William Oefelein
Encyclopedia
William Anthony "Bill" Oefelein (icon; born March 29, 1965) is an American
businessman and a former test pilot instructor, naval officer and NASA
astronaut
who, on his only spaceflight, piloted the STS-116
Space Shuttle mission.
Oefelein gained media attention on February 5, 2007 when fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak
was arrested in Florida and charged with attempting to kidnap his girlfriend, U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. Nowak later pled guilty to felony burglary and misdemeanor battery. Oefelein admitted to a two-year affair with Nowak, and he and Nowak became the first astronauts ever dismissed from NASA. Following the dismissals, NASA created its first astronaut code of conduct
.
, where he flew Floatplane
s. He earned his Bachelor of Science
degree in electrical engineering
from Oregon State University
, where he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
, and, ten years later, received a Master of Science
in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee Space Institute
.
from Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida
. He entered flight training in Texas in 1989 and was designated a Naval Aviator
in September 1990.
His early assignments included overseas deployments to the Persian Gulf
as a strike fighter pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet
. After attending TOPGUN
, the Navy Fighter Weapons School, Oefelein graduated in 1995 from the Navy's test-pilot school at Patuxent River
, Maryland
, where he later served as an instructor. In 1998, he was working as a strike operations officer for a carrier air wing in Virginia.
In 1998, Oefelein was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps. After two years of training and evaluation, he qualified for an assignment as a space shuttle pilot. He was initially assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) Branch. Oefelein completed his only mission as pilot on STS-116, which was launched on December 9, 2006, and logged over 308 hours in space.
NASA terminated Oefelein's service with the space agency on May 23, 2007, stating he would be reassigned to the U.S. Navy. Oefelein and fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak
were the first astronauts ever dismissed by NASA, which created a code of conduct
for the NASA Astronaut Corps
following their termination. Oefelein retired from the Navy in the fall of 2008, returning to Alaska to start a business called Adventure Write as a freelance writer and photographer with his fiancee, Colleen Shipman.
for the STS-116 mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery from December 9 to 22, 2006. The seven-member crew on this 12-day mission continued construction of the ISS by adding the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks rewired the station’s power system, preparing it to support the addition of European and Japanese science modules by future shuttle crews. The fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to coax and retract a stubborn solar panel to fold up accordion-style into its box. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station returned to Earth with STS-116.
Oefelein met fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak
in 1996. They became friends about two years later while training together at NASA. On February 5, 2007, Nowak was arrested at the Orlando International Airport
following an alleged assault on U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, Oefelein's girlfriend. Nowak pled guilty on November 10, 2009 to lesser charges and was sentenced to time served plus one year's probation.
On July 10, 2009 Oefelein and Shipman announced their engagement. They were married in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
businessman and a former test pilot instructor, naval officer and NASA
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....
who, on his only spaceflight, piloted the STS-116
STS-116
-Crew notes:Originally this mission was to carry the Expedition 8 crew to the ISS. The original crew was to be:-Mission highlights:* The STS-116 mission delivered and attached the International Space Station's third port truss segment, the P5 truss....
Space Shuttle mission.
Oefelein gained media attention on February 5, 2007 when fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak
Lisa Nowak
Lisa Marie Nowak is a former American naval flight officer and NASA astronaut. Born in Washington, D.C., she was selected by NASA in 1996 and qualified as a mission specialist in robotics...
was arrested in Florida and charged with attempting to kidnap his girlfriend, U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman. Nowak later pled guilty to felony burglary and misdemeanor battery. Oefelein admitted to a two-year affair with Nowak, and he and Nowak became the first astronauts ever dismissed from NASA. Following the dismissals, NASA created its first astronaut code of conduct
Code of Conduct
A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities of or proper practices for an individual, party or organization. Related concepts include ethical codes and honor codes....
.
Early life and education
Oefelein was born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, but grew up in Anchorage, AlaskaAnchorage, Alaska
Anchorage is a unified home rule municipality in the southcentral part of the U.S. state of Alaska. It is the northernmost major city in the United States...
, where he flew Floatplane
Floatplane
A floatplane is a type of seaplane, with slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage; only the floats of a floatplane normally come into contact with water, with the fuselage remaining above water...
s. He earned his Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in electrical engineering
Electrical engineering
Electrical engineering is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. The field first became an identifiable occupation in the late nineteenth century after commercialization of the electric telegraph and electrical...
from Oregon State University
Oregon State University
Oregon State University is a coeducational, public research university located in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. The university offers undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees and a multitude of research opportunities. There are more than 200 academic degree programs offered through the...
, where he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon
Sigma Alpha Epsilon is a North American Greek-letter social college fraternity founded at the University of Alabama on March 9, 1856. Of all existing national social fraternities today, Sigma Alpha Epsilon is the only one founded in the Antebellum South...
