| astronautix.com | Brown Mark |
NAME: Mark N. Brown (Col., USAF)
NASA Astronaut
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE: Born November 18, 1951, in Valparaiso, Indiana. His parents, Mr. and Mrs. Richard S. Brown, reside in Valparaiso, Indiana.
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: Blond hair; blue eyes; 6 feet; 180 pounds.
EDUCATION: Graduated from Valparaiso High School, Valparaiso, Indiana, in 1969; received a bachelor of science degree in Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering from Purdue University in 1973, and a master of science degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1980.
MARITAL STATUS: Married to the former Lynn A. Anderson of River Grove, Illinois. Her mother, Mrs. Charles E. Anderson, resides in River Grove, Illinois.
CHILDREN: Kristin Elizabeth, October 21, 1981; Karin Alison, May 18, 1986.
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS: He enjoys fishing, hiking, jogging, all sports, and chess.
SPECIAL HONORS: NASA Space Flight Medal. Distinguished Graduate from Air Force ROTC, Aerospace Defense Command "We Point With Pride" Award, Air Force Command Pilot, Senior Space Badge, Defense Superior Service Medal, two Air Force Commendation Medals, Air Force Outstanding Unit Award, Combat Readiness Medal, National Defense Medal, and the Small Arms Expert Markmanship Ribbon.
EXPERIENCE: Brown received his pilot wings at Laughlin Air Force Base, Texas, in 1974. He was then assigned to the 87th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at K. I. Sawyer Air Force Base, Michigan, where he flew both T-33 and F-106 aircraft. In 1979, Brown was transferred to the Air Force Institute of Technology at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio, and received his master of science degree in Astronautical Engineering in 1980.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Brown has been employed at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center since 1980. Assigned as an engineer in the Flight Activities Section, he participated in the development of contingency procedures for use aboard the shuttle and served as an attitude and pointing officer. Brown supported STS flights 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, and 41-C real-time in the Flight Activity Officer/Staff Support Room of the Mission Control Center.
Selected by NASA in May 1984, Brown became an astronaut in June 1985, qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on future Space Shuttle flight crews. In December 1985 he was assigned to the crew of a Department of Defense mission which was subsequently canceled due to the Challenger accident. During 1986 and 1987 he served as an astronaut member of the solid rocket booster redesign team. In February 1988 Brown was assigned to a new flight crew. On his first space flight, (August 8-13, 1989), Brown served as a mission specialist on the crew of STS-28, following which he served as astronaut member on the Space Station Freedom Program. The Orbiter Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 8, 1989. The mission carried Department of Defense payloads and a number of secondary payloads. After 80 orbits of the earth, this five-day mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on August 13, 1989.
More recently, Brown was a crew member on STS-48 aboard the Orbiter Discovery which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida on September 12, 1991. This was a five-day mission during which the crew deployed the Upper Atmospheric Research Satellite (UARS) which is designed to provide scientists with their first complete data set on the upper atmosphere's chemistry, winds and energy inputs. The crew also conducted numerous secondary experiments ranging from growing protein crystals, to studying how fluid structures react in weightlessness. Mission duration was 81 orbits and concluded with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California on September 18, 1991. With the completion of his second mission, Brown has logged over 249 hours in space.
JANUARY 1992
Planned Department of Defense shuttle mission. Cancelled after Challenger disaster.
Manned five crew. Deployed 2 classified satellites. Landed at: Runway 17 dry lake bed at Edwards Air Force Base, . Landing Speed: 287 kph. Touchdown miss distance: 1,618.00 m. Landing Rollout: 1,833.00 m. Payloads: DoD Mission.
Manned five crew. Deployed UARS; conducted materials and biological research. Payloads: Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite (UARS), Ascent Particle Monitor (APM)-03, Physiological and Anatomical Rodent Experiment (PARE)-01, Protein Crystal Growth (PCG)-ll-2, Middeck Zero-Gravity Dynamics, Experiment (MODE)-01, Investigations Into Polymer Membrane Processing (IPMP)-04, Cosmic Radiation Effects and Activation Monitor (CREAM-02), Radiation Monitoring Equipment (RME)-lll-06, Shuttle Activation Monitor (SAM)-03, Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) Calibration Test.