David Wolf (astronaut) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
David Wolf
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| Born |
David Alexander Wolf
August 23, 1956 Indianapolis, Indiana, U.S.
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| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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168d 8h 57m |
| Selection | NASA Group 13 (1990) |
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Total EVAs
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7 |
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Total EVA time
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41h 17m |
| Missions | STS-58 Mir 24 (STS-86 / STS-89) STS-112 STS-127 |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | December 2012 |
David Alexander Wolf, born on August 23, 1956, is an amazing American astronaut who is now retired. He is also a medical doctor and an electrical engineer! He traveled to space four times. Three of these trips were on the Space Shuttle, like STS-58 in 1993 and STS-127 in 2009.
He also lived for 128 days on the Russian space station Mir! He flew there on STS-86 in September 1997 and returned on STS-89 in January 1998. In total, David Wolf spent over 4,040 hours in space. He also performed seven spacewalks, adding up to more than 41 hours, wearing both Russian and American spacesuits!
Contents
Becoming an Astronaut: David Wolf's Journey
David Wolf grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. He finished high school at North Central High School. He then studied electrical engineering at Purdue University, earning a special degree. He was also part of a student group called Alpha Tau Omega.
In 1982, he became a medical doctor after studying at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Later, he trained to be a flight surgeon for the United States Air Force. This means he learned to take care of astronauts' health. In 1983, David joined the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. There, he studied how being in space, with very little gravity, affects the human body.
Awards and Groups: Recognizing David Wolf's Achievements
David Wolf has earned many special awards and honors. He received the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal in 1990. He was also named NASA Inventor of the Year in 1992. When he finished medical school, he got an Academic Achievement Award. He also received a scholarship for his research on using sound waves to create medical images. He is part of special academic groups called Eta Kappa Nu and Phi Eta Sigma.
David Wolf holds 15 U.S. Patents and over 20 Space Act Awards. Many of these were for his work in creating 3D tissue engineering technologies. He even won the Texas State Bar Patent of the Year in 1994 for his inventions. He has also written more than 40 scientific papers.
David is a member of several important groups, including the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the Aerospace Medical Association. He also enjoys flying, being part of the Experimental Aircraft Association and the International Aerobatic Club. He was also part of the Indiana Air National Guard before retiring. The city of Indianapolis honored David by naming a bridge, the Marion County Bridge 0501F, the "Astronaut David Wolf Bridge."
David Wolf's NASA Career
David Wolf started his career at NASA in the Medical Sciences Division at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. He helped develop special equipment to study how astronauts' hearts work in space. Later, he became the chief engineer for designing the medical facility on the International Space Station. He managed teams, planned designs, and made sure everything was safe and worked correctly.
NASA chose David Wolf to become an astronaut in 1990. He trained for 18 months before he was ready to fly into space. He worked at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, helping prepare Space Shuttles for launch. He also served as a Capcom, which means he was the main communicator between Mission Control and astronauts in space. He even did this during the important docking of Space Shuttle Atlantis with the Mir space station in 1995.
He is an expert in Spacewalks (also called Extravehicular Activity), designing spacesuits, and guiding spacecraft to meet up in space. He also knows how to operate the Robot Arm, fix systems in space, set up computer networks, and help guide the Space Shuttle back to Earth. David retired from NASA in December 2012.
When he trained for his mission to the Mir space station, he lived and trained in Star City, Russia. This is where the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center is located. He learned to speak Russian very well because all his training was in Russian.
David Wolf and another Jewish astronaut, Jeffrey A. Hoffman, had a friendly competition about who could spin a dreidel the longest in space! David also took other special items into space, like a yad (a pointer used for reading the Torah) and a small menorah.
David Wolf's Space Adventures
STS-58: Studying Life in Space
David Wolf was a mission specialist on the Space Shuttle Columbia during the STS-58 mission. This mission, called Spacelab Life Sciences 2, was all about studying how the human body works in space. Scientists looked at the heart, lungs, muscles, and brain.
The mission lasted for 14 days. The Columbia landed safely at Edwards Air Force Base in California. When it landed, STS-58 was the longest Space Shuttle mission ever flown!
Mir Expedition 24: Living on a Space Station
David Wolf flew into space on the Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-86 mission in September 1997. He was traveling to the Russian Mir space station. Atlantis connected with Mir on September 27, 1997. This was the start of David's long stay on the space station.
David Wolf lived on the Mir space station for 128 days! He did many experiments there. He studied how to grow tissues in space, how tiny particles behave, and how the human body changes in microgravity.
During his time on Mir, there were some challenges. Several systems had problems, like the air supply, power, and computers. Once, during a spacewalk in a Russian Orlan space suit, he had to quickly get back inside because a hatch had a problem. All his training and work on Mir were done in Russian.
While on Mir, David Wolf made history! He became the first American to vote from space, casting his ballot in a local election in 1997.
The STS-89 mission brought David Wolf back to Earth. The Space Shuttle Endeavour connected with Mir on January 24, 1998, ending his long stay. Endeavour landed on January 31, 1998.
STS-112: Building the International Space Station
David Wolf flew on the Space Shuttle Atlantis for the STS-112 mission. This mission delivered a large part called the S1 truss segment to the International Space Station (ISS). Atlantis launched on October 7, 2002. David performed three spacewalks to help install the S1 truss and other equipment. He spent over 19 hours working outside the ISS!
Atlantis landed on October 18, 2002. The STS-112 mission lasted for almost 11 days.
STS-127: More Work on the ISS
David Wolf's last trip to space was on the Space Shuttle Endeavour during the STS-127 mission. This mission launched on July 15, 2009. It delivered a special Japanese module and a new astronaut, Timothy Kopra, to the ISS.
The launch of STS-127 faced several delays. It was first planned for June 2009 but was postponed due to a small leak. Bad weather and even a lightning strike near the launchpad caused more delays. David performed three more spacewalks, spending over 18 hours outside the ISS. The STS-127 mission landed on July 31, 2009, after more than 15 days in space.
See also
In Spanish: David Wolf (astronauta) para niños
