Daniel C. Brandenstein

Daniel C. Brandenstein
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Retired
Born	(1943-01-17) January 17, 1943 (age 74) Watertown, Wisconsin, U.S.
Other names	Daniel Charles Brandenstein
Other occupation	Naval aviator, test pilot
Alma mater	UW–River Falls, B.S. 1965
Rank	Captain, USN
Time in space	32d 21h 03m
Selection	1978 NASA Group 8
Missions	STS-8, STS-51-G, STS-32, STS-49
Mission insignia

Daniel Charles Brandenstein (born January 17, 1943) is the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of United Space Alliance. He is a former Naval Aviator, test pilot and NASA astronaut, who flew four Space Shuttle missions.

After graduating with a bachelor of science degree in mathematics and physics from University of Wisconsin–River Falls, Brandenstein entered active duty with the U.S. Navy in September 1965 and was attached to the Naval Air Training Command for flight training. He was designated a Naval Aviator at Naval Air Station Beeville, Texas, in May 1967, and then proceeded to squadron VA-128 for A-6 fleet replacement training. From 1968 to 1970, while attached to VA-196 flying A-6 Intruders, he participated in two combat deployments on board the aircraft carriers USS Constellation and USS Ranger to Southeast Asia where he flew 192 combat missions. In subsequent assignments, he was attached to VX-5 for the conduct of operational tests of A-6 weapons systems and tactics; and to the Naval Air Test Center, where upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, he conducted tests of electronic warfare systems in various Navy aircraft. Brandenstein carried out a nine-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean on board USS Ranger while attached to VA-145, flying A-6 Intruders during the period March 1975 to September 1977. Before reporting to the Johnson Space Center in Houston as an astronaut candidate, he was attached to VA-128 as an A-6 flight instructor.