just too good a story to deny,
  9. ^ Kauderer, Amiko (28 October 2010). "Preflight Interview: William Shepherd". International Space Station. NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  10. ^ a b Ryba, Jeanne (23 November 2007). "STS-27". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  11. ^ a b Ryba, Jeanne (18 February 2010). "STS-41". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  12. ^ a b Ryba, Jeanne (31 March 2010). "STS-52". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  13. ^ Dempsey, Robert (13 April 2018). "The International Space Station: Operating an Outpost in the New Frontier" (PDF). NASA. p. xiv. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  14. ^ Jasper, G. L.; Johnson, D. L.; Batts, G. W. (July 1989). "Atmospheric environment for Space Shuttle (STS-27) launch" (PDF). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  15. ^ Riley, Jack (15 September 1987). "87-043: STS-27 Crew Named" (PDF). NASA News. Houston, Texas: NASA. p. 101. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  16. ^ Camp, David W.; Germany, D. M.; Nicholson, Leonard S. (November 1990). "STS-41: Space Shuttle Mission Report" (pdf). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  17. ^ Fricke, Robert W., Jr. (December 1992). "STS-52: Space Shuttle Mission Report" (pdf). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  18. ^ Petty, John Ira (31 October 2000). "International Space Station Status Report #00-43". Johnson News. Houston, Texas: NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  19. ^ a b Petty, John Ira (21 March 2001). "STS-102 Mission Control Center Status Report # 27". Johnson News. Houston, Texas: NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  20. ^ "CAPT William M. Shepherd". Advisory Board. Systems Engineering Research Center. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  21. ^ "X-Prize group founder to speak at induction". El Paso Times. Alamogordo, New Mexico: Gannett. Alamogordo Daily News. 17 October 2004. p. 59. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "William Shepherd". Astronanaut Hall of Fame. Orlando, Florida: Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. 2 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  23. ^ "William M. Shepherd". ihmc.us. Florida Institute for Human and Machine Cognition. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  24. ^ "Keynote Speakers". cser.info. Conference on Systems Engineering Research. 2019. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  25. ^ "CAPT. William M. Shepherd, USN". Symposium 365 Speakers. Colorado Springs, Colorado: Space Foundation. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  26. ^ "Spirit of St. Louis Medal". ASME.org. New York City: American Society of Mechanical Engineers. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  27. ^ "Past Goddard Trophy Winners". spaceclub.org. Washington, D.C.: National Space Club. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  28. ^ Kowsky, Joel (2 December 2016). "Former Astronaut William Shepherd Awarded Russian Medal for Merit in Space Exploration". Flickr. NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.
  29. ^ Kauderer, Amiko (13 May 2010). "NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Collier Trophy". International Space Station. NASA. Archived from the original on 4 May 2021. Retrieved 4 May 2021.

External links[]

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