, and, ten years later, received a Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee Space Institute
University of Tennessee Space Institute
The University of Tennessee Space Institute, also known as UTSI, is a satellite campus of the University of Tennessee located near Tullahoma, Tennessee....
.
Career
In 1988, Oefelein received his commission as an ensign in the United States NavyUnited 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...
from Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Florida
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...
. He entered flight training in Texas in 1989 and was designated a Naval Aviator
Naval Aviator
A United States Naval Aviator is a qualified pilot in the United States Navy, Marine Corps or Coast Guard.-Naming Conventions:Most Naval Aviators are Unrestricted Line Officers; however, a small number of Limited Duty Officers and Chief Warrant Officers are also trained as Naval Aviators.Until 1981...
in September 1990.
His early assignments included overseas deployments to the Persian Gulf
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf, in Southwest Asia, is an extension of the Indian Ocean located between Iran and the Arabian Peninsula.The Persian Gulf was the focus of the 1980–1988 Iran-Iraq War, in which each side attacked the other's oil tankers...
as a strike fighter pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet
F/A-18 Hornet
The McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet is a supersonic, all-weather carrier-capable multirole fighter jet, designed to dogfight and attack ground targets . Designed by McDonnell Douglas and Northrop, the F/A-18 was derived from the latter's YF-17 in the 1970s for use by the United States Navy and...
. After attending TOPGUN
United States Navy Fighter Weapons School
The United States Navy Strike Fighter Tactics Instructor program , more popularly known as TOPGUN, is the modern-day evolution of the United States Navy Fighter Weapons School which was originally established on March 3, 1969 at the former Naval Air Station Miramar in California...
, the Navy Fighter Weapons School, Oefelein graduated in 1995 from the Navy's test-pilot school at Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
, Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
, where he later served as an instructor. In 1998, he was working as a strike operations officer for a carrier air wing in Virginia.
In 1998, Oefelein was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps. After two years of training and evaluation, he qualified for an assignment as a space shuttle pilot. He was initially assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) Branch. Oefelein completed his only mission as pilot on STS-116, which was launched on December 9, 2006, and logged over 308 hours in space.
NASA terminated Oefelein's service with the space agency on May 23, 2007, stating he would be reassigned to the U.S. Navy. Oefelein and fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak
Lisa Nowak
Lisa Marie Nowak is a former American naval flight officer and NASA astronaut. Born in Washington, D.C., she was selected by NASA in 1996 and qualified as a mission specialist in robotics...
were the first astronauts ever dismissed by NASA, which created a code of conduct
Code of Conduct
A code of conduct is a set of rules outlining the responsibilities of or proper practices for an individual, party or organization. Related concepts include ethical codes and honor codes....
for the NASA Astronaut Corps
NASA Astronaut Corps
The NASA Astronaut Corps is a unit of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration that selects, trains, and provides astronauts as crew members for U.S. and international space missions.-History:...
following their termination. Oefelein retired from the Navy in the fall of 2008, returning to Alaska to start a business called Adventure Write as a freelance writer and photographer with his fiancee, Colleen Shipman.
Spaceflight experience
Oefelein served as pilotAstronaut ranks and positions
Astronauts hold a variety of ranks and positions, and each of these roles carries unique responsibilities that are integral to the successful operation of a spacecraft. A spacecraft's cockpit, filled with sophisticated equipment, requires skills differing from those used to manage the scientific...
for the STS-116 mission aboard Space Shuttle Discovery from December 9 to 22, 2006. The seven-member crew on this 12-day mission continued construction of the ISS by adding the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks. The next two spacewalks rewired the station’s power system, preparing it to support the addition of European and Japanese science modules by future shuttle crews. The fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to coax and retract a stubborn solar panel to fold up accordion-style into its box. Discovery also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station. Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station returned to Earth with STS-116.
Personal life
Oefelein was married for 15 years to Michaella Davis, whom he had known since high school. They divorced in 2005 and their two children live with Davis.Oefelein met fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak
Lisa Nowak
Lisa Marie Nowak is a former American naval flight officer and NASA astronaut. Born in Washington, D.C., she was selected by NASA in 1996 and qualified as a mission specialist in robotics...
in 1996. They became friends about two years later while training together at NASA. On February 5, 2007, Nowak was arrested at the Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport
Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport...
following an alleged assault on U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, Oefelein's girlfriend. Nowak pled guilty on November 10, 2009 to lesser charges and was sentenced to time served plus one year's probation.
On July 10, 2009 Oefelein and Shipman announced their engagement. They were married in 2010.
External links
- Oefelein and Shipman's adventure writing website adventurewrite.com