Jon McBride

Infobox Astronaut
name =Jon Andrew McBride


type =NASA Astronaut
status =Retired
nationality =American
date_birth =Birth date and age|1943|8|14
place_birth =Charleston, West Virginia
occupation =Fighter pilot
rank =Captain, United States Navy
selection =1978 NASA Group
time =8d 05h 23m
mission =STS-41-G
insignia =

Jon Andrew McBride is retired United States naval officer and a former NASA astronaut.

Biography

McBride was born August 14, 1943, in Charleston, West Virginia, but considers Beckley, West Virginia, to be his hometown. He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School, Beckley, West Virginia in 1960, then attended West Virginia University 1960-1964 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1971. He did graduate work in Human Resource Management at Pepperdine University. Jon is a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity.

Military career

McBride's naval service began in 1965 with flight training at Pensacola, Florida. After winning his wings as a naval aviator, he was assigned to Fighter Squadron 101 based at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, for training in the F-4 Phantom II aircraft. He was subsequently assigned to Fighter Squadron 41 where he served 3 years as a fighter pilot and division officer. He has also served tours with Fighter Squadrons 11 and 103. While deployed to Southeast Asia, McBride flew 64 combat missions..

He attended the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base prior to reporting to Air Test and Development Squadron Four at Point Mugu, California, where he served as maintenance officer and Sidewinder project officer. He has flown over 40 different types of military and civilian aircraft and piloted the Navy "Spirit of '76" bicentennial-painted F-4J "Phantom in various air shows during 1976, 1977, and 1978. He holds current Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) ratings which include commercial pilot (multi-engine), instrument, and glider; and he previously served as a Certified Flight Instructor (CFI).

He has logged more than 8,800 hours flying time--including 4,700 hours in jet aircraft.

NASA career

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978, McBride became an astronaut in August 1979. His NASA assignments have included lead chase pilot for the maiden voyage of Columbia, software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for STS-5, STS-6, and STS-7, Flight Data File (FDF) Manager, and orbital rendezvous procedures development.

McBride was pilot of STS 41-G, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 5, 1984, aboard the Orbiter Challenger. This was the first crew of seven. During their eight day mission, crew members deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite, conducted scientific observations of the earth with the OSTA-3 pallet and Large Format Camera, and demonstrated potential satellite refueling with an EVA and associated hydrazine transfer. Mission duration was 197 hours and concluded with a landing at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 13, 1984.

McBride was scheduled to fly next in March 1986, as the commander of STS-61-E crew. This flight was one of several deferred by NASA in the wake of the Challenger accident in January 1986.

On July 30, 1987, McBride was assigned to NASA Headquarters to serve as Assistant Administrator for Congressional Relations, with responsibility for NASA's relationship with the United States Congress, and for providing coordination and direction to all Headquarters and Field Center communications with Congressional support organizations. He held this post from September 1987 through March 1989. In 1988 McBride was named to command the crew of the STS-35 (ASTRO-1) mission, scheduled for launch in March 1990.

Business career

In May 1989, McBride retired from NASA and the Navy, in order to pursue a business career. He was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Flying Eagle Corporation in Lewisburg, West Virginia, and President of the Constructors’ Labor Council of West Virginia (heavy/highway construction contractors).

In 1996, he unsuccessfully vied for the Republican nomination for Governor of West Virginia, losing to Cecil H. Underwood.

In the subsequent years, he left West Virginia to pursue business opportunities in Arizona.

As of 2008, he is retired and living near Cocoa, FL. In recent years, he has been active in the "Lunch with an Astronaut" program at Kennedy Space Center. [http://calgarysun.canoe.ca/cgi-bin/publish.cgi?p=168595&x=articles&s=dine]

Organizations

*Association of Naval Aviation
*Veterans of Foreign Wars
*American Legion
*Society of Experimental Test Pilots
*Phi Delta Theta
*National Honor Society
*Golden Key National Honor Society
*West Virginia University Engineering Visiting Committee (Chairman 1990-92)
*University System of West Virginia Board of Trustees (1992-1995)
*Co-Chairman (with wife), American Cancer Society fund-raising (State of West Virginia) 1990
*Executive Committee, Boy Scouts of America
*President, Association of Space Explorers (USA) (1997-1998)Executive Committee, Association of Space Explorers (Co-President 1995-1996)
*March of Dimes
*American Red Cross Disaster Relief
*Shawnee Hills Mental Health Group

Awards and honors

*Legion of Merit (LOM)
*Defense Superior Service Medal
*Air Medals (3)
*Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V
*Navy Unit Commendation
*National Defense Medal
*Vietnam Service Medal
*NASA Space Flight Medal
*West Virginia Secretary of State's "State Medallion" and appointed "West Virginia Ambassador of Good Will Among All Men" (1980)
*Honorary Doctorate in Aerospace Engineering from Salem College (1984)
*Honorary Doctorate of Science from West Virginia University (1985)
*Honorary Doctorate of Science from University of Charleston (1987)
*Honorary Doctorate of Science from West Virginia Institute of Technology (1987)
*West Virginia Society's "Son-of-the-Year" (1988), City of Beckley
*West Virginia "Hall of Fame"
*Distinguished Alumni; West Virginia University (1988)
*West Virginia's "Honorary Italian-American" (1988)
*Kanawha County West Virginia's "Famous Person Award" (1988)
*West Virginia Broadcasters' "Man-of-the-Year" (1989)
*City of Hope's "Spirit of Life Award Winner" (1991)
*DAR "Medal of Honor" (1993).

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mcbride-ja.html Biography at nasa.gov]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/mcbride_jon.htm Spacefacts biography of Jon McBride]

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