Carl J. Meade | |
---|---|
NASA Astronaut | |
Nationality | American |
Status | Retired |
Born |
Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois, U.S. |
November 16, 1950
Other names
|
Carl Joseph Meade |
Other occupation
|
Test Pilot |
UT Austin, B.S. 1973 Caltech, M.S. 1975 |
|
Rank | Colonel, USAF |
Time in space
|
29d 16h 14m |
Selection | 1985 NASA Group 11 |
Missions | STS-38, STS-50, STS-64 |
Mission insignia
|
Carl Joseph Meade (Colonel, USAF) (born November 16, 1950) is a former NASA astronaut.
Born November 16, 1950, at Chanute Air Force Base, Illinois. Married. Two sons. He enjoys woodworking, home-built aircraft construction, racquetball, jogging, and snow skiing. His father, Mr. John Meade, resides in Universal City, Texas. His mother, Mrs. Esther J. Meade, is deceased.
He graduated in 1968 from Randolph High School, on Randolph Air Force Base, in Texas. In 1973 he received a Bachelor of Science degree (with honors) in Electronics Engineering from The University of Texas and in 1975 completed a Master of Science degree in Electronics Engineering from California Institute of Technology. He currently works for Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems as an engineering manager on the Crew Exploration Vehicle project.
Prior to entering active duty in the United States Air Force, Meade was a Hughes Fellow at the California Institute of Technology and an electronics design engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City, California. He entered the U.S. Air Force at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, where he was a distinguished graduate of Undergraduate Pilot Training. In 1977, Meade was assigned to the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina, where he flew the RF-4C. He was then selected as a member of the USAF Test Pilot School Class 80B. Upon graduation he received the Liethen-Tittle Award as the Outstanding Test Pilot and was assigned to the 6510th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base, California. While there, Meade was involved with research development test and evaluation of the F-5E, RF-5E and F-20 aircraft and the ground-launched and air-launched cruise missiles. He also performed high speed taxi, braking, tailhook, takeoff, landing, flying qualities, performance and weapon systems tests in the F-4E aircraft. Meade was then assigned to the F-16 Combined Test Force where he flew performance, loads and flutter, flying qualities, and weapon systems tests in both the F-16A and F-16C aircraft. In 1985, he was reassigned to the USAF Test Pilot School as a test pilot instructor in the F-4, A-7 Corsair II, A-37, and various gliders, teaching performance, stability/control, departure/spins, and radar flight test techniques. He was also the departure/spin lead instructor and avionics systems test training aircraft program manager.