James van Hoften
Encyclopedia
James Dougal Adrianus "Ox" van Hoften is a former NASA
Astronaut
.
, California
. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America
where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. He considers Burlingame, California
, to be his hometown. James is married with three children. He enjoys skiing
, playing handball
and racquetball
, and jogging
.
, Millbrae, California
, in 1962; received a bachelor of science degree in Civil Engineering
from the University of California, Berkeley
, in 1966; and a master of science degree in Hydraulic engineering
and a Doctorate of Philosophy
in Hydraulic Engineering from Colorado State University
in 1968 and 1976, respectively.
, Chi Epsilon
, and Pi Kappa Alpha
.
in the United States Navy
. He received flight training
at Pensacola
, Florida
, and completed jet pilot training at Beeville, Texas
, in November 1970. He was then assigned to the Naval Air Station
, Miramar, California, to fly F-4 Phantoms
, and subsequently to VF-121 Replacement Air Group. As a pilot with VF-154 assigned to the aircraft carrier
USS Ranger in 1972, Van Hoften participated in two cruises to Southeast Asia
where he flew approximately 60 combat missions. He resumed his academic studies in 1974 and completed a dissertation
on the interaction of waves and turbulent channel flow for his doctorate
. In September 1976, he accepted an assistant professorship of civil engineering
at the University of Houston
, and until his selection as an astronaut candidate, taught fluid mechanics
and conducted research on biomedical fluid flows concerning flows in artificial internal organs and valves. Dr. van Hoften has published a number of papers on turbulence
, waves, and cardiovascular flows. From 1977 until 1980 he flew F-4N's with Naval Reserve
Fighter Squadron 201 at NAS Dallas and then three years as a member of the Texas Air National Guard
with the 147th Fighter Interceptor Group at Ellington Field
as a pilot in the F-4C.
He has logged 3,300 hours flying time, the majority in jet aircraft.
in January 1978. He completed a 1-year training and evaluation period in August 1979.
From 1979 through the first flight, STS-1
, Van Hoften supported the Space Shuttle
entry and on-orbit guidance, navigation
and flight control testing at the Flight Systems Laboratory at Downey, California
. Subsequently he was lead of the Astronaut Support Team at Kennedy Space Center
, Florida, responsible for the Space Shuttle turn-around testing and flight preparations. He served as a mission specialist on STS-41C in 1984, and STS-51I in 1985. Dr. Van Hoften has logged a total 338 hours in space, including 22 hours of EVA
flight time.
as project manager for the New Hong Kong Airport and Related Infrastructure program.
According to an article in the London Evening Standard http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23777529-racing-set-is-agog-at-dubais-woes.do, Global Infrastructure Partners http://www.global-infra.com/ (the new owner of Gatwick Airport) has named him as one of the members of the board of Gatwick.
(April 6-13, 1984) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base
, California. During the 7-day mission the crew successfully deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility
(LDEF); retrieved the ailing Solar Maximum Satellite, repaired it on-board the orbiting Challenger and replaced it in orbit, using the robot arm called the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The mission also included flight testing of Manned Maneuvering Unit
s (MMU's) in two extravehicular activities (EVA's); operation of the Cinema 360 and IMAX
Camera Systems, as well as a Bee Hive Honeycomb Structures student experiment. The mission was accomplished in 107 Earth orbits in 167 hours, 40 minutes, 7 seconds.
STS-51I Discovery
(August 27 to September 3, 1985) launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. During this mission the crew successfully deployed three communications satellites, the Navy's Syncom IV-4, Australian AUSSAT
, and American Satellite Company's ASC-1. The crew also performed the successful salvage of the ailing Navy Syncom IV-3 satellite. These tasks included two Extravehicular Activities (EVA's) in which Dr. van Hoften attached to the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) performed the first manual grapple and manual deployment of a satellite in orbit. The mission also included the Physical Vapor Transport of Organic Solids (PVTOS), the second material processing experiment to be flown aboard a Shuttle for 3M. The mission was accomplished in 112 orbits of the Earth in 171 hours, 17 minutes, 42 seconds.
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
.
