Bruce Edward “Mel” Melnik ( born Bruce Edward “Mel” Melnick ; born 1949 ) is a NASA astronaut . He made two space shuttle flights : STS-41 (1990, Discovery ), STS-49 (1992, Endeavor ), Lt. Col. US Coast Guard .
| Bruce Edward Melnik | |
|---|---|
| Bruce edward melnick | |
 | |
| A country |  USA |
| Specialty | test pilot |
| Military rank | Lt. Col. BO USA |
| Expeditions | STS-41 , STS-49 |
| Time in space | 12 days 23 h 29 min |
| Date of Birth | December 5, 1949 (69 years old) |
| Place of Birth | New York , New York , USA |
| Awards | |
Personal Information and Education
Bruce Melnik was born on December 5, 1949 in New York , New York , but considers his city Clearwater, Florida , where he graduated from high school in 1967. Wife - Kay Outman, they have two children: son - Jim (born July 20, 1978) and daughter - Anna (born April 26, 1980). He is fond of: golf , fishing, hunting , running , tennis , wood carving. In 1967-1968 he studied at the Georgia Institute of Technology . In 1972, received a bachelor of science degree in mechanical engineering from the US Coast Guard Academy . Then, in 1975, he received a master 's degree in aviation systems from the University of West Florida. In April 2001, the University of West Florida awarded him the honorary title of Doctor of Science [1] .
Before NASA
In the US Coast Guard, Melnik served 20 years, rising to the rank of lieutenant colonel . His track record includes: Chief of Operations and Chief Coast Guard Aircraft Test Pilot in Grand Prairie, Texas . In this capacity, he spent most of the service and all acceptance tests of the HH-65 Dolphin helicopter, including sea trials, and wrote flight instructions for the HH-65. It has a flight time of more than 5000 hours, mainly on HH-3F Pelican , HH-52 Sea Guard and HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, as well as on T-38 Talon aircraft [2] .
Space Flight Training
In August 1987, Melnik was invited to NASA as a candidate for astronauts in the twelfth set. After completing his general cosmic training course, he received the qualification of “flight specialist” in August 1988 and was appointed to the NASA Astronaut Department. He was the first Coast Guard pilot selected to participate in the space program and, naturally, the first Coast Guard aviator to fly into space.
Space Flight
- The first flight - STS-41 [3] , the Shuttle Discovery . From October 6 to October 10, 1990 as a “flight specialist”. The purpose of the flight is to launch the Ulysses spacecraft into orbit [4] . The flight duration was 4 days 2 hours 11 minutes [5] .
- The second flight - STS-49 [6] - Endeavor (shuttle) - the first flight of the Endeavor shuttle. From May 7 to May 16, 1992, as a "flight specialist." The main objective of the STS-49 mission was to capture the Intelsat VI- 603 satellite, which could not leave Earth orbit two years before. Astronauts had to attach a booster block to the satellite, which, acting as an interorbital tug, would transfer the satellite to a highly elliptical orbit , with a further transition to the target geostationary orbit . After several attempts, the capture was completed, for the first time three people made spacewalks from one ship for the first time, and a record was set for the duration of the astronaut’s stay onboard, broken only in 2001 in flight STS-102 [7] [8] . The flight duration was - 8 days 21 hours 19 minutes [9] .
The total duration of space flights is 12 days 23 hours 29 minutes.
After flying
Melnik left the U.S. Coast Guard and left NASA in July 1992 . He began to work in the aerospace industry. He became Vice President of the Boeing Corporation affiliate in Florida , addressing interactions between NASA , the US Department of Defense, and the Kennedy Space Center , Florida . In 2008, Melnik resigned from all posts and currently resides in Merritt Island , Florida .
Awards and prizes
Awarded: Medal "For Space Flight" (1990 and 1992), Medal of the Ministry of Defense "For Outstanding Service" (USA) (twice), Cross of Merit of Merit (USA) (twice) and many others.
See also
- List of astronauts and astronauts (and candidates) .
- List of US astronauts - participants in orbiting space flights .
- Timeline of manned spaceflight .
Notes
- ↑ Bruce E. Melnick
- ↑ Bruce E. Melnick (Unavailable link) . Date of treatment October 23, 2012. Archived March 13, 2014.
- ↑ NASA - NSSDC - Spacecraft - Details
- ↑ Ulysses on the NASA website.
- ↑ NASA - STS-41
- ↑ NASA - NSSDC - Spacecraft - Details
- ↑ STS-49 . NASA Date of treatment June 30, 2011. Archived on September 16, 2012.
- ↑ USA. The first flight of space shuttle Endeavor. (STS-49 program). (inaccessible link) . Cosmonautics News . Date of treatment March 28, 2012. Archived September 16, 2012.
- ↑ NASA - STS-49