David Leestma

He was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 1980 and was the first member of NASA Astronaut Group 9 to go into space. Following his first flight, Leestma served as a capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for STS-51-C through STS-61-A. He was then assigned as the Chief, Mission Development Branch, responsible for assessing the operational integration requirements of payloads that will fly aboard the Space Shuttle. From February 1990 to September 1991, when he started training for his third space mission, Leestma served as Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations. Following this flight, he served as Deputy Chief and Acting Chief of the Astronaut Office. Leestma was selected as the Director, Flight Crew Operations Directorate, in November 1992. As Director, FCOD, he had overall responsibility for the Astronaut Office and for Johnson Space Center (JSC) Aircraft Operations. During his tenure as Director, 41 Shuttle flights and 7 Mir missions were successfully flown. He was responsible for the selection of Astronaut Groups 15, 16 and 17. While director, he oversaw the requirements, development modifications of the T-38A transition to the T-38N avionics upgrades. In September 1998, Leestma was reassigned as the Deputy Director, Engineering, in charge of the management of Johnson Space Center Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) Projects. In August 2001 he was assigned as the JSC Project Manager for the Space Launch Initiative, responsible for all JSC work related to the development of the new launch system. Leestma is currently serving as the Assistant Program Manager for the Orbital Space Plane Program, responsible for the vehicle systems and operations of the new crewed vehicle that is to serve as the transfer vehicle for space flight crews to and from the International Space Station.

A veteran of three space flights, Leestma has logged a total of 532.7 hours in space. He was a mission specialist on STS-41-G (October 5–13, 1984), STS-28 (August 8–13, 1989), and STS-45 (March 24 to April 2, 1992).

STS-41-G Challenger, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 5, 1984. It was the sixth flight of the orbiter Challenger and the thirteenth flight of the Space Shuttle system. The seven-person crew also included two payload specialists: one from Canada, and one Navy oceanographer. During the mission, the crew deployed the ERBS satellite using the Remote Manipulator System (RMS), operated the OSTA-3 payload (including the SIR-B radar, FILE, and MAPS experiments) and the Large Format Camera (LFC), conducted a satellite refueling demonstration using hydrazine fuel with the Orbital Refueling System (ORS), and conducted numerous in-cabin experiments as well as activating eight "Getaway Special" canisters. Dave Leestma and Kathryn Sullivan successfully conducted a 3½ hour extravehicular activity (EVA) to demonstrate the feasibility of actual satellite refueling.

STS-28 Columbia, launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 8, 1989. The mission carried Department of Defense payloads and a number of secondary payloads. After 80 orbits of the Earth, this five-day mission concluded with a lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on August 13, 1989.

STS-45 Atlantis, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on March 24, 1992. During the nine-day mission, the crew operated the twelve experiments that constituted the ATLAS-1 (Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science) cargo. ATLAS-1 obtained a vast array of detailed measurements of atmospheric, chemical and physical properties, which will contribute significantly to improving our understanding of our climate and atmosphere. STS-45 landed on April 2, 1992, on Runway 33 at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, after completing 142 orbits of the Earth.