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Kimbrough, Robert Shane

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Kimbrough Credit: www.spacefacts.de

Status: Active 2004-on. Born: 1967-06-04. Spaceflights: 2 . Total time in space: 188.99 days. Birth Place: Killeen, Texas.

Educated West Point.

Official NASA Biography as of June 2016:ROBERT S. KIMBROUGH (COLONEL, U.S. ARMY)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born June 4, 1967, in Killeen, Texas. Married to the former Robbie Lynn Nickels of Marietta, Georgia. They have three children. He enjoys baseball, golf, weightlifting and running. His father, Lt. Col. (ret.) Robert W. Kimbrough, resides in Hudson, Florida. His mother, DeAnn Johnson, resides in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Her parents, Robert and Carol Nickels, reside in Savannah, Georgia.

EDUCATION: Graduated from The Lovett School, Atlanta, Georgia in 1985; received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Military Academy, West Point, New York, in 1989, and a Master of Science Degree in Operations Research from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1998.

ORGANIZATIONS: Army Aviation Association of America; United States Military Academy Association of Graduates; Army Athletic Association; West Point Society of Greater Houston, Association of the United States Army.

SPECIAL HONORS: Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award - Georgia Institute of Technology; Captain of the West Point baseball team; First Team All-Conference Pitcher; Distinguished Graduate from U.S. Army flight school; Defense Meritorious Service Medal; two Meritorious Service Medals; NASA Space Flight Medal; Army Commendation Medal; Army Achievement Medal; National Defense Service Medal; Southwest Asia Service Medal; Kuwaiti Liberation Medal; Saudi Arabian Kuwaiti Liberation Medal; Valorous Unit Award; and Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal.

EXPERIENCE: Kimbrough graduated from West Point in May 1989 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He entered the U.S. Army Aviation School in 1989 and was designated an Army aviator in 1990. In late 1990, he was assigned to the 24th Infantry Division (Mechanized), Fort Stewart, Georgia, and was deployed to Southwest Asia, where he served in Operation Desert Storm. He served in the 24th Infantry Division as an attack helicopter platoon leader, aviation liaison officer, and attack helicopter battalion operations officer. In 1994, he was assigned to the 229th Aviation Regiment (Attack) (Airborne) at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, where he commanded an Apache helicopter company as well as the Regimental headquarters company. After completing a Masters of Science Degree at the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1998, he was assigned as an assistant professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences at the United States Military Academy. Other military schools include the Army Parachutist Course, Army Jumpmaster Course, German Airborne Course, the Combined Arms Services Staff School and the Command and General Staff College. Kimbrough has logged more than 3000 hours in numerous aircraft and spacecraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Kimbrough joined the NASA team at the Johnson Space Center (JSC) in September 2000. He was assigned to NASA's Aircraft Operations Division at Ellington Field in Houston, where he served as a Flight Simulation Engineer (FSE) on the Shuttle Training Aircraft (STA).

Kimbrough was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in May 2004. In February 2006, he completed Astronaut Candidate Training that included scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training, T-38 flight training and water and wilderness survival training. Completion of this initial training qualified him for various technical assignments within the Astronaut Office and future flight assignment. Kimbrough completed his first spaceflight in 2008, logging a total of 15 days, 20 hours, 29 minutes and 37 seconds in space and 12 hours and 52 minutes of Extravehicular Activity (EVA) in two spacewalks. Kimbrough currently serves as the Vehicle Integration Test Office Chief for the Flight Crew Operations Directorate.

SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-126 Endeavour (November 14 to November 30, 2008) launched at night from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. It was NASA's 4th shuttle flight in 2008 and the 27th shuttle/station assembly mission. Highlights of the almost 16-day mission included expanding the living quarters of the space station to eventually house six-member crews by delivering a new bathroom, kitchenette, two bedrooms, an exercise machine and a water recycling system. During the mission, Kimbrough performed two spacewalks, logging a total of 12 hours and 52 minutes of EVA. STS-126 also delivered a new resident to the station, replacing Greg Chamitoff, Expedition 17/18 with Sandy Magnus, Expedition 18. STS-126 returned to Earth after completing 250 orbits in more than 6 million miles.

