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Poindexter, Alan Goodwin 'Dex'

Person · USA

Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.

Poindexter
Poindexter
Credit: www.spacefacts.de

American test pilot astronaut 1998-2010. Grew up in Rockville, Maryland, son of John Poindexter, a US Naval Officer and senior US government official.

Official NASA Biography as of June 2016:Alan G. Poindexter (Captain, USN)
NASA Astronaut (DECEASED)

PERSONAL DATA: Born November 5, 1961, in Pasadena, California, but considered Rockville, Maryland, to be his hometown. Died on July 1, 2012. He is survived by his wife, Lisa, and their two children. Recreational interests included motorcycling, running, weight lifting, boating, hunting and fishing.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Coronado High School, Coronado, California, in 1979. Graduated with highest honors from Georgia Institute of Technology, with a Bachelor of Aerospace Engineering in 1986 and Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1995.

ORGANIZATIONS: Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Association of Space Explorers

AWARDS: Two Legion of Merit awards, Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, NASA Aviation Safety Award, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, various other service awards

EXPERIENCE: Poindexter was commissioned following graduation from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986. After a short tour of duty at the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel Facility, Naval Surface Weapons Center, White Oak, Maryland, Poindexter reported for flight training in Pensacola, Florida. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1988 and reported to Fighter Squadron 124, Naval Air Station Miramar, California, for transition to the F-14 Tomcat. Following his initial training, Poindexter was assigned to Fighter Squadron 211, also at Miramar, and made two deployments to the Arabian Gulf during Operations Desert Storm and Southern Watch. During his second deployment in 1993, he was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School/U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Cooperative Program. Following graduation in December 1995, Poindexter was assigned as a Test Pilot and Project Officer at the Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron (NSATS), Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland. Following his tour at Patuxent River, Poindexter reported to Fighter Squadron 32, NAS Oceana, Virginia, where he was serving as a department head when he was selected for astronaut training. After his retirement from NASA, Poindexter returned to the Navy. Poindexter had more than 4,000 hours in more than 30 aircraft types and logged more than 450 carrier landings.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in June 1998, he reported for training in August 1998. Initially, Poindexter served in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations branch, performing duties as the lead support astronaut at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. He served as Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for several missions and was a veteran of two spaceflights. Captain Poindexter logged more than 669 hours in space before he retired from NASA in December 2010.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-122 aboard Atlantis (February 7 to February 20, 2008) was the 24th shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. The highlight of the mission was the delivery and installation of the European Space Agency (ESA) Columbus Laboratory. It took three spacewalks by crewmembers to prepare the Columbus Laboratory for its scientific work and to replace an expended nitrogen tank on the station's P-1 truss. STS-122 was also a crew replacement mission, delivering Expedition-16 Flight Engineer, ESA Astronaut Léopold Eyharts, and returning home with Expedition-16 Flight Engineer, NASA Astronaut Daniel Tani. The STS-122 mission was accomplished in 12 days, 18 hours, 21 minutes and 40 seconds and traveled 5,296,832 statute miles in 203 Earth orbits.

STS-131 aboard Discovery (April 5 to April 20, 2010), a resupply mission to the International Space Station, launched just before dawn from Kennedy Space Center. Upon arrival at the station, Discovery's crew performed three spacewalks to replace an empty ammonia tank for the station thermal control system. The crew also transferred more than 13,000 pounds of hardware, supplies and equipment. Included in the transfer were new crew sleeping quarters and three scientific experiment racks. On the return journey, the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) inside Discovery's payload bay was packed with more than 6,000 pounds of hardware and scientific and technical research return samples. The STS-131 mission lasted 15 days, 2 hours, 47 minutes and 10 seconds and traveled 6,232,235 statute miles in 238 Earth orbits.

AUGUST 2012

NASA Official Biography

NAME: Alan G. Poindexter (Lieutenant Commander, USN)
NASA Astronaut Candidate (Pilot)
PERSONAL DATA:
Born November 5, 1961 in Pasadena, California, but considers Rockville, Maryland to be his hometown. Married to the former Lisa A. Pfeiffer. They have two children. Recreational interests include running, weight lifting, water skiing, boating, hunting, and fishing. His parents, John M. and Linda A. Poindexter, reside in Rockville, Maryland. Lisa's parents live in Gulf Breeze, Florida.
EDUCATION:
Graduated from Coronado High School, Coronado, California in 1979. Graduated with highest honors from Georgia Institute of Technology with a bachelor of aerospace engineering degree in 1986 and a master of science in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1995.
ORGANIZATIONS:
Society of Experimental Test Pilots, Tau Beta Pi Engineering Society.
AWARDS:
Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, various other service awards.
SPECIAL HONORS:
Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division Test Pilot of the Year 1996; Top Ten Carrier Aviator, Carrier Airwing Nine.
EXPERIENCE:
Poindexter was commisioned following graduation from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986. After a short tour of duty at the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel Facility, Naval Surface Weapons Center, White Oak, Maryland, Poindexter reported for flight training in Pensacola, Florida. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1988 and reported to Fighter Squadron 124, Naval Air Station Miramar, California, for transition to the F-14 Tomcat. Following his initial training, Poindexter was assigned to Fighter Squadron 211, also at Miramar, and made two deployments to the Arabian Gulf during Operations Desert Storm and Southern Watch. While attached to VF-211, Poindexter was designated as a Wing Qualified Landing Signal Officer. During his second deployment in 1993, he was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School/U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Cooperative Program. Following graduation in December 1995, Poindexter was assigned as a Test Pilot and Project Officer at the Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron (NSATS), Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland. While at NSATS, Poindexter was assigned as the lead test pilot for the F-14 Digital Flight Control System where he logged the first carrier landing and catapult launch of an F-14 with the upgraded flight controls. He also flew numerous high angle of attack/departure tests, weapons separation tests and carrier suitability trials. Following his tour at Patuxent River, Poindexter reported to Fighter Squadron 32, NAS Oceana, Virginia where he was serving as a department head when he was selected for Astronaut training.

