SEAS at International Space Station
Gregory H. Johnson '85, who piloted the Space Shuttle Endeavour in its March 2008 trip to the International Space Station, wore his Columbia Engineering T-shirt during one of the 16 days he was in space. In this photo, taken by Mission Specialist Garrett Reisman, Greg was in the "Zvesda" module, on the Russian side of the International Space Station.
"The laptops in the background are used to interface with Command and Control Russian software," Greg says. "There is also a ‘world map' displayed on an aft laptop which identifies what point on the Earth's surface is directly below." The camera equipment on the walls of "Zvesda" is attached using Velcro on both sides. "The photograph is taken looking forward toward ‘Zarya,' the very first ISS module launched almost 10 years ago," he explains. "The round hatch in the background leads into ‘Zarya,' and you can see the unfocused face of [Eurpoean Space Agency astronaut] Léopold Eyharts approaching."
Greg's mission, STS-123, was the first flight in which all of the major international partners in the International Space Station were represented on board, either on the way to space or back. The mission delivered the Japanese Kibo Logistics Module and the Canadian Dextre robotics system to the International Space Station. When the shuttle departed the station, Garrett Reisman stayed behind and Léo Eyharts made the return trip to Earth.
Greg received his bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Air Force Academy prior to attending Columbia. After graduating from SEAS, he became an Air Force pilot, flying 61 combat missions in Desert Storm and Operation Southern Watch. In 1994, he became an Air Force Test Pilot and in 1996 was awarded the Gen. Bobby Bond trophy as the #1 test pilot in the Air Force. In all, he has logged more than 4,000 flight hours on 40 different aircraft. He was selected for astronaut training in 1998 and, upon completion of initial astronaut training in 2000, was assigned to the Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade (CAU) council, where he designed and evaluated a new array of space shuttle cockpit displays. After the STS-107 disaster, Greg was the astronaut representative to the External Tank (ET) foam impact test team that eventually proved that ET foam debris on ascent could critically damage the shuttle's leading edge thermal protection system. In 2004, he was designated as the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Safety Branch, focusing on all aspects of Space Shuttle, ISS, and T-38 safety.
Read a pre-flight interview with Greg.
