Robert C. Springer
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Robert C. Springer (born May 21, 1942) was an American astronaut during the early years of NASA's Space Shuttle program. Springer logged over 237 hours in space and 4,500 hours flying time, including 3,500 hours in jet aircraft.
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Pre-spaceflight experience
Springer was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He received a commission in the U.S. Marine Corps following his 1964 graduation from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Springer attended the Marine Corps Basic School in Quantico, Virginia before reporting to the U.S. Navy's Air Training Command for flight training at Pensacola, Florida and Beeville, Texas.
Upon receiving his aviator wings in August 1966, he was assigned to VMFA-513 at the Marine Corps Air Station at Cherry Point, North Carolina. There Springer flew F-4 Phantom II fighters. He was subsequently assigned to VMFA-115 at Chu Lai in South Vietnam, where he completed 300 F-4 combat missions. In June 1968, Springer served as an advisor to the South Korean Marine Corps in Vietnam and flew 250 combat missions in O-1 Bird Dogs and UH-1 Iroquois "Huey" helicopters.
Springer returned to the United States to attend the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California and in March 1971 was assigned to the Third Marine Aircraft Wing at El Toro, where he became wing operations analysis officer.
He flew UH-1Es in 1972 while with HML-267 at Camp Pendleton, and then went to Okinawa in Japan to fly"UH-1Es with HML-367, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing. Springer flew F-4 Phantom II fighters as an aircraft maintenance officer with VMFA-451 in Beaufort, South Carolina and also attended what was then called Navy Fighter Weapons School (now called "TOPGUN").
A 1975 graduate of the U. S. Navy Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland, he served as Head of the Ordnance Systems branch and as a test pilot for more than 20 different types of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. In this capacity he performed the first flights in the AHIT helicopter. He graduated from the Armed Forces Staff College in Norfolk, Virginia in 1978, and was assigned to Headquarters Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, where he assumed responsibility for joint operational planning for Marine Forces in NATO and the Middle East. He was serving as aide-de-camp for the Commanding General, Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, when advised of his selection by NASA in May 1980.
NASA experience
Springer became an astronaut in August 1981. His technical assignments included support crew for STS-3, concept development studies for the Space Operations Center, and the coordination of various aspects of the final development of the Remote Manipulator System ("Canadarm") for operational use. He worked at Mission Control in the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Centeras the CAPCOM for seven flights between 1984 and 1985.
Springer was responsible for astronaut office coordination of Design Requirements Reviews and Design Certification Reviews. These review efforts encompassed the total recertification and reverification of the NSTS prior to STS-26 return to flight status. He flew as a mission specialist on STS-29 in 1989, and STS-38 in 1990. Springer retired from NASA and the U.S. Marine Corps in December 1990.
STS-29
Space Shuttle Discovery (March 13-March 18, 1989) was launched from Kennedy Space Center. During 80 orbits of the earth on this highly successful five-day mission, the crew deployed a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, and performed numerous secondary experiments, including a Space Station "heat pipe" radiator experiment, two student experiments, a protein crystal growth experiment, and a chromosome and plant cell division experiment. In addition, the crew took over 4,000 photographs of the earth using several types of cameras, including the IMAX 70 mm movie camera. Mission duration was 119 hours and concluded with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base.
STS-38
Space Shuttle Atlantis (November 15-November 20, 1990) was launched at night from Kennedy Space Center. During the five-day mission the crew conducted Department of Defense operations. After 80 orbits of the earth, Atlantis and her crew landed back at the Kennedy Space Center, in the first Shuttle recovery in Florida since 1985.
Awards and Honors
Navy Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star, Air Medal (21st award), Navy Commendation Medal (2d award), Navy Achievement Medal, NASA Space Flight Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Presidential Unit Citation, Navy Unit Citation, and various Vietnam Campaign ribbons and service awards.
External links
Data Source: [1] (http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/springer-rc.html)
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