Kenneth Ham
| Kenneth Ham | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
December 12, 1964 Plainfield, New Jersey, U.S. |
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Other occupation
|
Test pilot |
| Rank | Captain, USN |
|
Time in space
|
25d 12h 41m |
| Selection | 1998 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-124, STS-132 |
|
Mission insignia
|
 
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Kenneth Todd "Hock" Ham (born December 12, 1964) is a retired American astronaut and a captain in the United States Navy. Ham was selected for NASA's astronaut program in August 1998, while serving as the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet lead carrier suitability test pilot. Ham's aviator call sign is "Hock". As of July 2013, Captain Ham served as the Chair of the Aerospace Engineering Department at the United States Naval Academy, in Annapolis, Maryland. Captain Ham has worked for Bigelow Aerospace in North Las Vegas as of August 2014.
Ken Ham was born in Plainfield, New Jersey, to Ed and Marion Ham. He graduated from Arthur L. Johnson High School in Clark, New Jersey in 1983, where he had started taking flying lessons at the suggestion of a high school guidance counselor.
He then went on to the United States Naval Academy, graduating in 1987 with a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering. In 1996, he earned a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School. A Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Ham is also a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association.
After earning his commission as an ensign in the U.S. Navy in May 1987, Ham received flight training in T-34C, T-2C, and TA-4J aircraft. Ham was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1989, and subsequently received F/A-18 Hornet training. His operational assignments included stints with VFA-132 and VFA-105 fighter squadrons. During a temporary assignment to NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, Ham served as a crew member aboard NASA's reduced gravity research aircraft—a KC-135 Stratotanker nicknamed the "Vomit Comet".
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