Personal data
Van Hoften was born June 11, 1944, in FresnoFresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. He considers Burlingame, California
Burlingame, California
Burlingame is a city in San Mateo County, California. It is located on the San Francisco Peninsula and has a significant shoreline on San Francisco Bay. The city is named after diplomat Anson Burlingame. It is renowned for its many surviving examples of Victorian architecture, its affluence, and...
, to be his hometown. James is married with three children. He enjoys skiing
Skiing
Skiing is a recreational activity using skis as equipment for traveling over snow. Skis are used in conjunction with boots that connect to the ski with use of a binding....
, playing handball
American handball
American handball is a sport in which players hit a small rubber ball against a wall using their hands.- History :...
and racquetball
Racquetball
For other sports often called "paddleball", see Paddleball .Racquetball is a racquet sport played with a hollow rubber ball in an indoor or outdoor court...
, and jogging
Jogging
Jogging is a form of trotting or running at a slow or leisurely pace. The main intention is to increase fitness with less stress on the body than from faster running.-Definition:...
.
Education
Graduated from Mills High SchoolMills High School
Mills High School is a public high school in Millbrae, California. It is one of seven high schools in the San Mateo Union High School District....
, Millbrae, California
Millbrae, California
Millbrae is a city in San Mateo County, California, United States, just west of San Francisco Bay, with San Bruno on the north and Burlingame on the south. The population was 21,532 at the 2010 census.-History:...
, in 1962; received a bachelor of science degree in Civil Engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
from the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
, in 1966; and a master of science degree in Hydraulic engineering
Hydraulic engineering
This article is about civil engineering. For the mechanical engineering discipline see Hydraulic machineryHydraulic engineering as a sub-discipline of civil engineering is concerned with the flow and conveyance of fluids, principally water and sewage. One feature of these systems is the extensive...
and a Doctorate of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
in Hydraulic Engineering from Colorado State University
Colorado State University
Colorado State University is a public research university located in Fort Collins, Colorado. The university is the state's land grant university, and the flagship university of the Colorado State University System.The enrollment is approximately 29,932 students, including resident and...
in 1968 and 1976, respectively.
Organizations
Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Sigma XiSigma Xi
Sigma Xi: The Scientific Research Society is a non-profit honor society which was founded in 1886 at Cornell University by a junior faculty member and a handful of graduate students. Members elect others on the basis of their research achievements or potential...
, Chi Epsilon
Chi Epsilon
Chi Epsilon is the national civil engineering honor society in the United States. It honors engineering students who have exemplified the "principles of scholarship, character, practicality, and sociability...in the civil engineering profession." There are currently 136 chapters, of which 130...
, and Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha
Pi Kappa Alpha is a Greek social fraternity with over 230 chapters and colonies and over 250,000 lifetime initiates in the United States and Canada.-History:...
.
Honors
- Meritorious Service MedalMeritorious Service Medal (United States)The Meritorious Service Medal is a military decoration presented to members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguished themselves by outstanding meritorious achievement or service to the United States subsequent to January 16, 1969...
- Navy Air MedalAir MedalThe Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States. The award was created in 1942, and is awarded for meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.-Criteria:...
s (2) - National Defense Service MedalNational Defense Service MedalThe National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower...
- Vietnam Service MedalVietnam Service MedalThe Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The distinctive design was the creation of sculptor Thomas Hudson Jones, a former employee of the Army Institute of Heraldry. The medal is issued to recognize military service during...
- NASA Space Flight MedalNASA Space Flight MedalThe NASA Space Flight Medal is a decoration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. According to its statutes, it is awarded "for significant achievement or service during individual participation as a civilian or military astronaut, pilot, mission specialist, payload specialist, or...
s. (2)
Experience
From 1969 to 1974, Van Hoften was a pilotAviator
An aviator is a person who flies an aircraft. The first recorded use of the term was in 1887, as a variation of 'aviation', from the Latin avis , coined in 1863 by G. de la Landelle in Aviation Ou Navigation Aérienne...
in the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. He received flight training
Flight training
Flight training is a course of study used when learning to pilot an aircraft. The overall purpose of primary and intermediate flight training is the acquisition and honing of basic airmanship skills....
at Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, and completed jet pilot training at Beeville, Texas
Beeville, Texas
Beeville is a city in Bee County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,129 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Bee County...
