Sturckow nasa biography

American astronaut (born 1961)

Frederick Wilford "Rick" Sturckow (born August 11, 1961) is an engineer, retired United States Marine Corps officer, former NASAastronaut, and commercial spacecraft pilot. Sturckow is a veteran of four Space Shuttle missions.

He flew as a pilot on STS-88 and STS-105 and as a commander on STS-117 and STS-128.

Sts-128 landing

All four missions docked with the International Space Station, making Sturckow one of three American astronauts to visit the station four times. Sturckow later was assigned to the Johnson Space Center as a CAPCOM. He left NASA in 2013 to become a pilot for Virgin Galactic.^[1]

Personal

Sturckow was born La Mesa, California, but considers Lakeside, California, to be his hometown.

He is married to the former Michele A. Street of Great Mills, Maryland.^[2] He enjoys flying and physical training. His father, Karl H. Sturckow, resides in Whittier, California, and his mother, Janette R. Sturckow, resides