Brent W. Jett Jr.

Last updated
Brent W. Jett Jr.
Brent Jett.jpg
Born (1958-10-05) October 5, 1958 (age 64)
Pontiac, Michigan, U.S.
StatusRetired
NationalityAmerican
Other namesBrent Ward Jett Jr.
Alma mater USNA, B.S. 1981
NPS, M.S. 1989
Occupation(s) Naval aviator, test pilot
Awards Dfc-usa.jpg
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank Captain, USN
Time in space
41d 18h 01m
Selection 1992 NASA Group 14
Missions STS-72, STS-81, STS-97, STS-115
Mission insignia
 Sts-72-patch.png Sts-81-patch.png Sts-97-patch.svg STS-115 patch.png
RetirementJanuary 2013

Brent Ward Jett Jr. (born October 5, 1958), [1] (Capt, USN, Ret.), is a retired American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace and aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut. [2]

Contents

Personal life

Jett was born in Pontiac, Michigan, but considers Fort Lauderdale, Florida, [1] to be his hometown. Married to Connie Jett of Atlanta, Georgia. His hobbies are water and snow skiing, board sailing, boating, running, basketball, and squash. [3]

Education

He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1981. [1] He received a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1989. [4]

Jett was designated a Naval Aviator in March 1983, and reported to VF-101 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia [1] for initial F-14 Tomcat training. Upon completion of this training, he was assigned to VF-74 and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga. While assigned to VF-74, he was designated as an airwing qualified Landing Signal Officer (LSO) and also attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN). [2]

Jett was selected for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School – Test Pilot School Cooperative Education Program in July 1986, and completed 15 months of graduate work at Monterey, California, before attending the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in June 1989. After graduation in June 1990, he worked as a project test pilot at the Carrier Suitability Department of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate, Naval Air Test Center, flying the F-14A/B/D, T-45A, and A-7E. Jett returned to the operational Navy in September 1991 and was again assigned to VF-74, flying the F-14B aboard USS Saratoga.

He has logged over 5,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft and has over 450 carrier landings.

NASA career

Selected by NASA in March 1992, Jett reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. [5] After two years of various technical assignments in the Astronaut Office, Jett was assigned to his first mission as the pilot of STS-72. A year later he again served as pilot on STS-81. From June 1997 [6] to February 1998, he served as NASA Director of Operations at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia. [7] Two years later he was the commander on STS-97. Finally, he served as the commander of Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-115. A veteran of four space missions, he has traveled over 12.1 million miles, and logged a total of 41 days, 18 hours, and 1 minute in space. Jett retired from the U.S. Navy in July 2007, but remained with NASA. In November 2007, he was appointed as Director of Flight Crew Operations. From November 2007 to February 2011, he was Director of Flight Crew Operations at JSC. From March 2010 to January 2013, Jett was the Deputy Manager for the NASA Commercial Crew Program. He retired from NASA in January 2013. [8] [9]

Spaceflight experience

STS-72

Space Shuttle Endeavour, piloted by Jett, launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B, January 11, 1996, 09:41 UTC. [10] During the 9-day mission the crew retrieved the Japanese Space Flyer Unit launched by NASDA March 18, 1995. The crew additionally deployed and retrieved the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology Flyer (OAST-Flyer) and performed two EVAs with the purpose of preparing techniques for assembling the International Space Station. Endavour landed at the Shuttle Landing Facility 20 January 1996, 07:41 UTC. [11]

STS-81

Space Shuttle Atlantis, piloted by Jett, lifted off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B January 12, 1997, 09:27 UTC [12] The 10 day mission marked Jett's second space flight. The mission was the fifth in a series of joint missions between the U.S. Space Shuttle and the Russian Space Station Mir and the second one involving an exchange of U.S. astronauts. In five days of docked operations more than three tons of food, water, experiment equipment and samples were moved back and forth between the two spacecraft. Atlantis touched down at the Space Shuttle Landing Facility, January 22, 1997, 14:23 UTC. [13]

STS-97

Space Shuttle Endeavour launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B, 1 December 2000, 03:06 UTC [14] STS-97 was Jett's third mission to space and first time in command. [15] The primary objective of the mission was to deliver and install a 17 ton solar array to the International Space Station, in addition to batteries, radiators to provide cooling and a communications system for voice and telemetry. Assembly operations were conducted during 3 EVAs. Endeavour touched down at the Shuttle Landing Facility, 11 December 2000, 23:04 UTC [14]

STS-115

Jett's fourth and final space mission commenced as Space Shuttle Atlantis launched from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B, 9 September 2006, 15:15 UTC. [16] STS-115 was the first assembly mission to the International Space Station after the Columbia disaster. [17] The primary objective of the mission was to deliver and install the P3/P4 truss structure and solar array to the International Space Station during 3 EVAs. The mission concluded with the landing of Atlantis at the Shuttle Landing Facility, 21 September 2006, 10:21 UTC. [17] [18]

Organizations

Special honors

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References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Cabbage, Michael (28 December 1997). "Making of an astronaut". South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Brent W. Jett, Jr. (Captain, USN, ret.)" (PDF). Biographical Data. Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. January 2013. Archived (PDF) from the original on 8 May 2021. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  3. ↑ "Astronaut Biography: Brent Jett". SPACEFACTS. 25 August 2018. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  4. ↑ "Brent W. Jett". Notable graduates. U.S. Naval Academy. Archived from the original on 10 May 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  5. ↑ "NASA names 19 new astornaut candidates". Abilene Reporter-News. Houston, Texas. Associated Press. 1 April 1992. p. 3. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  6. ↑ "U.S. astronauts training in Russia get new chief". Florida Today. 6 July 1997. p. 47. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Cabbage, Michael (5 August 1998). "Space station flight a Jett-driven endeavour". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ "Release J13-003: NASA Astronaut Brent Jett Leaves Agency". Press Releases. Johnson Space Center. 4 February 2013. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  9. ↑ Dean, James (30 October 2013). "Chief". Florida Today. p. B2. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  10. ↑ Young, Michael E. (January 12, 1996). "Parents beam as South Florida astronauts head to space". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  11. ↑ Ryba, Jeanne (November 23, 2007). "STS-72". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on December 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  12. ↑ Cabbage, Michael (January 13, 1997). "A Broward astronaut in space". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Archived from the original on April 12, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  13. ↑ Ryba, Jeanne (November 23, 2007). "STS-81". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on February 25, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2022.
  14. 1 2 Ryba, Jeanne (15 February 2010). "STS-97". Mission Archives. NASA. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  15. ↑ Siceloff, Steven (2 December 2000). "Endeavour set to dock with station". Florida Today. p. 1. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  16. ↑ Schneider, Mike (10 September 2006). "Atlantis blasts off". Lincoln Journal Star. Lincoln, Nebraska. The Associated Press. p. 3. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
  17. 1 2 "STS-115". Mission Archives. NASA. 2 April 2008. Archived from the original on 3 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  18. ↑ Wade, Mark. "Jett, Brent Ward Jr". Astronautix. Archived from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 12 April 2022.
  19. ↑ Huriash, Lisa J. (28 January 2001). "Astronaut to get a hero's welcome". South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale. p. 20. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022– via Newspapers.com.
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