Photo Credit: NASA
I'm not sure when this photograph was taken; is that an early prototype space shuttle Joe is holding?
Joe Engle Astronaut Bio
Joe Henry Engle (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) NASA Astronaut (former)PERSONAL DATA:
Born August 26, 1932, Dickinson County, Kansas; home - Chapman, Kansas. Married to the former Mary Catherine Lawrence of Mission Hills, Kansas. Two grown children. Recreational interests include flying (including World War II fighter aircraft), big game hunting, back-packing, and athletics.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Engle was one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966.He was back-up lunar module pilot for the Apollo 14 mission.He was commander of one of the two crews that flew the Space Shuttle approach and landing test flights from June through October 1977. The Space Shuttle Enterprise was carried to 25,000 feet on top of the Boeing 747 carrier aircraft, and then released for its two minute glide flight to landing. In this series of flight tests, he evaluated the Orbiter handling qualities and landing characteristics, and obtained the stability and control, and performance data in the subsonic flight envelope for the Space Shuttle. Engle and Dick Truly flew the first flight of the Space Shuttle in the orbital configuration. He was the back-up commander for STS-1, the first orbital test flight of Space Shuttle Columbia. He was spacecraft commander on STS-2 and STS-51I, and has logged over 225 hours in spaceHe served as Deputy Associate Administrator for Manned Space Flight at NASA Headquarters from March 1982 to December 1982. He retained his flight astronaut status and returned to the Johnson Space Center in January 1983.Joe Engle retired from the United States Air Force on November 30, 1986. On December 1, 1986 he was appointed to the Kansas Air National Guard and subsequently promoted to the rank of Brigadier General. He is currently an Aerospace and Sporting Goods Consultant, and continues an active flying career in high performance aircraft.
Photo Credit: NASA Apollo Era Portrait of Astronaut Joe Engle
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE:
STS-2 (November 12-14, 1981), the second orbital test flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia, was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Engle's pilot for this flight was Dick Truly. Despite a mission shortened from 5 days to 2 days because of a failed fuel cell, the crew accomplished more than 90% of the objectives set for STS-2 before returning to a landing on the dry lakebed at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Major test objectives included the first tests in space of the 50-foot remote manipulator arm. Also, twenty-nine flight test maneuvers were performed during the entry profile at speeds from Mach 24 (18,500 mph) to subsonic. These maneuvers were designed to extract aerodynamic and aerothermodynamic data during hypersonic entry into the Earth's atmosphere. Mission duration was 36 earth orbits in 54 hours, 13 minutes, 12 seconds.
Photo Credit: NASA Official Portrait of Astronaut Joe Engle
STS-51I (August 27 to September 3, 1985) launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery included the pilot, Dick Covey, and three mission specialists, Bill Fisher, Mike Lounge, and Ox van Hoften. STS-51I was acknowledged as the most successful Space Shuttle mission yet flown. The crew deployed three communications satellites, the Navy SYNCOM IV-4, the Australian AUSSAT, and American Satellite Company's ASC-1. The crew also performed the successful on-orbit rendezvous and repair of the ailing 15,000 lb SYNCOM IV-3 satellite. This repair activity saw the first manual grapple and manual deployment of a satellite by a crew member. STS-51I completed 112 earth orbits in 171 hours, 17 minutes, 42 seconds before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California
For up-to-date details of the visit please see UKSC - UK Space Conference 2009 Website
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