Official NASA Biography - May 2004

Shane Kimbrough, Mission Specialist

AGE: 36

BORN: Killeen, Texas

EDUCATION: BS, Aerospace Engineering, U.S. Military Academy, 1989; MS, Operations Research, Georgia Tech, 1998

CURRENT JOB: Flight Simulation Engineer on the Shuttle Training Aircraft, Johnson Space Center

QUICK FACT: Was captain of the baseball team at West Point and served as an Apache platoon leader during Desert Storm

QUOTE: "I have been fascinated by space travel since I was a kid. I want to explore the unknown."

Many people associate an astronaut career with adventure and glory, but for Shane Kimbrough, it's all about service.

"Service to this nation has always been important to me," Kimbrough says. "The benefits to society as a result of NASA's discoveries are phenomenal. That's what motivated me to want to work here."

Kimbrough, 36, has been selected to begin training this summer as a mission specialist in NASA's 2004 astronaut candidate class. It's a new job that won't take him far from home. He already works for NASA in Houston, as an engineer helping to train astronauts how to land the Space Shuttle.

"My family is ecstatic about my selection," he says. "It is especially nice to be in one place for a while."

Kimbrough has moved around a lot, first as the son of a soldier and now as a U.S. Army officer. He graduated high school at The Lovett School in Atlanta and is a graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, where he majored in mechanical engineering and was captain of the baseball team. He earned a Master's degree from the Georgia Institute of Technology.

As an Army pilot, Kimbrough trained to fly both airplanes and helicopters and was assigned to fly Apache helicopters. He served in the first Gulf War, Desert Storm in 1991, as a platoon leader in an Apache company. "It was one of the most interesting experiences of my life," he says. "It truly opened my eyes to how fortunate we are as a country."

In his Army career, he also taught math at West Point, including courses such as calculus and statistics. "What an incredibly rewarding experience to interact with the cadets who are now Army officers, defending our country overseas."

Kimbrough, now an Army major, is now married and a father of three. He says his hero is his 90-year-old grandfather.

Kimbrough is setting his sights on the new Vision for Space Exploration. "Once I finish my first year of astronaut training," he says, "I hope to be assigned to several technical jobs so I can improve myself, professionally. But then I'd be thrilled to take on any space mission -- even to the moon or Mars.

"I have been fascinated by space travel since I was a kid," he says. "I want to explore the unknown."

• Birth of Robert Shane Kimbrough - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Kimbrough. American engineer mission specialist astronaut 2004-on. US Army 2 spaceflights, 189.0 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-126 (2008), Soyuz MS-02..

• NASA Astronaut Training Group 19 selected. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Acaba, Arnold, Ricky, Bresnik, Cassidy, Dutton, Hernandez, Kimbrough, Marshburn, Metcalf-Lindenburger, Satcher, Walker, Shannon.

  The group was selected to provide pilot and mission specialists for post-ISS spaceflights to the moon and beyond. 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.. Due to a surplus of astronauts and a dearth of missions, NASA cancelled the planned 2002 astronaut selection. The next call for applications was made in May 2003, with a due date of 1 July. 'Educator astronauts' were especially requested, and 1100 applications were received in this category. The final selection was two pilots and nine mission specialists; nine men and two women. Given the drastic reduction if shuttle flights and ISS crew size planned for the post-Columbia disaster period, the chances for astronauts from this group flying in the next decade seemed slim indeed. Also training in this group were three NASDA astronauts from Japan.

• STS-126 - . Call Sign: Endeavour. Crew: Boe, Bowen, Ferguson, Kimbrough, Magnus, Pettit, Stefanyshyn-Piper. Return Crew: Boe, Bowen, Ferguson, Kimbrough, Magnus, Pettit, Stefanyshyn-Piper. Payload: Endeavour F22 / MPLM-1 / ULF-2. Mass: 116,500 kg (256,800 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Boe, Bowen, Ferguson, Kimbrough, Magnus, Pettit, Stefanyshyn-Piper. Agency: NASA. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: Soyuz TMA-13, STS-124 ISS EO-17, STS-126, STS-126 ISS EO-18. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Endeavour. Duration: 15.85 days. Decay Date: 2008-11-30 . USAF Sat Cat: 33441 . COSPAR: 2008-059A. Apogee: 352 km (218 mi). Perigee: 344 km (213 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.50 min.

