After Shepherd was selected for NASA Astronaut Group 10 in 1984,[6] rumors spread that he had answered a standard interview question about what he did best by saying, "kill people with knives"[7] but he later refused to confirm or deny the account, commenting "it's too good a story".[8] He was the first military non-aviator in astronaut training, following his unsuccessful application for NASA Astronaut Group 9 in 1980.[9] In 1986, Shepherd's Navy SEAL training proved unexpectedly useful to NASA as he helped to direct the underwater salvage operations of the Space Shuttle Challenger after its destruction. Shepherd then served as a mission specialist on three Space Shuttle flights: mission STS-27 in 1988,[10] mission STS-41 in 1990,[11] which deployed the Ulysses probe, and mission STS-52 in 1992.[12] He was the first member of NASA Astronaut Group 10 to fly a space mission.
From March 1993 to January 1996, he was assigned to the International Space Station Program,[4] serving as Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager. In November 1995 he was selected to command the first crew of the International Space Station (ISS). The mission was supposed to launch in 1997,[13] but a long series of political, financial, and technical problems caused significant delays. Although sixteen nations would participate in the ISS program, Russia, along with the United States would bear the majority of the station's costs.[5]
Spaceflight experienceedit
STS-27: Atlantis (December 2–6, 1988) Shepherd served with his crewmates on a mission that lasted 105 hours and carried Department of Defense payloads. The mission is noteworthy due to the severe damage Atlantis sustained to its critical heat-resistant tiles during ascent.[14][15][10]
STS-41: Discovery (October 6–10, 1990) during 66 orbits of the Earth, the crew aboard the Orbiter successfully deployed the Ulysses, starting it on a four-year journey (via Jupiter) to investigate the polar regions of the Sun.[11][16]
Shepherd was next assigned to the staff of Commander, Naval Special Warfare Command,[5] to assist with the development of new capabilities and programs for the Navy's SEAL and Special Boat units. He retired from the U.S. Navy in January 2002.[5] CAPT Shepherd also served as U.S. Special Operations Command's first Science Advisor from 2008–2011.[20]
^ abcdLyndon B. Johnson Space Center (January 2002). "William M. Shepherd" (PDF). Biographical Data. Houston, Texas: NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^ abMahone, Glenn; Jacobs, Bob (July 23, 2004). "S04-238: Challenger Crew Honored With Congressional Space Medal Of Honor". NASA News. Washington, D.C.: NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (February 2004). "Beth Ann Stringham Shepherd" (PDF). Biographical Data. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^ abcGarber, Stephen J.; Launius, Roger (May 8, 2001). "Looking Backward, Looking Forward: Forty Years of US Human Spaceflight Symposium" (PDF). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. p. 228. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Lawrence, John (May 23, 1984). "84-028: NASA Select 17 Astronaut Candidates" (PDF). NASA News. Houston, Texas: NASA. p. 66. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Kelly, Scott; Dean, Margaret Lazarus (2017). Endurance: A Year in Space, A Lifetime of Discovery. London: Transworld Publishing. p. 186. ISBN 9781473543195.
^Leary, Warren E. (November 3, 2000). "Men in the News; The Crew of the International Space Station". New York Times. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021. It's just too good a story to deny,
^Kauderer, Amiko (October 28, 2010). "Preflight Interview: William Shepherd". International Space Station. NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^ abRyba, Jeanne (November 23, 2007). "STS-27". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^ abRyba, Jeanne (February 18, 2010). "STS-41". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^ abRyba, Jeanne (March 31, 2010). "STS-52". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Dempsey, Robert (April 13, 2018). "The International Space Station: Operating an Outpost in the New Frontier" (PDF). NASA. p. xiv. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Jasper, G. L.; Johnson, D. L.; Batts, G. W. (July 1989). "Atmospheric environment for Space Shuttle (STS-27) launch" (PDF). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Riley, Jack (September 15, 1987). "87-043: STS-27 Crew Named" (PDF). NASA News. Houston, Texas: NASA. p. 101. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Camp, David W.; Germany, D. M.; Nicholson, Leonard S. (November 1990). "STS-41: Space Shuttle Mission Report" (PDF). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Fricke, Robert W. Jr. (December 1992). "STS-52: Space Shuttle Mission Report" (PDF). NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Petty, John Ira (October 31, 2000). "International Space Station Status Report #00-43". Johnson News. Houston, Texas: NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^ abPetty, John Ira (March 21, 2001). "STS-102 Mission Control Center Status Report # 27". Johnson News. Houston, Texas: NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^"CAPT William M. Shepherd". Advisory Board. Systems Engineering Research Center. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^"William Shepherd". Astronanaut Hall of Fame. Orlando, Florida: Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. May 2, 2009. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^"Past Goddard Trophy Winners". spaceclub.org. Washington, D.C.: National Space Club. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Kowsky, Joel (December 2, 2016). "Former Astronaut William Shepherd Awarded Russian Medal for Merit in Space Exploration". Flickr. NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
^Kauderer, Amiko (May 13, 2010). "NASA's International Space Station Program Wins Collier Trophy". International Space Station. NASA. Archived from the original on May 4, 2021. Retrieved May 4, 2021.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to William Shepherd.
Shepherd's official NASA biography
Astronautix biography of William M. Shepherd
Spacefacts biography of William M. Shepherd
Shepherd at Spaceacts Archived March 4, 2016, at the Wayback Machine