Odle

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Odle

Randy Thomas Odle Status: Inactive. Trained as: Astronaut. Profession: Manned Spaceflight Engineer. Sex: Male. Birth Date: 08 September 1951. Birth City: Port Arthur. Birth State: Texas. Birth Country: USA. Nationality: American. Group: 1982 DoD Group 2. Date Selected: 01 September 1982. Date Departed: 30 November 1985. Number of Flights: 0.

BIOGRAPHY

PERSONAL:

Randy Odle was born on September 8, 1951 in Port Arthur, Texas, the first child of Billy and Gladys Odle. He grew up in the neighbouring town of Groves, Texas and has two sisters and a brother. He is married to the former Jo Ann Price.

EDUCATION:

Odle graduated from Port Neches-Groves High School in 1969. He then earned a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering from Lamar University in Beaumont, Texas, followed by a Master's Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Louisiana Tech.

AWARDS:

The Defense Meritorious Service Medal; the Meritorious Service Medal with one oak leaf cluster; the Air Force Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster; the Air Force Achievement Medal; the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster; the Air Force Organizational Excellence Award; and several other service ribbons.

EXPERIENCE:

Odle entered the Air Force by direct commission into the Biomedical Science Corps in 1976. In 1982 he was selected as a Manned Spaceflight Engineer and was scheduled to fly aboard shuttle mission STS-62A. The mission was cancelled after the Challenger explosion.

Following the astronaut assignment Odle was assigned as Chief, Systems Integration Division, Headquarters Space Division, at Los Angeles Air Force Base. After attending the Air Command and Staff College, he was assigned to Kirtland Air Force Base, where he worked on several projects, including service as Argus Program Manager; Chief, Flight Test Branch, Phillips Laboratory; Chief, Navigation Satellite Systems Division, Air Force Operational Test and Evaluation Center.

Colonel Odle's next assignment was as Chief, Assessments Branch, US Nuclear Command and Control Systems Support Staff, at the Pentagon. He graduated from the Air War College and in June 1997 was assigned as the Commander, Detachment 2, Space and Missile Systems Center, at Onizuka Air Force Base, California.

Source: Onizuka Orbiter, June 20, 1997

Flight Log

STS-62-A - - 1986 July - Assignment: Proposed Backup Crew.
Planned Department of Defense shuttle mission. Cancelled after Challenger disaster. Would have been first launch from the ill-fated SLC-6 launch site at Vandenberg, California.

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Last update 3 May 2001.
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