Richard M. Mullane
Richard Michael Mullane is an American engineer, retired Air Force officer, weapons systems officer, and former NASA astronaut. Selected with NASA Astronaut Group 8 in 1978, he flew three shuttle missions and later became a widely read author and speaker about astronaut life.
- Born
- September 10, 1945
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Wichita Falls, Texas,United States
Flights
3
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
14 days, 20 hours, 20 minutes
Bio
Mullane came to NASA after Air Force service that included combat flying in Vietnam and flight-test-related work. His military background placed him among the shuttle who supported both civilian and Department of Defense missions.
His first flight was STS-41-D in 1984, Discovery's first mission. He later flew STS-27 and STS-36, both classified Department of Defense shuttle missions.
Mullane's missions span the pre- and post-Challenger shuttle program. STS-27 is remembered for serious thermal-protection tile damage that Atlantis survived during .
After NASA, Mullane wrote and spoke extensively about risk, leadership, and astronaut culture. His memoir Riding Rockets is one of the better-known firsthand accounts of shuttle astronaut life.