Frederick W. Sturckow
| Frederick W. Sturckow | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
August 11, 1961 La Mesa, California, U.S. |
|
Other names
|
Frederick Wilford Sturckow |
|
Other occupation
|
Test pilot |
| Cal Poly, B.S. 1984 | |
| Rank | Colonel, USMC |
|
Time in space
|
51d 09h 36m |
| Selection | 1994 NASA Group 15 |
| Missions | STS-88, STS-105, STS-117, STS-128 |
|
Mission insignia
|
   
|
Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow (born August 11, 1961) is an Engineer, retired United States Marine Corps officer, former NASA astronaut, and commercial spacecraft pilot. Sturckow is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions. He flew on STS-88 and STS-105 as a pilot and STS-117 and STS-128 as a commander. All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making Sturckow one of two people to visit the station four times. Sturckow later was assigned to the Johnson Space Center as a CAPCOM. He left NASA in 2013 to become a pilot for Virgin Galactic.
Sturckow was born La Mesa, California, but considers Lakeside, California, to be his hometown. He is married to the former Michele A. Street of Great Mills, Maryland. He enjoys flying and physical training. His father, Karl H. Sturckow, resides in Lakeside and his mother, Janette R. Sturckow, resides in La Mesa. He was a member of the Marine Corps Association (MCA) and a former member of Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP).
Sturckow has the nickname "CJ", which stands for "Caustic Junior". It was given to him when he was a young Marine, because he resembled a squadron commander who was appropriately called “Caustic”.
Sturckow graduated from Grossmont High School, La Mesa, California, in 1978. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from California Polytechnic State University in 1984, and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering in 2000.
...
Wikipedia