Frederick D. Gregory facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Frederick Gregory
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| Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
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Acting
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| In office February 11, 2005 – April 14, 2005 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | Sean O'Keefe |
| Succeeded by | Michael D. Griffin |
| 10th Deputy Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration | |
| In office August 12, 2002 – November 4, 2005 |
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| President | George W. Bush |
| Preceded by | James R. Thompson Jr. |
| Succeeded by | Shana Dale |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Frederick Drew Gregory
January 7, 1941 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Education | United States Air Force Academy (BS) George Washington University (MS) |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, USAF |
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Time in space
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18d 23h 4m |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
| Missions | STS-51-B STS-33 STS-44 |
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Mission insignia
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Frederick Drew Gregory (born January 7, 1941) is an American hero. He was a United States Air Force pilot, engineer, and test pilot. He also became a NASA astronaut and later served as NASA's Deputy Administrator. For a short time in 2005, he was the Acting Administrator of NASA.
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Early Life and Learning
Frederick Gregory was born in Washington, D.C. on January 7, 1941. His father, Francis A. Gregory, was an important educator in D.C. schools. A library was even named after him! His mother, Nora Drew Gregory, also worked in education and supported public libraries. She was the sister of the famous doctor Dr. Charles Drew. He developed ways to store blood, which saved many lives during World War II.
Frederick grew up in Washington, D.C., and went to Anacostia High School. He then attended the United States Air Force Academy. There, he earned a degree in military engineering. Later, he received a master's degree in information systems from George Washington University.
Military Adventures
After graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1964, Gregory became a pilot. He flew helicopters and fighter jets. He flew 550 combat rescue missions during the Vietnam War. He also became a test pilot, flying new aircraft to see how they worked. During his time in the Air Force, he flew about 7,000 hours in over 50 different types of planes.
NASA Journey
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Frederick Gregory was chosen to be an astronaut in January 1978. He worked on many important tasks at NASA. He helped prepare the Space Shuttle for its first flights. He also managed flight data and was a lead CAPCOM. A CAPCOM is the person at mission control who talks directly to the astronauts in space. He was a CAPCOM during the sad Space Shuttle Challenger disaster.
Gregory flew on three Space Shuttle missions, spending about 456 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-51B and the commander on STS-33 and STS-44.
STS-51B Mission
Gregory's first space flight was STS-51B on April 29, 1985. He was the pilot of the Space Shuttle Challenger. The crew used a special laboratory called Spacelab-3. They did many science experiments, from studying space physics to how animals live in space. The mission lasted for seven days.
STS-33 Mission
On November 22, 1989, Gregory made history. He became the first African-American to command a space flight on STS-33. He commanded the Space Shuttle Discovery. This mission carried important payloads for the United States Department of Defense. The flight lasted five days.
STS-44 Mission
Gregory's third mission was STS-44, which launched on November 24, 1991. He commanded the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The crew successfully launched a Defense Support Program satellite. They also did experiments to see how space affects the human body. This mission lasted for about seven days.
Leading NASA
After his space flights, Gregory held important leadership roles at NASA. From 1992 to 2001, he focused on safety for NASA's missions. Then, from 2001 to 2002, he was in charge of space flight operations.
On August 12, 2002, he became the NASA Deputy Administrator. This meant he helped lead NASA and make big decisions. He also represented NASA to the President and other government groups. When the NASA Administrator left in early 2005, Gregory became the Acting Administrator for a few months. He left NASA in November 2005.
Personal Life
Frederick Gregory was married to Barbara Archer until she passed away in 2008. They had two children, Frederick Jr. and Heather Lynn. He is now married to Annette Becke. Together, they have three children and six grandchildren. In his free time, he enjoys reading, boating, hiking, diving, biking, and traveling.
Special Recognitions
Frederick Gregory has received many awards for his amazing career. Some of these include:
- The Air Force Legion of Merit
- The Defense Superior Service Medal
- The Distinguished Flying Cross (three times!)
- The Air Medal (16 times!)
- The NASA Distinguished Service Medal (twice)
- The NASA Spaceflight Medal (for each of his three missions)
- Being inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame
- Being named a Distinguished Graduate by the United States Air Force Academy
- In September 2021, a building at the Air Force Academy was renamed "Gregory Hall" in his honor.
- He was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in September 2024.
See also