, in November 1970. He was then assigned to the Naval Air Station
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar
Marine Corps Air Station Miramar , formerly Naval Air Station Miramar is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force...
, Miramar, California, to fly F-4 Phantoms
F-4 Phantom II
The McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II is a tandem two-seat, twin-engined, all-weather, long-range supersonic jet interceptor fighter/fighter-bomber originally developed for the United States Navy by McDonnell Aircraft. It first entered service in 1960 with the U.S. Navy. Proving highly adaptable,...
, and subsequently to VF-121 Replacement Air Group. As a pilot with VF-154 assigned to the aircraft carrier
Aircraft carrier
An aircraft carrier is a warship designed with a primary mission of deploying and recovering aircraft, acting as a seagoing airbase. Aircraft carriers thus allow a naval force to project air power worldwide without having to depend on local bases for staging aircraft operations...
USS Ranger in 1972, Van Hoften participated in two cruises to Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
where he flew approximately 60 combat missions. He resumed his academic studies in 1974 and completed a dissertation
Thesis
A dissertation or thesis is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings...
on the interaction of waves and turbulent channel flow for his doctorate
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
. In September 1976, he accepted an assistant professorship of civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
at the University of Houston
University of Houston
The University of Houston is a state research university, and is the flagship institution of the University of Houston System. Founded in 1927, it is Texas's third-largest university with nearly 40,000 students. Its campus spans 667 acres in southeast Houston, and was known as University of...
, and until his selection as an astronaut candidate, taught fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics
Fluid mechanics is the study of fluids and the forces on them. Fluid mechanics can be divided into fluid statics, the study of fluids at rest; fluid kinematics, the study of fluids in motion; and fluid dynamics, the study of the effect of forces on fluid motion...
and conducted research on biomedical fluid flows concerning flows in artificial internal organs and valves. Dr. van Hoften has published a number of papers on turbulence
Turbulence
In fluid dynamics, turbulence or turbulent flow is a flow regime characterized by chaotic and stochastic property changes. This includes low momentum diffusion, high momentum convection, and rapid variation of pressure and velocity in space and time...
, waves, and cardiovascular flows. From 1977 until 1980 he flew F-4N's with Naval Reserve
United States Navy Reserve
The United States Navy Reserve, until 2005 known as the United States Naval Reserve, is the Reserve Component of the United States Navy...
Fighter Squadron 201 at NAS Dallas and then three years as a member of the Texas Air National Guard
Texas Air National Guard
The Texas Air National Guard is the air force militia of the U.S. state of Texas and a component of the Texas Military Forces...
with the 147th Fighter Interceptor Group at Ellington Field
Ellington Field
Ellington International Airport is a joint civil-military airport located in the U.S. state of Texas within the city of Houston— southeast of Downtown. Established by the Army Air Service on 21 May 1917, Ellington Field was one of the initial World War I Army Air Service installations when...
as a pilot in the F-4C.
He has logged 3,300 hours flying time, the majority in jet aircraft.
NASA experience
Dr. van Hoften was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
in January 1978. He completed a 1-year training and evaluation period in August 1979.
From 1979 through the first flight, STS-1
STS-1
STS-1 was the first orbital flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program. Space Shuttle Columbia launched on 12 April 1981, and returned to Earth on 14 April, having orbited the Earth 37 times during the 54.5-hour mission. It was the first American manned space flight since the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project...
, Van Hoften supported the Space Shuttle
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...
entry and on-orbit guidance, navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
and flight control testing at the Flight Systems Laboratory at Downey, California
Downey, California
Downey is a city located in southeast Los Angeles County, California, United States, southeast of downtown Los Angeles. The city is best known as the birthplace of the Apollo space program, and is the city where folk singer Karen Carpenter lived and died...
. Subsequently he was lead of the Astronaut Support Team at Kennedy Space Center
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center is the NASA installation that has been the launch site for every United States human space flight since 1968. Although such flights are currently on hiatus, KSC continues to manage and operate unmanned rocket launch facilities for America's civilian space program...
