Springer Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, Three children. Born in Paterson, Missouri, USA. US Marine Corps US Marine Corps

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 9 - 1980. Inactive Entered space service: 19 May 1980. Left space service: 30 November 1990. Number of Flights: 2.00. Total Time: 9.90 days.

NAME: Robert C. Springer (Colonel, USMC)

NASA Astronaut

Although born in St. Louis, he considers Ashland, Ohio, his hometown. Springer is a member of the astronaut class of 1980 and at 46, he made his first space flight on STS-29 as mission specialist two (MS-2).

He has worked in the Mission Control Center as a CAPCOM for seven flights and was responsible for Astronaut Office coordination of design requirements reviews and design certification reviews, part of the total recertification and reverification of the National Space Transportation System prior to STS-26's return to flight.

Springer earned a B.S. degree in naval science from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1964 and a M.S. in operations research and systems analysis from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1971.

After receiving a USMC commission, Springer received his aviator wings in August 1966 and was assigned to VMFA-513 at the Marine Corps Air Station in Cherry Point, N.C., where he flew F-4 aircraft. He then served in Southeast Asia where he flew F-4s and completed 300 combat missions. In June 1968, Springer served as an advisor to the Republic of Korea Marine Corps in Vietnam and flew 250 combat missions in 01 "Bird Dogs" and UH1 "Huey" helicopters.

Springer attended Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and in 1975 graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Md. He has served as a test pilot for more than 20 different fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and performed the first flights in the AHIT helicopter. Springer has logged more than 3,500 hours flying time, including 3,000 hours in jet aircraft.

STS-38 STS-38 Mission Specialist (MS) Springer uses camera on OV-104 aft flight deck... Credit- NASA

• 13 March 1989 Flight: STS-29. Flight Up: STS-29. Flight Back: STS-29. Flight Time: 4.99 days.

• 15 November 1990 Flight: STS-38. Flight Up: STS-38. Flight Back: STS-38. Flight Time: 4.91 days.

19 May 1980 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 9 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..