Mild NASA Chief Astronaut Patrick Forrester Retires
July 3, 2024
RELEASE: J24-011
NASA astronaut Patrick G. Forrester retired June 29, after a profession spanning 31 years of service and three spaceflights. He went on to alter into chief of NASA’s Astronaut Situation of enterprise, and most right this moment served as an manual to the partner administrator for the Set apart Operations Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.
Forrester joined the company in 1993 as an aerospace engineer at NASA’s Johnson Set apart Heart in Houston and used to be selected to alter into an astronaut in 1996. He devoted his early profession to the assembly of the Global Set apart Device, spending 40 days in house and winding up four spacewalks totaling 25 hours and half-hour.
“Pat’s dedication and dedication to the advancement of human house exploration over the final three decades has been an inspiration, now no longer correct to the Johnson personnel, nonetheless the Artemis skills as effectively,” mentioned NASA’s Johnson Set apart Heart Director Vanessa Wyche. “I are attempting to elongate my precise gratitude to Pat for his effectively-known contributions. His legacy will proceed to impact the company and the subsequent skills of explorers for many future years support. Many congratulations to Pat; I desire him the total most productive in his retirement.”
Forrester launched to the house location for the main time in August 2001 aboard house shuttle Discovery in strengthen of STS-105. Forrester used to be the mission’s top robotics operator, helping to put in the Leonardo Multi-Objective Logistics Module that will wait on bring 2.7 metric hundreds affords to the placement. He flew one more time with STS-117 in June 2007 aboard house shuttle Atlantis, delivering the orbiting laboratory’s 2d starboard truss and its third put of solar arrays. His final spaceflight, STS-128 aboard Discovery, launched in August 2009. As top robotics officer, Forrester one more time installed Leonardo and the crew transferred 18,000 pounds of affords.
Forrester continued to strengthen the astronaut corps thru numerous leadership positions, serving as technical assistant to the director of Flight Crew Operations. He used to be a crew manual of robotics trend on the house location and shuttle practicing and onboard crew procedures. Forrester moreover held the role of spacecraft communicator, or CAPCOM, for each location and shuttle missions.
In 2017, Forrester grew to alter into chief of the Astronaut Situation of enterprise, overseeing the main flights of NASA’s Commercial Crew Program and helping map the initial structure for the company’s Artemis advertising and marketing campaign. In 2020, he stepped down from his chief put, handing over to NASA astronaut Reid Wiseman.
“Pat’s leadership used to be instrumental throughout a time where NASA used to be correct initiating to launch our astronauts from American soil one more time,” mentioned Norm Knight, director of flight operations at NASA Johnson. “I treasure his courage, his tenacity, and his persona throughout this kind of dynamic time in our historic previous, and I thank him for laying a solid foundation, now no longer correct in his role as chief astronaut, nonetheless thru his profession in human spaceflight. To me, he’s a mentor and a chum, and I desire him the total most productive.”
On the time of his retirement, Forrester supported the Set apart Operations Mission Directorate, serving because the director of the Wicked-Directorate Technical Integration Situation of enterprise and an adviser to the directorate’s partner administrator and fellow NASA astronaut Ken Bowersox.
“Pat is a stunning leader who has offered precious service to NASA’s astronaut corps and human spaceflight throughout his profession,” mentioned Ken Bowersox, partner administrator for house operations at NASA. “Within the Set apart Operations Mission Directorate, his have an effect on will be felt lengthy after his departure as we proceed to work daily in low Earth orbit and prepare for the future shut to Earth, at the Moon, Mars and into the solar system.”
An El Paso, Texas, native, Forrester earned a bachelor of science degree in applied sciences and engineering from the U.S. Militia Academy, West Level, Unique York, and a grasp of science in mechanical and aerospace engineering from the College of Virginia, Charlottesville. A retired colonel within the U.S. Military, Forrester logged extra than 5,300 hours of flight time in over 50 varied airplane as an operational aviator and check pilot, retiring in 2005.
“It has been an honor to back our nation as a member of the NASA household. Loads of the reviews I will repeat for the the rest of my existence will be linked to my experiences right here,” mentioned Forrester. “I check out forward to observing my mates and colleagues circle the Moon and at final land on its ground – with the assistance of all those serving faithfully on the bottom. I’m forever grateful.”
Read Forrester’s beefy biography at:
https://mosey.nasa.gov/45NnfUA
-stay-
Chelsey Ballarte
Johnson Set apart Heart, Houston
281-483-5111
chelsey.n.ballarte@nasa.gov
