Stephen S. Oswald
Encyclopedia
Stephen Scot Oswald is a former NASA
Astronaut
.
, but considers Bellingham, Washington
, to be his hometown. Married to the former Diane K. Kalklosch of Fullerton, California
. They have three children, Monique, Janna, and Scott.
in aerospace
engineering from the United States Naval Academy
in 1973.
and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
from the Boy Scouts of America
.
Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots
, the Association of Space Explorers, the Naval Reserve Association, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Recipient of the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal (2), the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2), the NASA Space Flight Medal (3), and various service awards.
in September 1974. Following training in the A-7 Corsair II
aircraft, he flew aboard the from 1975 through 1977. In 1978, Oswald attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. Upon graduation, he remained at the Naval Air Test Center conducting flying qualities, performance, and propulsion flight tests on the A-7 and F/A-18 Hornet
aircraft through 1981. Following tours as an F/A-18 flight instructor
and as a catapult
officer aboard the , Oswald resigned from active Navy duty and joined Westinghouse Electric Corporation as a civilian test pilot. As a reservist, Rear Adm. Oswald flew the RF-8 and the A-7 until 1988 when he transferred to the fledgling Naval Reserve space community. His assignments included three command tours, the last of which was at the Navy Space Systems Division in the Pentagon as Director, Naval Space Reserve Program. In 2000 and 2001, he served on active duty as Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force – Computer Network Operations based in the Washington, D.C. He was assigned as the Reserve Deputy to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs (OPNAV N6/7) in the Pentagon. He has logged 7,000+ flight hours in over 40 different aircraft.
; flight software testing with the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory
; crew representative to the Marshall Space Flight Center
on solid rocket booster
redesign; and spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center
during Space Shuttle
missions. He was also the Chief of the Operations Development Branch within the Astronaut Office and served as Assistant Director of Engineering at Johnson Space Center.
Oswald has piloted two missions aboard the : STS-42
, the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 mission, flown in January 1992, and STS-56
, the second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-2) mission, flown in April 1993. Oswald commanded STS-67
, the second flight of the Astro observatory (Astro II), which flew on the in March, 1995. This mission established a mission duration record for Space Shuttle at 17 days. With the completion of his third space flight, Oswald has logged over 33 days in space.
After STS-67, Oswald was assigned to NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC as Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Operations. In this capacity, he was responsible for Space Shuttle, Expendable launch vehicles, and Space Communications for the Agency. After nearly two and a half years in Washington, Oswald returned to the Astronaut Office in July 1998.
Oswald retired from NASA in January 2000.
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...
Astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
.
Personal data
Born 30 June 1951, in Seattle, WashingtonSeattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, but considers Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Whatcom County in the U.S. state of Washington. It is the twelfth-largest city in the state. Situated on Bellingham Bay, Bellingham is protected by Lummi Island, Portage Island, and the Lummi Peninsula, and opens onto the Strait of Georgia...
, to be his hometown. Married to the former Diane K. Kalklosch of Fullerton, California
Fullerton, California
Fullerton is a city located in northern Orange County, California. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 135,161.It was founded in 1887 by George and Edward Amerige and named for George H. Fullerton, who secured the land on behalf of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway...
. They have three children, Monique, Janna, and Scott.
Education
Graduated from Bellingham High School, Bellingham, Washington, in 1969; received a bachelor of science degreeAcademic 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...
in aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
engineering from the United States Naval Academy
United States Naval Academy
The United States Naval Academy is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located in Annapolis, Maryland, United States...
in 1973.
Organizations/awards
Oswald is an Eagle ScoutEagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
The Distinguished Eagle Scout Award is a distinguished service award of the Boy Scouts of America . It is awarded to an Eagle Scout for distinguished service in his profession and to his community for a period of at least 25 years after attaining the level of Eagle Scout...
from the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
.
Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots
Society of Experimental Test Pilots
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is an international organization that seeks to promote air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement by promoting sound aeronautical design and development; interchanging ideas, thoughts and suggestions of the members, assisting in the professional...
, the Association of Space Explorers, the Naval Reserve Association, and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
Recipient of the Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal (2), the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Exceptional Service Medal (2), the NASA Space Flight Medal (3), and various service awards.
