Robert L. Crippen
Robert Laurel Crippen is an American naval aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, NASA astronaut, and shuttle-era manager. Selected for the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory program in 1966 and transferred to NASA after MOL was canceled, he became one of the central figures in the opening years of Space Shuttle operations.
- Born
- September 11, 1937
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Beaumont, Texas,United States
Flights
4
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
23 days, 13 hours, 46 minutes
Bio
Crippen entered NASA with a Navy test-pilot background and years of preparation for military spaceflight. During the 1970s he worked through shuttle development, simulation, procedures, and crew training while the moved from concept to flight vehicle.
His first spaceflight was STS-1 in 1981, the first orbital Space Shuttle mission. Crippen flew as pilot with John Young aboard Columbia, a high-risk test flight that launched the shuttle with a crew on its first orbital attempt and proved the basic launch, orbital, , and runway-landing profile.
Crippen later commanded STS-7, STS-41-C, and STS-41-G. Those missions moved the shuttle from test vehicle to working spacecraft, carrying larger crews, deploying satellites, conducting repair work, and expanding operational roles for women and international astronauts.
After flying, Crippen became a senior NASA manager, including Director of Kennedy Space Center. His career is one of the clearest links between MOL-era military spaceflight planning, shuttle flight testing, and the operational shuttle program.