Official NASA Biography - 1997

NAME: Michael J. Bloomfield (Major, USAF)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born March 16, 1959, in Flint, Michigan. Considers Lake Fenton, Michigan, to be his hometown. Married to the former Lori Miller. They have two children He enjoys reading, gardening, all sporting activities including running, softball, skiing, and any activity with his children His parents, Rodger and Maxine Bloomfield, reside in Linden, Michigan. Her parents, Dave and Donna Miller, reside in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Lake Fenton High School, Fenton, Michigan, in 1977. Bachelor of science degree in engineering mechanics from the U.S. Air Force Academy, 1981. Master of science degree in engineering management from Old Dominion University, 1993.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates, and the Air Force Association.

SPECIAL HONORS:

Captain, 1980 United States Air Force Academy Falcon Football Team. Voted to the 1980 WAC All-Academic Football Team. Commanders Trophy winner as top graduate from Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training (1983). Distinguished Graduate of USAF Test Pilot School Class 92A. Awarded the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, and the Air Force Aerial Achievement Medal.

EXPERIENCE:

Bloomfield graduated from the USAF Academy in 1981. He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Vance Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma, in 1983, and was selected to fly the F-15. From 1983 until 1986, he served as a combat ready pilot and instructor pilot in the F-15 at Holloman AFB, New Mexico. In 1987, Bloomfield was re-assigned to Bitburg Air Base, Germany, where he served as an F-15 instructor pilot and completed the United States Fighter Weapons Instructor Course. In 1989 he was subsequently assigned to the 48th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Langley AFB, Virginia. serving as an F-15 squadron weapons officer until 1992, when he was selected for the USAF Test Pilot School. Honored as a distinguished graduate in 1992, Bloomfield remained at Edwards AFB, California, where he conducted tests in all models of the F-16. While a member of the 416th Flight Test Squadron, Bloomfield served as squadron safety officer and as squadron flight commander. In March 1995, he was assigned to NASA as an astronaut candidate.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Bloomfield reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995, has completed a year of training and evaluation, and is currently qualified for assignment as a shuttle pilot. He was initially assigned to work technical issues for the Operations Planning Branch of the Astronaut Office. He flew on STS-86 and has logged over 259 hours in space.

SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE:

STS-86 Atlantis (September 25 to October 6, 1997) was the seventh mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian Space Station Mir. Highlights included the exchange of U.S. crew members Mike Foale and David Wolf, a spacewalk by two crew members to retrieve four experiments first deployed on Mir during the STS-76 docking mission, the transfer to Mir of 10,400 pounds of science and logistics, and the return of experiment hardware and specimens to Earth. Mission duration was 169 orbits in 259 hours and 21 minutes, and covered more than 2.2 million miles.

• STS-86 - - 1997 Sep 26 - Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight Time: 10.81 days. Flight details: STS-86.

  Atlantis was launched on a mission to the Russian Mir space station. The TI rendevous terminal initiation burn was carried out at 17:32 GMT on September 27, and Atlantis docked with the SO (Docking Module) on the Mir complex at 19:58 GMT. The crew exchange was completed on September 28, with David Wolf replacing Michael Foale on the Mir crew. On October 1 cosmonaut Titov and astronaut Parazynski conducted a spacewalk from the Shuttle payload bay while Atlantis was docked to Mir. They retrieved four MEEP (Mir Environmental Effects Payload ) exposure packages from Mir's SO module and installed the Spektr solar array cap. The MEEP experiments had been attached to the Docking Module by astronauts Linda Godwin and Rich Clifford during Shuttle mission STS-76 in March 1996. In addition to retrieving the MEEP, Parazynski and Titov were to continue an evaluation of the Simplified Aid For EVA Rescue (SAFER), a small jet-backpack designed for use as a type of life jacket during station assembly.

  Atlantis undocked from Mir at 17:28 GMT on October 3 and conducted a flyaround focused on the damaged Spektr Module to determine the location of the puncture in its hull. The Mir crew pumped air into the Spektr Module using a pressure regulator valve, and the Shuttle crew observed evidence that, as expected, the leak seemed to be located at the base of the damaged solar panel. Final separation of Atlantis from Mir took place around 20:28 GMT. After two landing attempts were waved off on October 5 due to heavy cloud cover, the crew fired the engines to deorbit at 20:47 GMT on October 6 and landed at Kennedy Space Center at 21:55.

• STS-97 - - 2000 Dec 1 - Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight Time: 10.83 days. Flight details: STS-97.

  Endeavour was launched on an assembly mission to the to the International Space Station. The external tank and the Orbiter entered a 74 x 325 km orbit at 0314 GMT. Endeavour's OMS burn raised its perigee to 205 km at around 0347 GMT; the ET re-entered over the Pacific. Endeavour docked with the Station's PMA-3 docking port at 1959 GMT on December 2. Astronauts then installed the P6 solar panel truss to the station during a series of spacewalks. The P6 was made up of the LS (Long Spacer), PV-1 IEA (Integrated Equipment Assembly) and the PVAA (Photovoltaic Array). The LS carried two Thermal Control Systems with radiators to eject waste heat from the Station; these radiators were to be moved to truss segments S4 and S6 later in assembly. The PVAA had solar array wings SAW-2B and SAW-4B, which deployed to a span of 73 meters. Only after completion of three station assembly space walks on December 3, 5, and 7 did the Endeavour crew enter the station (at 1436 GMT on December 8), delivering supplies to Alpha's Expedition One crew. Hatches were closed again at 1551 GMT December 9, and Endeavour undocked at 1913 GMT the same day. After one flyaround of the station, Endeavour fired its engines to depart the vicinity at 2017 GMT December 9. The deorbit burn was at 2158 GMT on December 11, changing the orbit from 351 x 365 km to 27 x 365 km, with landing at Runway 15 of Kennedy Space Center at 2303 GMT.

  The payload bay of Endeavour for STS-97 contained a total cargo of 18740 kg:

  • Bay 1-2:
    • Orbiter Docking System 1800 kg
    • 3 EMU spacesuits (S/N unknown) 360 kg
    • FPPU experiment (in airlock) 23 kg. The FPPU (Floating Potential Probe Experiment) was installed on P6 to measure charge build-up as the arrays pass through the ionosphere plasma. P6 had devices to bleed off excess charge, and FPPU would monitor their effectiveness.
    • APCU Assembly Power Converter Unit 35 kg
    • APCU Assembly Power Converter Unit 35 kg
  • Bay 3-6:
    • ITS P6 Long Spacer 4000 kg
    • TCS radiator (aft) 500 kg
    • TCS radiator (starboard) 500 kg
  • Bay 8-11:
    • ITS P6 Integrated Equipment Assembly 7200 kg
    • PV radiator P6 500 kg
  • Bay 12-13:
    • ITS P6 Photovoltaic Array/Beta Gimbal Assembly. 1000 kg
    • Solar array wing 2B 1070 kg
    • Solar array wing 4B 1070 kg
  • Bay 13S: IMAX Cargo Bay Camera 238 kg
  • Sill: Canadarm RMS 303 410 kg