U.S. Navy Experience
Oswald graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1973, and was designated a naval aviatorNaval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
in September 1974. Following training in the A-7 Corsair II
A-7 Corsair II
The Ling-Temco-Vought A-7 Corsair II is a carrier-based subsonic light attack aircraft introduced to replace the United States Navy's Douglas A-4 Skyhawk, initially entering service during the Vietnam War...
aircraft, he flew aboard the from 1975 through 1977. In 1978, Oswald attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland. Upon graduation, he remained at the Naval Air Test Center conducting flying qualities, performance, and propulsion flight tests on the A-7 and F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
aircraft through 1981. Following tours as an F/A-18 flight instructor
Flight instructor
A flight instructor is a person who teaches others to fly aircraft. Specific privileges granted to holders of a flight instructor qualification vary from country to country, but very generally, a flight instructor serves to enhance or evaluate the knowledge and skill level of an aviator in pursuit...
and as a catapult
Catapult
A catapult is a device used to throw or hurl a projectile a great distance without the aid of explosive devices—particularly various types of ancient and medieval siege engines. Although the catapult has been used since ancient times, it has proven to be one of the most effective mechanisms during...
officer aboard the , Oswald resigned from active Navy duty and joined Westinghouse Electric Corporation as a civilian test pilot. As a reservist, Rear Adm. Oswald flew the RF-8 and the A-7 until 1988 when he transferred to the fledgling Naval Reserve space community. His assignments included three command tours, the last of which was at the Navy Space Systems Division in the Pentagon as Director, Naval Space Reserve Program. In 2000 and 2001, he served on active duty as Deputy Commander, Joint Task Force – Computer Network Operations based in the Washington, D.C. He was assigned as the Reserve Deputy to the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations for Warfare Requirements and Programs (OPNAV N6/7) in the Pentagon. He has logged 7,000+ flight hours in over 40 different aircraft.
NASA experience
Oswald joined NASA in November 1984 as an aerospace engineer and instructor pilot and was selected as an astronaut candidate in June 1985. His technical assignments within the Astronaut Office have included: flight crew representative to Kennedy Space CenterKennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
; flight software testing with the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory
Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory
The Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory was a facility at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.It was the only facility in the Space Shuttle Program where actual orbiter hardware and flight software can be integrated and tested in a simulated flight environment...
; crew representative to the Marshall Space Flight Center
Marshall Space Flight Center
The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is the U.S. government's civilian rocketry and spacecraft propulsion research center. The largest center of NASA, MSFC's first mission was developing the Saturn launch vehicles for the Apollo moon program...
on solid rocket booster
Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster
The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters were the pair of large solid rockets used by the United States' NASA Space Shuttle during the first two minutes of powered flight. Together they provided about 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. They were located on either side of the rusty or...
redesign; and spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center
Mission Control Center
A mission control center is an entity that manages aerospace vehicle flights, usually from the point of lift-off until the landing or the end of the mission. A staff of flight controllers and other support personnel monitor all aspects of the mission using telemetry, and send commands to the...
during 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...
missions. He was also the Chief of the Operations Development Branch within the Astronaut Office and served as Assistant Director of Engineering at Johnson Space Center.
Oswald has piloted two missions aboard the : STS-42
STS-42
STS-42 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission with the Spacelab module. Liftoff which was originally scheduled for 8:45 EST 22 January 1992, but the launch was delayed due to weather constraints. Discovery successfully lifted off an hour later at 9:52 EST . The main goal of the mission was to study...
, the International Microgravity Laboratory-1 mission, flown in January 1992, and STS-56
STS-56
STS-56 was a Space Shuttle Discovery mission to perform special experiments. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 8 April 1993.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass:**Orbiter landing with payload: **Payload:...
, the second Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science (ATLAS-2) mission, flown in April 1993. Oswald commanded STS-67
STS-67
STS-67 was a human spaceflight mission using that launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on 2 March 1995.-Crew:-Mission parameters:*Mass: payload*Perigee: *Apogee: *Inclination: 28.5°*Period: 91.5 min...
, the second flight of the Astro observatory (Astro II), which flew on the in March, 1995. This mission established a mission duration record for Space Shuttle at 17 days. With the completion of his third space flight, Oswald has logged over 33 days in space.
After STS-67, Oswald was assigned to NASA Headquarters in Washington, DC as Deputy Associate Administrator for Space Operations. In this capacity, he was responsible for Space Shuttle, Expendable launch vehicles, and Space Communications for the Agency. After nearly two and a half years in Washington, Oswald returned to the Astronaut Office in July 1998.
Oswald retired from NASA in January 2000.