, Florida, responsible for the Space Shuttle turn-around testing and flight preparations. He served as a mission specialist on STS-41C in 1984, and STS-51I in 1985. Dr. Van Hoften has logged a total 338 hours in space, including 22 hours of EVA
Extra-vehicular activity
Extra-vehicular activity is work done by an astronaut away from the Earth, and outside of a spacecraft. The term most commonly applies to an EVA made outside a craft orbiting Earth , but also applies to an EVA made on the surface of the Moon...
flight time.
Post-NASA
Dr. van Hoften joined the Bechtel Corporation in 1986 and for 6 years managed Bechtel's engineering and construction business for the defense and space markets. He is currently Senior Vice President and a partner in Bechtel and is presently located in Hong KongHong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
as project manager for the New Hong Kong Airport and Related Infrastructure program.
According to an article in the London Evening Standard http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-business/article-23777529-racing-set-is-agog-at-dubais-woes.do, Global Infrastructure Partners http://www.global-infra.com/ (the new owner of Gatwick Airport) has named him as one of the members of the board of Gatwick.
Space flight experience
STS-41C ChallengerSpace Shuttle Challenger
Space Shuttle Challenger was NASA's second Space Shuttle orbiter to be put into service, Columbia having been the first. The shuttle was built by Rockwell International's Space Transportation Systems Division in Downey, California...
(April 6-13, 1984) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base
Edwards Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located on the border of Kern County, Los Angeles County, and San Bernardino County, California, in the Antelope Valley. It is southwest of the central business district of North Edwards, California and due east of Rosamond.It is named in...
, California. During the 7-day mission the crew successfully deployed the Long Duration Exposure Facility
Long Duration Exposure Facility
NASA's Long Duration Exposure Facility, or LDEF, was a school bus-sized cylindrical space experiment rack that exposed various material samples to outer space for about 5.7 years, completing 32,422 Earth orbits.- Construction :...
(LDEF); retrieved the ailing Solar Maximum Satellite, repaired it on-board the orbiting Challenger and replaced it in orbit, using the robot arm called the Remote Manipulator System (RMS). The mission also included flight testing of Manned Maneuvering Unit
Manned Maneuvering Unit
The Manned Maneuvering Unit is an astronaut propulsion unit which was used by NASA on three space shuttle missions in 1984. The MMU allowed the astronauts to perform untethered EVA spacewalks at a distance from the shuttle. The MMU was used in practice to retrieve a pair of faulty communications...
s (MMU's) in two extravehicular activities (EVA's); operation of the Cinema 360 and IMAX
IMAX
IMAX is a motion picture film format and a set of proprietary cinema projection standards created by the Canadian company IMAX Corporation. IMAX has the capacity to record and display images of far greater size and resolution than conventional film systems...
Camera Systems, as well as a Bee Hive Honeycomb Structures student experiment. The mission was accomplished in 107 Earth orbits in 167 hours, 40 minutes, 7 seconds.
STS-51I Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery
Space Shuttle Discovery is one of the retired orbiters of the Space Shuttle program of NASA, the space agency of the United States, and was operational from its maiden flight, STS-41-D on August 30, 1984, until its final landing during STS-133 on March 9, 2011...
(August 27 to September 3, 1985) launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. During this mission the crew successfully deployed three communications satellites, the Navy's Syncom IV-4, Australian AUSSAT
Optus fleet of satellites
This is a list of the satellites operated by Optus, an Australian telecommunications company. The satellite communications facility is located at Belrose on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.-A-Class:*Satellite Type: Hughes HS-376...
, and American Satellite Company's ASC-1. The crew also performed the successful salvage of the ailing Navy Syncom IV-3 satellite. These tasks included two Extravehicular Activities (EVA's) in which Dr. van Hoften attached to the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) performed the first manual grapple and manual deployment of a satellite in orbit. The mission also included the Physical Vapor Transport of Organic Solids (PVTOS), the second material processing experiment to be flown aboard a Shuttle for 3M. The mission was accomplished in 112 orbits of the Earth in 171 hours, 17 minutes, 42 seconds.