Nelson Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married, Two children. Born in Charles City, Iowa, USA. PhD

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: NASA Group 8 - 1978. Inactive Entered space service: 6 January 1978. Left space service: 30 June 1989. Number of Flights: 3.00. Total Time: 17.11 days. Number of EVAs: 2.00. Total EVA Time: 0.41 days.

NAME: George D. (nickname Pinky) Nelson (Ph.D.)

NASA Astronaut

BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born July 13, 1950, in Charles City, Iowa. Considers Willmar, Minnesota, to be his hometown. His father, Mr. George V. Nelson, lives in Clinton, Iowa.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Blond hair; blue eyes; height: 5 feet 9 inches; weight: 170 pounds.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Willmar Senior High School, Willmar, Minnesota, in 1968; received a bachelor of science degree in Physics from Harvey Mudd College in 1972 and a master of science and a doctorate in Astronomy from the University of Washington in 1974 and 1978, respectively.

MARITAL STATUS: His wife Susie is from Alhambra, California.

CHILDREN: Aimee Tess, April 25, 1972; Marti Ann, February 27, 1975.

RECREATIONAL INTERESTS: He enjoys playing golf, swimming, running, and music.

EXPERIENCE: Dr. Nelson performed astronomical research at the Sacramento Peak Solar Observatory, Sunspot, New Mexico; the Astronomical Institute at Utrecht, Utrecht, the Netherlands; and the University of Gottingen Observatory, Gottingen, West Germany, and at the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics in Boulder, Colorado.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Dr. Nelson was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978. He flew as a scientific equipment operator in the WB 57-F earth resources aircraft; served as the Astronaut Office representative in the Space Shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (space suit) development effort. During STS-1 he was the photographer in the prime chase plane. He also served as support crewman and CAPCOM for the last two OFT flights, STS-3 and STS-4, and as head of the Astronaut Office Mission Development Group.

STS-26 STS-26 MS Nelson adjusts ADSF power cable on Discovery's middeck... Credit- NASA

Dr. Nelson first flew on STS 41-C (April 6-13, 1984). During the seven day flight of Challenger the crew successfully deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF); retrieved the ailing Solar Maximum Satellite, repaired it on-board the Orbiter, and replaced it in orbit. The mission also included flight testing of Manned Maneuvering Units (MMU's) in two extravehicular activities (EVA's); operation of the Cinema 360 and IMAX Camera Systems.

He then flew on STS 61-C, which launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on January 12, and made a night landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on January 18, 1986. During the six day flight of Columbia, the crew deployed the SATCOM KU satellite, and conducted experiments in astrophysics and materials processing.

Dr. Nelson then flew on STS-26, the first flight to be flown after the Challenger accident. The Orbiter Discovery was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on September 29, 1988. During the four day mission, the crew successfully deployed the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C), and operated eleven mid-deck science experiments. With the completion of his third space flight he logged a total of 411 hours in space, including 10 hours of EVA flight time.

Currently Assistant Provost and Associate Professor of Astronomy, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.

NOVEMBER, 1989

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

• 12 January 1986 Flight: STS-61-C. Flight Up: STS-61-C. Flight Back: STS-61-C. Flight Time: 6.09 days.

• 29 September 1988 Flight: STS-26. Flight Up: STS-26. Flight Back: STS-26. Flight Time: 4.04 days.

16 January 1978 - NASA Astronaut Training Group 8 selected.. The group was selected to provide pilot, engineer, and scientist astronauts for space shuttle flights. Recruit women and minorities to introduce diversity into the astronaut corps. 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.. 8,079 applicants, of which half met the basic qualifications. 208 invited for physical tests and interviews. Of the 35 selected, six were women, three were male African-Americans, and one was a male Asian-American.