Poindexter has more than 2,000 hours in over 30 aircraft types and has logged over 450 carrier landings.

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.

OCTOBER 1998

More at: Poindexter.

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Chronology

32 events

1961 November 5

  • Birth of Alan Goodwin 'Dex' Poindexter - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Poindexter. American test pilot astronaut 1998-2010. Grew up in Rockville, Maryland, son of John Poindexter, a US Naval Officer and senior US government official. 2 spaceflights, 27.9 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-122 (2008), STS-131..

1985 July 19

  • NASA Astronaut Training Group 17 selected. - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Anderson, Clayton, Archambault, Caldwell, Chamitoff, Creamer, Ferguson, Foreman, Fossum, Ham, Hilliard, Johnson, Gregory C, Johnson, Gregory H, Love, Melvin, Morgan, Nespoli, Oefelein, Olivas, Patrick, Poindexter, Pontes, Reisman, Swanson, Vittori.

    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.

2004 February 19

2008 February 7

2008 February 7

2008 February 7

19:45 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
  • STS-122 - . Call Sign: Atlantis. Crew: Eyharts, Frick, Love, Melvin, Poindexter, Schlegel, Walheim. Payload: Atlantis F29 / Columbus. Mass: 117,850 kg (259,810 lb). Nation: USA. Related Persons: Eyharts, Frick, Love, Melvin, Poindexter, Schlegel, Walheim. Agency: NASA. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: Soyuz TMA-11, STS-120 ISS EO-16, STS-122, STS-122 ISS EO-16. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Atlantis. Duration: 12.77 days. Decay Date: 2008-02-20 14:07:00 . USAF Sat Cat: 32486 . COSPAR: 2008-005A. Apogee: 343 km (213 mi). Perigee: 329 km (204 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.20 min.

    ISS flight 1E's primary mission was the long-delayed delivery and installation of the European Columbus module. The shuttle entered an initial 58 km x 230 km orbit at 19:54 GMT. The OMS-2 circularization burn at 20:23 GMT put it into a 215 km x 233 km chase orbit. Atlantis docked with the PMA-2 port of the ISS at 17:17 GMT on 9 February. Eyharts was dropped off at the station, Tani, already aboard the ISS, returned to Earth on Atlantis. Atlantis undocked from the ISS on 20 February at 09:24 GMT; began its deorbit burn at 12:59; and landed at the Kennedy Space Center at 14:07.

2008 February 8

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2008 February 18

  • STS-122 MCC Status Report #22 - . Nation: USA. Related Persons: Eyharts, Poindexter, Tani. Program: ISS. Flight: Soyuz TMA-11, STS-120 ISS EO-16, STS-122, STS-122 ISS EO-16. Space shuttle Atlantis is set to undock from the International Space Station at 3:27 a.m. after nine days of joint operations carrying the seven-member crew that successfully commissioned the European Space Agency's new Columbus science laboratory.. Additional Details: here....

2008 February 18

2008 February 19

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2008 February 20

14:07 GMT - .

2010 April 5

10:21 GMT - . Launch Site: Cape Canaveral. Launch Complex: Cape Canaveral LC39A. LV Family: Shuttle. Launch Vehicle: Space Shuttle.
  • STS-131 - . Call Sign: Discovery. Crew: Anderson, Clayton, Dutton, Mastracchio, Metcalf-Lindenburger, Poindexter, Wilson, Yamazaki. Payload: Discovery F37 /. Mass: 121,047 kg (266,862 lb). Nation: USA. Agency: NASA. Program: ISS. Class: Manned. Type: Manned spaceplane. Flight: Soyuz TMA-17, Soyuz TMA-18, STS-131. Spacecraft Bus: Shuttle. Spacecraft: Discovery. Duration: 15.12 days. Decay Date: 2010-04-20 . USAF Sat Cat: 36507 . COSPAR: 2010-012A. Apogee: 346 km (214 mi). Perigee: 322 km (200 mi). Inclination: 51.60 deg. Period: 91.20 min. Crew: Poindexter;Dutton;Metcalf-Lendenburger;Wilson;Mastracchiio;Yamazaki;Anderson,Clayton. Contingency flight to assure ISS completion; nominal payload EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 3 (ELC3) and EXPRESS Logistics Carrier 4 (ELC4)..

2012 July 1

  • Death of Alan Goodwin 'Dex' Poindexter. - . Related Persons: Poindexter. American test pilot astronaut 1998-2010. Grew up in Rockville, Maryland, son of John Poindexter, a US Naval Officer and senior US government official. 2 spaceflights, 27.9 days in space. Flew to orbit on STS-122 (2008), STS-131..