Astronaut Profile
Kenneth D. Bowersox
Pilot
Kenneth Bowersox flew four Space Shuttle missions, including the first Hubble repair flight, then commanded an ISS expedition that stretched months longer than planned after the Columbia disaster grounded the Shuttle fleet.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Pilot • Living
Biography
The person behind the mission
Kenneth D. Bowersox was a United States Navy pilot and NASA astronaut who flew as pilot on STS-61 in 1993, the first Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission, along with three other Shuttle flights. In 2002 he commanded Expedition 6 aboard the International Space Station, a mission that was extended for months after the Columbia disaster grounded the Shuttle fleet, ultimately returning his crew to Earth aboard a Russian Soyuz spacecraft instead.
Astronaut Details
Born
November 14, 1956
Birthplace
Portsmouth, Virginia, USA
Role
Pilot
Program
Space Shuttle
Time in Space
Approximately 211 days
EVA Time
Approximately 19 hours
Missions
STS-50, STS-61, STS-73, STS-82, Expedition 6
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal