- John Herrington
:"Note: You may also be looking for U.S. politician
John S. Herrington , or for one of several people namedJohn Harrington "Infobox Astronaut
name =John Bennett Herrington
type =Astronaut
nationality =American
date_birth =September 14 ,1958
date_death =
place_birth =Wetumka, Oklahoma
place_death =
occupation =Test pilot
rank =Commander , USN
selection =1996 NASA Group
time =13d 18h 47m [ [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/herringt.html Astronaut Bio: John Bennett Herrington (8/2005) ] ]
mission =STS-113
insignia =John Bennett Herrington (born September 14, 1958) is an American astronaut and a veteran of one
space shuttle mission. He is the first enrolled member of a Native American tribe to fly in space.Herrington was born in
Wetumka, Oklahoma . He grew up inColorado Springs, Colorado ,Riverton, Wyoming , andPlano, Texas where he graduated fromPlano Senior High School . He earned a bachelor's degree in applied mathematics from theUniversity of Colorado at Colorado Springs before receiving his commission in theUnited States Navy in 1984. He served three deployments in the Pacific region before being assigned as atest pilot . Herrington was chosen byNASA as an astronaut candidate in 1996 and flew his first space mission in 2002 as a mission specialist aboardSTS-113 .To honor his Native American heritage, Herrington, an enrolled member of the Chickasaw Nation, carried a
Chickasaw Nation flag on his eleven-day trip. The flag had been presented to him by Chickasaw Nation GovernorBill Anoatubby .Rocketplane
In September 2005, Herrington resigned from NASA to become Vice President/Director of flight Operations for
Rocketplane Limited, Inc. , where he replacedMitchell Burnside Clapp . He will also serve as the pilot of the XP Spaceplane. Herrington also provides part time support for the Center for Space Studies at theUniversity of Colorado at Colorado Springs .In December, 2007, Herrington resigned from Rocketplane Global, Inc. and states that he plans to continue doing public speaking engagements as well as work with the
Chickasaw Nation. [cite web | url = http://newsok.com/article/3188387/1199385077 | title = Former astronaut resigns from Rocketplane | publisher = NewsOK]Cross-Country Bike Ride
On August 13, 2008 Herrington embarked on a cross-country bicycle ride from Cape Flattery, WA to Cape Canaveral, FL dubbed Rocketrek.
His goal is to encourage students across the country to engage in math and science. Herrington will make several speaking stops at NASA Explorer schools and Indian reservations along his route, and he encourages anyone who's interested to track his ride on his website and puzzle over math questions related to the trip. Herrington is planning to finish at Cape Canaveral, FL in time to see his friend fly the next space shuttle mission.
The ride is sponsored by Pro Bike, Inc. in Oklahoma City and the Chickasaw Nation with additional support from Trek Bicycles and GEAR-UP South Dakota.
References
External links
* [http://www.rocketrek.com/ Rocketrek]
* [http://www.johnbherrington.com/ Herrington's Homepage]
* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/herringt.html NASA Biography]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/herrington_john.htm Spacefacts biography of John Herrington]
* [http://web.uccs.edu/alumni/newsletter/dec06.htm University of Colorado Alumni News]
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