Pailes Credit - www.spacefacts.de

Personal: Male, Married. Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, USA. BS, US Air Force Academy, 1974; MS, Computer Science, Texas A&M, 1981 US Air Force US Air Force USAF

Astronaut Career

Astronaut Group: DoD Group 2 - 1982. Inactive Entered space service: September 1982. Left space service: July 1987. Number of Flights: 1.00. Total Time: 4.07 days.

Official NASA Biography

NAME: William A. Pailes (Major, USAF)
Payload Specialist

PERSONAL DATA: Born June 26, 1952, in Hackensack, New Jersey, but considers Kinnelon, New Jersey, to be his hometown. Married. He is a former deacon and treasurer of his church in El Segundo, California.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Kinnelon High School, Kinnelon, New Jersey, 1970. Received a bachelor of science degree in computer science, USAF Academy, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1974. Attended pilot training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, from 1974-1975; trained as a HC-130 rescue pilot in the Aerospace Rescue and Recovery Service. In 1978, attended Squadron Officer School. Received a master of science degree in computer science, Texas A&M University, 1981.

EXPERIENCE: Dec 1975 to Jul 1980 McClellan Air Force Base, California, and Royal Air Force Base, Woodbridge, England. HC-130 pilot in Air Force Rescue.

Jan 1982 to Dec 1982 Headquarters Military Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base, Illinois. Manager, mini-computer operating systems software development.

Jan 1983 to Present USAF Manned Spaceflight Engineering Program, Los Angeles Air Force Station, California. Manned Spaceflight Engineer.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: Pailes flew on STS-51J Atlantis (October 3-7, 1985) which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. STS-51J was the second Space Shuttle Department of Defense mission. It was also the maiden voyage of the Atlantis, the final Orbiter in the Shuttle fleet. At the conclusion of the mission, Pailes had traveled over 1.6 million miles in 98 Earth orbits and logged more than 97 hours in space.

OCTOBER 1985

• 3 October 1985 Flight: STS-51-J. Flight Up: STS-51-J. Flight Back: STS-51-J. Flight Time: 4.07 days.

1 September 1982 - DoD Astronaut Training Group 2 selected.. The group was selected to provide shuttle manned spaceflight engineers to operate military payloads.. Qualifications: USAF officers with bachelor's degree in science or engineering; four years experience in flying or space-related activities. Vision minimum 20/150 uncorrected, correctable to 20/20. Maximum sitting blood pressure of 140/90. Height between 150 and 193 cm.. 14 were selected from 63 candidates.

Orbits of Earth: 63. Landed at: Runway 23 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, . Touchdown miss distance: 754.00 m. Landing Rollout: 2,455.00 m. Payloads: Classified DoD Mission - Record altitude (as of 5/93).

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