  ISS resupply and internal outfitting flight, docked at the Harmony module of the sation at 22:01 GMT on 16 November. The Leonardo module contained 6956 kg of cargo, mainly devoted to allowing a future full ISS crew of six: two crew quarters racks, a Galley rack, a Waste and Hygiene Compartment rack, two Water Recovery System racks, an experiment rack, a Combustion integration rack, and miscellaneous supplies in three Resupply Stowage Racks and six Resupply Stowage Platforms. On 17 November at 17:09 GMT the ISS robot arm moved the Leonardo module from the shuttle's payload bay to the Harmony module nadir port for unloading. The mission also rotated the ISS long-term NASA crew member, replacing Chamitoff with Magnus. Four spacewalks were conducted, primarily to repair a broken ISS Solar Array Rotary Joint.

  The unloaded Leonardo module was returned to the shuttle bay on 26 November. The shuttle undocked from the ISS at 14:47 GMT on 28 November. The next day, at 20:33 GMT, it released a 7 kg PicoSat Solar Cell Testbed Experiment, a prototype for a later picosat mission to geostationary transfer orbit to study degradation of solar cells while passing through the earth's radiation belts.

  Following two wave-offs for a Kennedy Space Center landing due to weather, Endeavour made its 89 m/s deorbit maneuver at 20:19 on 29 November, and landed at Runway 04L/22R at Edwards AFB at 21:25 GMT.

  Cargo Manifest, Total = 17,370 kg:

  • Bay 1-2: Orbiter Docking System = 1800 kg + EMUs 3005 and 3011 = 260 kg
  • Bay 3 Port: APC/SPDU = 100 kg
  • Bay 3 Starboard: APC/SSPL Picosat launcher = 50 kg + PSSC Picosats = 7 kg
  • Bay 7 Starboard: ROEU 751 umbilical = 50 kg
  • Bay 7-12: Leonardo (MPLM-1) = 12748 kg
  • Bay 13: Lightweight MPESS Carrier (LMC)= 1495 kg
  • Sill: RMS 201 = 410 kg + OBSS = 450 kg

• EVA STS-126-2 - . Crew: Kimbrough, Stefanyshyn-Piper. EVA Duration: 0.28 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Kimbrough, Stefanyshyn-Piper. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-13, STS-126. The crew moved two equipment carts from the starboard to the port side of the ISS Mobile Transporter, and then continued work on the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint..

• EVA STS-126-4 - . Crew: Bowen, Kimbrough. EVA Duration: 0.25 days. Nation: USA. Related Persons: Bowen, Kimbrough. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-13, STS-126. The crew completed repair of the Solar Alpha Rotary Joint, and then installed a television camera and GPS receiver in preparation for a future docking of the Japanese HTV resupply craft..

• Soyuz TMA-20M - . Call Sign: Kazbek. Crew: Ovchinin, Skripochka, Williams, Jeffrey. Backup Crew: Ryzhikov, Borisenko, Kimbrough. Return Crew: Ovchinin, Skripochka, Williams, Jeffrey. Nation: Russia. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Soyuz TMA-20M. Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz. Spacecraft: Soyuz TMA. Duration: 172.16 days. Decay Date: 2016-09-07 01:13:00 . USAF Sat Cat: 41391 . COSPAR: 2016-018A. Apogee: 230 km (140 mi). Perigee: 193 km (119 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg.

  Soyuz TMA-20M was launched carrying Alexey Ovchinin, Oleg Skripochka and Jeff Williams. This was the last of the 11F732A47 Soyuz TMA-M series, which were replaced by the improved Soyuz-MS variant. On Sep 6 at 2151 UTC Soyuz TMA-20M undocked from the Poisk module with Ovchinin, Skripochka and Williams. The spacecraft laded in Kazakhstan at 0113 UTC on Sep 7.

