F. Drew Gaffney
Encyclopedia
Francis Andrew "Drew" Gaffney, M.D. is an American
doctor
who flew aboard a NASA
Space Shuttle
mission as a Payload Specialist
.
. He is married to Elizabeth (Lili) Burgo Sims of Berkeley
, California
. He has two daughters.
Gaffney graduated from Carlsbad, New Mexico High School in 1964; received a Bachelor of arts
degree
from the University of California, Berkeley
in 1968; and a Doctor of Medicine
degree, University of New Mexico
in 1972.
He has over 50 publications in the areas of cardiovascular regulation and space physiology
.
A Colonel
in the Texas
Air National Guard
, Gaffney served as a Flight Surgeon
for the 147th Fighter Interceptor Group at Ellington Air National Guard Base, Houston, Texas
.
Gaffney served as a Visiting Senior Scientist with the Life Sciences Division at NASA Headquarters from January 1987 through June 1989. He worked with the Operational Medicine group and was Associate Manager of Biomedical Research as well as Program Scientist for the D-2 Spacelab
mission and the Research Animal Holding Facility. He was a member of several working groups and implementation teams planning collaborative research with German
, French
and Soviet
government scientists. He also served on a number of Space Station Freedom
and advanced mission planning groups including the "Humans to Mars" study group.
Gaffney's 15 years of experience in cardiac research and operation of equipment such as echocardiograms and rebreathing devices led to his being selected as a payload specialist aboard STS-40
Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS 1), a mission which took place in June 1991. STS-40 was the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. Gaffney was a co-investigator on an experiment that studied human cardiovascular adaption to space flight. The SLS-1 mission flew over 3.2 million miles in 146 orbit
s and its crew completed over 18 experiments in nine days, bringing back more medical data than any previous NASA flight. Mission duration was 218 hours, 14 minutes and 20 seconds.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
doctor
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
who flew aboard a 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...
Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
mission as a Payload Specialist
Payload Specialist
A Payload Specialist ' was an individual selected and trained by commercial or research organizations for flights of a specific payload on a NASA Space Shuttle mission...
.
Biography
Gaffney was born June 9, 1946, in Carlsbad, New MexicoCarlsbad, New Mexico
Carlsbad is a city in and the county seat of Eddy County, New Mexico, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 26,138. Carlsbad is the center of the designated micropolitan area of Carlsbad-Artesia, which has a total population of 55,435...
. He is married to Elizabeth (Lili) Burgo Sims of Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
, 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...
. He has two daughters.
Gaffney graduated from Carlsbad, New Mexico High School in 1964; received a Bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree
Academic degree
An academic degree is a position and title within a college or university that is usually awarded in recognition of the recipient having either satisfactorily completed a prescribed course of study or having conducted a scholarly endeavour deemed worthy of his or her admission to the degree...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
in 1968; and a Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine
Doctor of Medicine is a doctoral degree for physicians. The degree is granted by medical schools...
degree, University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
in 1972.
He has over 50 publications in the areas of cardiovascular regulation and space physiology
Space medicine
Space medicine is the practice of medicine on astronauts in outer space whereas astronautical hygiene is the application of science and technology to the prevention or control of exposure to the hazards that may cause astronaut ill health. Both these sciences work together to ensure that...
.
A 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...
in the Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
Air National Guard
Air National Guard
The Air National Guard , often referred to as the Air Guard, is the air force militia organized by each of the fifty U.S. states, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the territories of Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the District of Columbia of the United States. Established under Title 10 and...
, Gaffney served as a Flight Surgeon
Flight surgeon
A flight surgeon is a military medical officer assigned to duties in the clinical field variously known as aviation medicine, aerospace medicine, or flight medicine...
for the 147th Fighter Interceptor Group at Ellington Air National Guard Base, Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
.
Gaffney served as a Visiting Senior Scientist with the Life Sciences Division at NASA Headquarters from January 1987 through June 1989. He worked with the Operational Medicine group and was Associate Manager of Biomedical Research as well as Program Scientist for the D-2 Spacelab
Spacelab
Spacelab was a reusable laboratory used on certain spaceflights flown by the Space Shuttle. The laboratory consisted of multiple components, including a pressurized module, an unpressurized carrier and other related hardware housed in the Shuttle's cargo bay...
mission and the Research Animal Holding Facility. He was a member of several working groups and implementation teams planning collaborative research with German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Soviet
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
government scientists. He also served on a number of Space Station Freedom
Space Station Freedom
Space Station Freedom was a NASA project to construct a permanently manned Earth-orbiting space station in the 1980s. Although approved by then-president Ronald Reagan and announced in the 1984 State of the Union Address, Freedom was never constructed or completed as originally designed, and after...
and advanced mission planning groups including the "Humans to Mars" study group.
Gaffney's 15 years of experience in cardiac research and operation of equipment such as echocardiograms and rebreathing devices led to his being selected as a payload specialist aboard STS-40
STS-40
-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload: *Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 39.0°*Period: 90.4 min-Mission highlights:Launch originally set for 22 May 1991...
Spacelab Life Sciences (SLS 1), a mission which took place in June 1991. STS-40 was the first Spacelab mission dedicated to biomedical studies. Gaffney was a co-investigator on an experiment that studied human cardiovascular adaption to space flight. The SLS-1 mission flew over 3.2 million miles in 146 orbit
Orbit
In physics, an orbit is the gravitationally curved path of an object around a point in space, for example the orbit of a planet around the center of a star system, such as the Solar System...
s and its crew completed over 18 experiments in nine days, bringing back more medical data than any previous NASA flight. Mission duration was 218 hours, 14 minutes and 20 seconds.