Ferguson

Christopher John Ferguson American Pilot Astronaut. Born 1 September 1961.

Personal: Male, Married, Three children. Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. US Navy US Navy

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 17 - 1998. Active Entered space service: 4 June 1998. Number of Flights: 1.00. Total Time: 11.80 days.

NASA Official Biography

NAME: Christopher J. Ferguson (Lieutenant Commander, USN): NASA Astronaut Candidate (Pilot)
PERSONAL DATA:: Born September 1, 1961 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Married to the former Sandra A. Cabot. They have three children. Recreational interests include golf, woodworking, running, music, and weight lifting. His mother, Mary Ann Pietras and stepfather, Norman Pietras, reside in Bensalem, Pennsylvania. Sandra's mother, Trudy, resides in Norristown, PA. His father, Ian A. Ferguson, is deceased.
EDUCATION:: Graduated from Archbishop Ryan High School, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1979; received a bachelor of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Drexel University, 1984 and a master of science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School, 1991.
ORGANIZATIONS:: Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Pi Tau Sigma Engineering Honor Society
AWARDS:: Navy Strike/Flight Air Medal, Navy Commendation Medal (3), Navy Achievement Medal, various other service awards/citations.
EXPERIENCE:: Ferguson was commissioned from the NROTC program after completion of a 5 year cooperative education curriculum at Drexel University. He was temporarily assigned to the Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland prior to commencing flight school in Pensacola, Florida in November 1984. Following flight training in Florida and Texas, he received his Navy wings and was ordered to the F-14 replacement training squadron in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where, after a nine month period of instruction, he joined the 'Red Rippers' of VF-11. With VF-11 he made deployments to the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean on board the USS Forrestal (CV-59). While with VF-11 he also attended the Navy Fighter Weapon School (TOPGUN). He was selected for the Naval Postgraduate/Test Pilot School program in 1989 and graduated with class 101. From July 1992 through June 1994 he was assigned to the Ordnance Branch of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at NAS Patuxent River. There he served as the project officer for the F-14D weapon separation program where he became the first to release numerous air-to-ground stores from both the A and D model of the Tomcat. In July 1994, he was chosen to instruct at the Naval Test Pilot School which he did so until July 1995. After a brief retraining period he joined the 'Checkmates' of VF-211 where he completed a deployment to the Western Pacific/Persian Gulf aboard the Nimitz (CVN-68) in support Operation Southern Watch and contingency operations off the coast of Taiwan. He briefly served as the F-14 Class Desk Officer for the Commander Naval Air Force, Atlantic Fleet prior to his selection to the space program.
NASA EXPERIENCE:: Selected by NASA in June 1998, he reported for training in August 1998. Astronaut Candidate Training includes orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques. Following a period of training and evaluation, he will receive technical assignments within the Astronaut Office before being assigned to a space flight.

NOVEMBER 1998

Ferguson Spaceflight Log

9 September 2006 Flight: STS-115. Flight Up: STS-115. Flight Back: STS-115. Flight Time: 11.80 days.

Ferguson Chronology

19 July 1985 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 17 selected.. The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights.. Qualifications: Pilots: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics. Advanced degree desirable. At least 1,000 flight-hours of pilot-in-command time. Flight test experience desirable. Excellent health. Vision minimum 20/50 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20 vision; maximum sitting blood pressure 140/90. Height between 163 and 193 cm.

Mission Specialists: Bachelor's degree in engineering, biological science, physical science or mathematics and minimum three years of related experience or an advanced degree. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. Of 25 Americans, eight pilots and 17 mission specialists.

23 May 2003 - STS-115 (cancelled). Assignment: Proposed Prime Crew. Flight: STS-115A. Flight delayed after the Columbia disaster. STS-115 was to have flown a ten-day ISS Assembly mission ISS-12A.

9 September 2006 - STS-115. Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13. Atlantis docked with the International Space Station at the PMA-2 port at 10:48 GMT on 11 September. At the Shuttle RMS robot arm connected to the enormous P3/P4 truss in the payload pay and handed it off to the Station's robot arm between 14:52 and 15:03 GMT the same day. The station arm then connected to the P3/P4 truss to the station's P1 truss at 07:27 on 12 September. Three EVA's were made by the shuttle crew over the next three days to complete installation of the truss and deply its solar panels. The Shuttle undocked from the station at 12:50 GMT on 20 September. There was a one-day delay in landing due to weather at the Cape and some concern about several small objects seen floating near the spacecraft. These were believed to be plastic shims that had worked loose from between the tiles and were not a concern. Atlantis landed at Kennedy Space Center at 10:21 GMT on 21 September.

