Crippen Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, Three children. Born in Beaumont, Texas, USA. US Navy US Navy

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: USAF MOL Group 2 - 1966, NASA Group 7 - 1969. Inactive Entered space service: 30 June 1966. Left space service: 31 December 1991. Number of Flights: 4.00. Total Time: 23.58 days.

Official NASA Biography - 1981

NAME: Robert L. Crippen (Captain, USN), pilot.

BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born in Beaumont, Texas, on Sept. 11, 1937. He grew up in Porter, Texas, where his mother, Mrs. Herbert W. Crippen, now resides.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Brown hair; brown eyes; height: 5 ft. 10 in.: weight: 160 lb.

EDUCATION: Graduated from New Caney High School, Texas; received a bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Texas in 1960.

MARITAL STATUS: Married to the former Virginia E. Hill. Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. James D. Hill, reside in Corpus Christi, Texas.

CHILDREN: Ellen Marie, June 14, 1962; Susan Lynn, Dec. 24, 1964; Linda Ruth, May 10, 1967.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and the Johnson Space Center Group Achievement Award (1972).

EXPERIENCE: Crippen received his commission through the Navy's Aviation officer Program at Pensacola, Fla., which he entered after graduation from the University of Texas. He continued his flight training at Whiting Field, Fla., and went from there to Chase Field in Beeville, Texas, where he received his wings.

From June 1962 to November 1964, he was assigned to Fleet Squadron VA-72 -- completing two-and-one-half years of duty as an attack pilot aboard the aircraft carrier USS INDEPENDENCE. He later attended the U.S. Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and, upon graduation, remained there as an instructor until his selection in October 1966 to the USAF Manned orbiting Laboratory Program. Crippen was among the second group of aerospace research pilots to be assigned to the MOL Program.

STS-1 In-flight activities of Young and Crippen in the cockpit and middeck STS-1... Credit- NASA

He has logged more than 4,275 hours flying time, which include more than 4,090 hours in jet aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Crippen became a NASA astronaut in September 1969. He was a crew member on the highly successful Skylab Medical Experiments Altitude Test (SMEAT) -- a 56-day simulation of the Skylab mission, enabling crewmen to collect medical experiments baseline data and evaluate equipment, operations and procedures.

Crippen was a member of the astronaut support crew for the Skylab 2, 3 and 4 missions, and he served in this same capacity for the Apollo Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission which was completed successfully in July 1975.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT: Crippen has been designated pilot for one of the four two-man crews selected to fly Space Shuttle orbital flight tests and, with John W. Young, will fly STS-1 in 1981.

• 12 April 1981 Flight: STS-1. Flight Up: STS-1. Flight Back: STS-1. Flight Time: 2.26 days.

• 18 June 1983 Flight: STS-7. Flight Up: STS-7. Flight Back: STS-7. Flight Time: 6.10 days.

• 6 April 1984 Flight: STS-41-C. Flight Up: STS-41-C. Flight Back: STS-41-C. Flight Time: 6.99 days.

• 5 October 1984 Flight: STS-41-G. Flight Up: STS-41-G. Flight Back: STS-41-G. Flight Time: 8.22 days.

1974 - MOL 6 (cancelled). Planned date of fourth manned MOL mission at time of the program cancellation. From the beginning of the project, the Navy had demanded that this be an all-Navy crew.