Jerry L. Ross facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerry Ross
|
|
|---|---|
EVA portrait, c. 2002
|
|
| Born |
Jerry Lynn Ross
January 20, 1948 Crown Point, Indiana, U.S.
|
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, USAF |
|
Time in space
|
58d 0h 52m |
| Selection | NASA Group 9 (1980) |
|
Total EVAs
|
9 |
|
Total EVA time
|
57h 55m |
| Missions | STS-61-B STS-27 STS-37 STS-55 STS-74 STS-88 STS-110 |
|
Mission insignia
|
       |
Jerry Lynn Ross (born January 20, 1948, in Crown Point, Indiana) is a retired officer from the United States Air Force. He is also a former NASA astronaut and an engineer. Jerry Ross is famous for flying on seven Space Shuttle missions. This makes him one of only two people to have flown into space so many times. He shares this record with Franklin Chang-Díaz.
Jerry Ross's important papers, photos, and personal items are kept at Purdue University. They are part of the Barron Hilton Flight and Space Exploration Archives. In May 2014, he was honored by being added to the Astronaut Hall of Fame.
He wrote a book called Spacewalker: My Journey in Space and Faith as NASA's Record-Setting Frequent Flyer. He wrote it with John Norberg, and it was published in 2013. Another astronaut, Chris Hadfield, described Jerry Ross as a very trustworthy and brave astronaut in his own book, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth.
Contents
Becoming an Astronaut: Jerry Ross's Journey
Early Life and Education
Jerry Ross finished high school in Crown Point, Indiana, in 1966. He then went to Purdue University. He earned two degrees in Mechanical Engineering: a Bachelor of Science in 1970 and a Master of Science in 1972. While at Purdue, he was part of the Purdue Reamer Club.
Military Service and Flight Experience
Jerry Ross joined the Air Force through a program called ROTC at Purdue. After getting his master's degree in 1972, he started active duty in the Air Force. He worked on special engine designs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. He also helped manage projects for advanced missiles.
Later, he went to the USAF Test Pilot School and became a Flight Test Engineer in 1976. He worked at Edwards Air Force Base in California. There, he helped test important aircraft like the RC-135S and the B-1 bomber. He was in charge of testing how well the B-1 aircraft flew and handled.
Jerry Ross has flown in 21 different types of aircraft. He has a private pilot's license and has spent over 3,900 hours flying, mostly in military planes. He retired from the Air Force on March 31, 2000.
Joining NASA and Space Shuttle Missions
In 1979, Jerry Ross started working at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center for NASA. He helped plan how different equipment would work on the Space Shuttle. In May 1980, he was chosen to become an astronaut.
As an astronaut, he worked on many important tasks. He focused on EVAs, also known as "space walks". He also worked with the Remote Manipulator System, which is the Space Shuttle's robotic arm. He was a support crew member for several early Shuttle missions. He also served as a CAPCOM, which means he was the voice on the radio talking to the astronauts in space.
Jerry Ross was supposed to be on the first Space Shuttle mission launched from Vandenberg Air Force Base. However, this mission was canceled after the Space Shuttle Challenger accident.
Jerry Ross flew on seven Space Shuttle missions as a mission specialist or Payload Commander:
- STS-61-B (1985)
- STS-27 (1988)
- STS-37 (1991)
- STS-55/Spacelab-D2 (1993)
- STS-74 (1995) – This mission docked with the Russian Space Station Mir.
- STS-88 (1998) – This was the first mission to build the International Space Station.
- STS-110 (2002)
He spent over 1,393 hours in space. This includes 57 hours and 55 minutes spent on 9 spacewalks.
Jerry Ross held the U.S. record for the most spacewalks (9) for a time. This record was later broken by Michael Lopez-Alegria, who completed 10 spacewalks. There is some talk that Jerry Ross might have done an extra spacewalk on the STS-27 mission in 1988. This mission was a secret one for the Department of Defense, so not much information about it has been shared. Jerry Ross has never talked about what he did on STS-27.
He also holds the record for the most flights on a single Space Shuttle, the Atlantis, with five missions.
Jerry Ross retired from NASA on January 28, 2012. He was the first person to launch into space seven times. He also retired as one of the top three people in the world for the most spacewalks.
Jerry Ross's Space Missions
STS-61-B: First Spacewalks
STS-61-B on Atlantis launched at night on November 26, 1985. During this mission, the crew put three communications satellites into space. Jerry Ross did two spacewalks, each lasting 6 hours. He showed how astronauts could build parts of a space station in orbit. The mission lasted about 7 days.
STS-27: A Secret Mission
STS-27 on Atlantis launched on December 2, 1988. This mission carried a secret payload for the Department of Defense. The mission lasted about 4 days. During its return, Atlantis had serious damage to its heat shield tiles.
STS-37: Deploying a Gamma Ray Telescope
STS-37 on Atlantis launched on April 5, 1991. The main goal was to deploy the huge Compton Gamma Ray Observatory. Jerry Ross performed two spacewalks. These spacewalks lasted a total of 10 hours and 49 minutes. He had to manually help deploy the telescope's antenna, which was stuck. He also tested new equipment for a future space station. The mission lasted about 6 days.
STS-55: German Spacelab Mission
STS-55 on Columbia launched on April 26, 1993. Jerry Ross was the Payload Commander for this mission. It was a German-sponsored mission called Spacelab D-2. The crew did almost 90 experiments. These experiments looked at things like life sciences, materials science, and robotics. The mission lasted about 10 days.
STS-74: Docking with Mir Space Station
STS-74 on Atlantis launched on November 12, 1995. This was NASA's second time docking a Space Shuttle with the Russian Space Station Mir. The crew attached a special docking module to Mir. They also moved over 1.5 tons of supplies and experiment equipment between Atlantis and Mir. The mission lasted about 8 days.
STS-88: Building the International Space Station
STS-88 on Endeavour launched on December 4, 1998. This was the very first mission to start building the International Space Station. During this 12-day mission, the U.S.-built Unity module was connected to the Russian Zarya module. Jerry Ross did three spacewalks, totaling 21 hours and 22 minutes. He connected cables and attached tools to the new station parts. The crew also launched two small satellites.
STS-110: Delivering a Truss to the ISS
STS-110 on Atlantis launched on April 8, 2002. This was the 13th Shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. The mission delivered and installed a large part called the S0 Truss. This was the first time the station's robotic arm was used to move spacewalkers around. It was also the first time all spacewalks were done from the station's own Quest Airlock. Jerry Ross performed two spacewalks, lasting a total of 14 hours and 9 minutes. The mission lasted about 11 days.
Awards and Recognitions
Jerry Ross has received many awards and honors for his amazing career:
- Defense Superior Service Medal
- Legion of Merit
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal
- Meritorious Service Medal
- He was a Distinguished Graduate of the USAF Test Pilot School.
- He received the Outstanding Flight Test Engineer Award.
- He has received 15 NASA medals.
- He won the American Astronautical Society Victor A. Prather Award for his spacewalk achievements multiple times.
- He also received the Flight Achievement Award several times.
- Purdue University gave him an Honorary Doctor of Science degree.
- An elementary school in Crown Point, Indiana, the Jerry Ross Elementary School, was named after him.