9 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #01. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. Atlantis launched into an almost clear Florida sky this morning for an 11-day mission that marks the return to assembly of the International Space Station.

Today marks the first time in almost four years that a major new space station component ...more...

10 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #03. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13. It was a productive day for the six astronauts onboard Atlantis. The crew inspected the shuttle's heat shield, prepared for docking to the International Space Station and readied spacesuits for the upcoming three spacewalks.

The crew thoroughly examined Atlantis with the Orbiter Boom Sensor System, the 50-foot-long ...more...

10 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #02. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13. After days of waking up in quarantine, the crew of the space shuttle Atlantis woke up in weightlessness for its first full day in space.

The six-person crew of Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialists ...more...

11 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #05. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13. The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew entered the International Space Station complex this morning at 7:35 a.m. CDT giving a wave and smiles to Mission Control operators on the ground in Houston.

"Station, we see you have visitors. Tell them to give us a wave", said astronaut ...more...

11 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #04. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13. The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew has begun a busy and exciting day. The shuttle and the International Space Station are scheduled to dock at 5:46 a.m. CDT and begin seven days of joint operations.

The crew awoke at 11:15 p.m. to a solo cello performance by Dan Burbank’s children. ...more...

13 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #08. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. The Atlantis and Expedition 13 crews are getting ready for the second spacewalk of the STS-115 mission to the International Space Station.

They will continue preparations for activation of the P3/P4 truss segment attached ...more...

14 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #10. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. With several busy days including two successful spacewalks behind them, the Atlantis and International Space Station crews were looking forward to deployment of new station solar arrays and preparing for the mission's third spacewalk.

The ground teams completed the checkout of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint (SARJ) early ...more...

15 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #13. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13. Astronauts Joe Tanner and Heide Stefanyshyn-Piper finished the third and final spacewalk of Atlantis' mission today, powering up a cooling radiator for the new solar arrays unfolded Thursday on the International Space Station.

After about a 45-minute delay in the airlock due to a depressurization pump power ...more...

15 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #12. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. The Atlantis and International Space Station crews today will focus on the third and final spacewalk of the mission.

The STS-115 crew, Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris Ferguson and Mission Specialists ...more...

16 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #15. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. Astronauts on board Space Shuttle Atlantis today got a much deserved day off having completed three highly successful space walks that put the International Space Station back under construction.

After seven days in space, the STS-115 crew -- Commander Brent Jett, Pilot Chris ...more...

16 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #14. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew gets some well deserved time to relax today.

After the successful addition of new components to the International Space Station, ...more...

17 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #17. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Atlantis left a space station today markedly different than the one to which it docked less than a week ago.

Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station at 7:50 a.m. CDT, completing ...more...

17 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #16. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. It's undocking day. The Space Shuttle Atlantis is scheduled to begin moving away from the International Space Station at 7:50 a.m. CDT.

Crew members will get a look at the results of their STS-115 mission, which resumed ...more...

18 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #18. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. The International Space Station is a busy place these days. Sunday saw the departure of the space shuttle visitors who had been working from the orbiting complex the past six days with a 7:50 a.m. CDT undocking of Atlantis. Hours later, three more explorers launched toward the station in a Soyuz spacecraft.

Expedition 14 Commander Michael Lopez-Alegria, Soyuz Commander Mikhail Tyurin and ...more...

18 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #19. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. The crew of the International Space Station worked through an emergency procedure this morning after an oxygen generation unit apparently overheated.

The overheating is believed to have melted a rubber seal, causing a small amount ...more...

19 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #20. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. A space-age conference call linked three orbiting crews early Tuesday.

Three people aboard the Soyuz TMA 9 talked with the six Atlantis astronauts and ...more...

19 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #21. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. Space Shuttle managers today decided to extend Atlantis' stay in space to allow for additional inspections of the spacecraft to be performed.

The decision to pursue additional inspections was made this morning after video ...more...

20 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #22. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-14, ISS EO-13, ISS Astrolab. The Space Shuttle Atlantis crew began another survey of the spacecraft's heat shield late Tuesday after mission managers decided the orbiter would spend another day in space.

That decision was made after cameras detected a piece of debris near the shuttle ...more...

21 September 2006 - STS-115 MCC Status Report #24. Flight: STS-115, ISS EO-13. After resuming the expansion of humanity's only outpost in space, Space Shuttle Atlantis came home this morning, gliding to a perfect pre-dawn landing at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Atlantis touched down on Runway 33 of Kennedy's Shuttle Landing Facility at 5:21:30 ...more...

Bibliography and Further Reading

NASA Astronaut Biographies, Johnson Space Center, NASA, 1995-present. Accessed at: http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/.

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