Sturckow

This page no longer updated from 31 October 2001. Latest version can be found at www.astronautix.com

Sturckow

Frederick Wilford (Rick) Sturckow Status: Active. Trained as: Astronaut. Profession: Pilot. Sex: Male. Marital Status: Married. Birth Date: 11 August 1961. Birth City: La Mesa. Birth State: California. Birth Country: USA. Nationality: American. Group: 1995 NASA Group. Date Selected: 09 December 1994. Number of Flights: 1. Total Time: 11.80 days.

NASA Official Biography

NAME: Frederick W. "Rick" Sturckow (Captain, USMC)

NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA:

Born August 11, 1961, in La Mesa, California but considers Lakeside, California to be his hometown. Married to the former Michele A. Street of Great Mills, Maryland. He enjoys flying and physical training (PT). His father, Karl H. Sturckow, resides in Lakeside and his mother, Janette R. Sturckow, resides in La Mesa.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Grossmont High School, La Mesa, California, in 1978. Bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from California Polytechnic State University, 1984.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Member of Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), Marine Corps Association (MCA).

SPECIAL HONORS:

Single Mission Air Medal with Combat "V", Strike/Flight Air Medals (4), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.

EXPERIENCE:

Sturckow was commissioned in December, 1984. An Honor Graduate of The Basic School, he earned his wings in April, 1987. Following initial F/A-18 training at VFA-125, he reported to VMFA-333, MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. While assigned to VMFA-333 he made an overseas deployment to Japan, Korea, and the Philipines and was then selected to attend the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN) in March, 1990. In August of 1990 he deployed to Sheik Isa Air Base, Bahrain for a period of eight months. Sturckow flew a total of forty-one combat missions during Operation Desert Storm and served as overall mission commander for 30-plane airstrikes into Iraq and Kuwait. In January, 1992 he attended the United States Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California. In 1993 he reported to the Naval Air Warfare Center- Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, Maryland for duty as the F/A-18 E/F Project Pilot. Sturckow also flew a wide variety of projects and classified programs as an F/A-18 test pilot.

He has logged approximately 2,500 flight hours and has flown over 40 different aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE:

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Sturckow reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995. He completed a year of training and evaluation and was assigned to work technical issues for the Vehicle Systems and Operations Branch of the Astronaut Office.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:

Sturckow will serve as pilot on the crew of STS-88, the first Space Shuttle mission to carry hardware to space for the assembly of the International Space Station. Launch is targeted for July 1998.

MAY 1997

Flight Log

STS-88 - - 1998 Oct 29 - Assignment: Prime Crew. Flight Time: 11.80 days. Flight details: STS-88.
First attempted launch of STS-88 was scrubbed at 09:03 GMT on December 3 due to a problem with a hydraulic system sensor. Launch came the next day, with Endeavour entering an initial 75 km x 313 km x 51.6 degree orbit. Half an orbit after launch, at 09:19 GMT, Endeavour fired its OMS engines to raise the orbit to 180 km x 322 km x 51.6 degree.
On December 5 at 22:25 GMT Nancy Currie unberthed the Unity space station node from the payload bay using the RMS arm. She then moved the Unity to a position docked to the Orbiter Docking System in the payload bay in readiness for assembly with the Russian-launched Zarya FGB ISS component. After rendezvous with the Zarya FGB module, on December 6 at 23:47 GMT Endeavour grappled Zarya with the robot arm, and at 02:07 GMT on December 7 it was soft docked to the PMA-1 port on Unity. After some problems hard dock was achieved at 02:48 GMT. Unity and Zarya then formed the core of the future International Space Station. Ross and Newman made three space walks to connect cables between Zarya and Unity, on December 7, 9 and 12. On the last EVA a canvas tool bag was attached to the exterior of Unity to provide tools for future station assembly workers. Docking cables were disconnected to prevent Unity and Zarya from inadvertently undocking. Following an internal examination of the embryonic space station, Endeavour undocked at 20:30 GMT on December 13. The SAC-A and Mightysat satellites were ejected from the payload bay on December 14 and 15. Deorbit burn was December 16 at 03:48 GMT, and Endeavour landed at 04:53:29 GMT, on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center.
Payloads included:
- Sill: RMS arm No. 303
- Bay 1-2: Tunnel Adapter 002
- Bay 3-4: Orbiter Docking System/External Airlock (Boeing/Palmdale)
- Bay 7-13: Unity (Node 1) (Boeing/Huntsville), including the PMA-1 and PMA-2 docking adapters (Boeing/Huntington Beach)
- Bay 2 Port: GABA adapter with SAC-A satellite
- Bay 4 Starboard: Carrier with Tool Stowage Assembly
- Bay 5 Port: GABA adapter with two PFR space walk platforms and one PFR stanchion.
- Bay 5 Starboard: GABA adapter with two more PFR space walk platforms and one PFR stanchion.
- Bay 6 Port: GABA adapter with Mightysat
- Bay 6 Starboard: APC carrier with TCS laser rendezvous sensor
- Bay 7 Starboard: APC carrier with TCS laser rendezvous sensor
- Bay 13 Port: GABA adapter with SEM-7 and G-093 canisters
- Bay 13 Starboard: GABA adapter with IMAX Cargo Bay Camera

Back to Index

Last update 3 May 2001.
To contact astronauts or cosmonauts.
Contact Mark Wade with any corrections or comments. Cosmonaut data by Alexander B. Zheleznyakov.

Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
© Mark Wade, 2001 .