• Soyuz MS-02 - . Call Sign: Favor. Crew: Ryzhikov, Borisenko, Kimbrough. Backup Crew: Misurkin, Tikhonov, Vande Hei. Return Crew: Ryzhikov, Borisenko, Kimbrough. Nation: Russia. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spacecraft. Flight: Soyuz MS-02. Spacecraft Bus: Soyuz. Spacecraft: Soyuz MS. Duration: 173.14 days. Decay Date: 2017-04-10 11:20:00 . USAF Sat Cat: 41820 . COSPAR: 2016-063A. Apogee: 306 km (190 mi). Perigee: 289 km (179 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg.

  Soyuz MS-02 with astronauts Sergey Ryzhikov, Andrey Borisenko and Shane Kimbrough. They docked with the Poisk module at 0952 UTC Oct 21. On Apr 10, Soyuz MS-02 undocked from Poisk at 0757 UTC and landed in Kazakhstan at 1120 UTC, returing Ryzhikov, Borisenko and Kimbrough to Earth. Peggy Whitson became ISS commander of Expedition 51.

• EVA ISS US EVA-38 - . Crew: Kimbrough, Whitson. EVA Duration: 0.25 days. Nation: USA. Program: ISS.

  Astronauts Kimbrough and Whitson, in suits EMU 3008 and 3006, depressurized the Quest airlock at about 1220 UTC for US EVA-38. They moved various batteries and adapter plates as part of a refurbishment of the ISS power system. Bundle 1 of the Node 3 axial shields were stored outside Quest.

• EVA ISS US EVA-39 - . Crew: Kimbrough, Pesquet. EVA Duration: 0.27 days. Nation: USA. Program: ISS.

  Astronauts Kimbrough and Pesquet, in suits 3008 and 3006, performed spacewalk US EVA-39 with depressurization about 1120 UTC and repressurization at 1720 UTC. They moved various adapter plates and batteries of the ISS power system as part of a refurbishment of the entire system. They also moved bundle 2 of the Node 3 Axial shields (covers for a soon-to-be-empty docking port) from the airlock area to Node 3, replaced a camera light tilt assembly and adjusted a worksite interface. At the end of this spacewalk, the SPDM was holding three old NiH3 batteries: 0078 and 0079 on arms 1 and 2, and 0038 on the EOTP (ORU temporary platform). These were to be placed robotically in slots D, E and F on the EP. The EP was to be returned to Kounoutori-6, and destroyed on reentry over the South Pacific.

• EVA ISS US EVA-40 - . Crew: Kimbrough, Pesquet. EVA Duration: 0.27 days. Nation: USA. Program: ISS.

  Shane Kimbrough and Thomas Pesquet, in suits EMU 3008 and 3006, completed spacewalk US EVA-40 from the Quest airlock. The airlock was depressurized below 50 mbar at 1116 UTC and repressurized at 1758 UTC. The astronauts replaced the EXT-2 MDM computer (old S/N: MDM-16E-0102) on the S0 truss, lubricated the LEE end-effector on the Dextre robot arm, replaced cameras on the Kibo Exposed Facility and a light on one of the CETA carts, and disconnected cables joining the PMA-3 docking unit to the Tranquility node.

• EVA ISS US EVA-41 - . Crew: Kimbrough, Whitson. EVA Duration: 0.29 days. Nation: USA. Program: ISS.

  Kimbrough and Whitson carried out spacewalk EVA-41. The Quest airlock was depressurized at 1122 UTC and repressurized at 1833 UTC. The astronauts, in suits 3008 and 3006, emerged between 1136 and 1144 UTC. The old EXT-1 MDM computer, MDM-16E-0103, was removed from S0 and replaced by a new one. Whitson removed the fabric cover from the relocated PMA-3 docking unit, but needed Kimbrough's help to stuff it into the cover bag needed to take it back to the airlock, which was done by 1319 UTC. The next task was to install debris shields on the newly empty axial port on Node 3. Four shields were taken from near the airlock to Node 3 bundled in pairs. Unfortunately shield 1, being installed by Kimbrough, came loose and floated away at about 1357 UTC; it was cataloged in orbit as 1998-067LF (SSN 42434). After the remaining shields were installed, the astronauts retrieved the PMA-3 cover bag once more, unpacked the cover and pinned it down to cover the empty quadrant. Finally, additional shields were added to the base of PMA-3 in its new location.