Alan G. Poindexter

Infobox Astronaut
name =Alan Goodwin Poindexter

---

type =NASA Astronaut
status =Active
nationality =American
date_birth =bda|1961|11|5
date_death =
place_birth =Pasadena, California
place_death =
occupation =Test Pilot
rank =Commander, USN
selection =1998 NASA Group
time =12d 18h 22m
mission =STS-122
insignia =|

Alan Goodwin "Dex" Poindexter (born November 5, 1961) is an American naval officer and a NASA astronaut.

Personal

Poindexter was born to John Poindexter in Pasadena, California, and grew up in Rockville, Maryland, which he considers to be his hometown. He is married to the former Lisa A. Pfeiffer of Gulf Breeze, Florida. They have two children. His recreational interests include motorcycling, running, weight lifting, water skiing, boating, hunting, and fishing.

Education

Poindexter attended high school at Coronado High School in Coronado, California, graduating in 1979. He received an associate's degree in engineering from Pensacola Junior College in Pensacola, Florida in 1983cite web|url=http://pnj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080619/NEWS01/806190324&referrer=FRONTPAGECAROUSEL|title=He reached the stars|publisher=Pensacola News Journal|accessdate=2008-06-19] , and then attended Georgia Tech, graduating with highest honors with a bachelor's degree of aerospace engineering in 1986. In 1995 he received a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Organizations

* Society of Experimental Test Pilots

Awards and honors

*NASA Aviation Safety Award
*Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal with Combat V
*Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal
* Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division Test Pilot of the Year 1996
* Top Ten Carrier Aviator, Carrier Airwing Nine

Military career

Poindexter was commissioned following graduation from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1986. After a short tour of duty at the Hypervelocity Wind Tunnel Facility, Naval Surface Weapons Center, White Oak, Maryland, Poindexter reported for flight training in Pensacola, Florida. He was designated a Naval Aviator in 1988 and reported to Fighter Squadron 124, Naval Air Station Miramar, California, for transition to the F-14 Tomcat. Following his initial training, Poindexter was assigned to Fighter Squadron 211, also at Miramar, and made two deployments to the Persian Gulf during Operations Desert Storm and Southern Watch. During his second deployment in 1993, he was selected to attend the Naval Postgraduate School/U.S. Naval Test Pilot School Cooperative Program. Following graduation in December 1995, Poindexter was assigned as a Test Pilot and Project Officer at the Naval Strike Aircraft Test Squadron (NSATS), Naval Air Station (NAS) Patuxent River, Maryland. While at NSATS, Poindexter was assigned as the lead test pilot for the F-14 Digital Flight Control System where he logged the first carrier landing and catapult launch of an F-14 with the upgraded flight controls. He also flew numerous high angle of attack/departure tests, weapons separation tests and carrier suitability trials. Following his tour at Patuxent River, Poindexter reported to Fighter Squadron 32, NAS Oceana, Virginia, where he was serving as a department head when he was selected for Astronaut training.

Poindexter has more than 3,500 hours in over 30 aircraft types and has logged over 450 carrier landings.

NASA career

Selected by NASA in June 1998, he reported for training in August 1998. Initially Poindexter served in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch performing duties as the lead support astronaut at Kennedy Space Center. In December 2002, he was named as Pilot on STS-120 mission to deliver the Harmony connecting node to the International Space Station; an assignment which abruptly ended with the Columbia disaster just two months later. In July 2006, Poindexter was assigned as Pilot on the STS-122 mission that delivered the European Space Agency’s Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station in February 2008.

References

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/poindexter.html NASA Biography]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/poindexter_alan.htm Spacefacts biography of Alan G. Poindexter]