Charles D. Gemar

Charles D. Gemar
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Retired
Born	(1955-08-04) August 4, 1955 (age 61) Yankton, South Dakota, U.S.
Other names	Charles Donald Gemar
Other occupation	Serviceman
Alma mater	USMA, B.S. 1979
Rank	Lieutenant colonel, USA
Time in space	24d 05h 38 min
Selection	1985 NASA Group 11
Missions	STS-38, STS-48, STS-62
Mission insignia
Retirement	1996

Charles Donald "Sam" Gemar (born on the 4th August, 1955) is an American former astronaut with NASA and a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army. Gemar has flown on three Space Shuttle missions (STS-38, STS-48 and STS-62). Gemar has completed 385 orbits of the Earth and over 581 hours in space. He has also served in different positions in NASA, including as a CAPCOM for Shuttle missions. Gemar was the first astronaut to be born in the state of South Dakota.

Born August 4, 1955, in Yankton, South Dakota, Gemar enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1973 and reported for duty on June 11, 1973, following graduation from Scotland Public High School, Scotland, South Dakota. In November 1973, he was assigned to the XVIII Airborne Corps at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he received an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy Preparatory School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia, and later a Department of the Army appointment to join the United States Military Academy Class of 1979.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, he attended the Infantry Officers Basic Course at Fort Benning, Georgia, the Initial Entry Rotary Wing Aviation Course and the Fixed Wing Multi-Engine Aviators Course, both at Fort Rucker, Alabama. In October 1980, he transferred to the 24th Infantry Division, Fort Stewart, Georgia, where he remained until January 1, 1985. While at Fort Stewart/Hunter Army Airfield, he served as an assistant flight operations officer and flight platoon leader for the 24th Combat Aviation Battalion, commander of Wright Army Airfield, and chief of Operations Branch, for Hunter Army Airfield.