Kevin A. Ford
- STS-128 - Space Shuttle Discovery
KEVIN A. FORD, PhD (COLONEL, USAF, RET.), NASA ASTRONAUT
EDUCATION: Graduated from Blackford High School, Hartford City, Indiana in 1978. Received a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1982, a Master of Science in International Relations from Troy University in 1989, a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida in 1994, and a PhD in Astronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1997.
EXPERIENCE: Ford was commissioned as a US Air Force officer through the Reserve Officer Training Corps program in 1982. After completing two years of primary and advanced flight training in the T-37, T-38, and F-15 aircraft, he served 5 years as an F-15C fighter pilot with the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Bitburg Air Base, Germany, followed by the 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland. In 1990, he attended the Air Force Test Pilot School (Class 90A) at Edwards Air Force Base, California, followed by assignment as an F-16 experimental test pilot with the 3247th Test Squadron, Eglin Air Force Base, Florida. In 1994, Ford entered full-time studies as a doctoral candidate at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT), Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Following his graduation in 1997, he returned to the Test Pilot School, teaching flight test theory and techniques, and instructing test pilot students in the F-15, F16, and gliders.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Colonel Ford was selected to join the Astronaut Class of 2000 as a Space Shuttle Pilot Candidate. After completing two years of astronaut candidate training, he was assigned technical duties at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). From January 2004, he served a one-year tour as NASA Director of Operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. Ford then returned to JSC and worked on advanced exploration issues, Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade testing and verification, Shuttle Landing and Rollout development and training, and Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) duties for STS-115, STS-116, STS-117, STS-120, STS-122, and STS-123, as well as International Space Station (ISS) expeditionary orbital stage operations.
SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: In 2008, Ford was assigned as the Pilot (PLT) for Space Shuttle mission STS-128, ISS Construction Mission 17A. He launched on August 28, 2009, from Kennedy Space Center aboard Space Shuttle Discovery, which carried the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) “Leonardo” filled with 15,000 pounds of science, storage racks, supplies, and the COLBERT treadmill. Also delivered in Discovery’s payload bay was a new 1700-pound Ammonia Tank Assembly for installation on the ISS truss. Ford served as the prime Space Station Remote Manipulator System operator for all spacewalk operations, as well as the robotic installation and removal of the MPLM from the ISS Node 2 nadir port. Discovery and crew returned to Earth on September 11, 2009, to a landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, having completed 219 orbits in 13 days 21 hours.
Ford was then assigned to begin training for a long-duration expedition to the ISS. Following immersive Russian language training and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) training, he began training as an ISS and Soyuz crewmember to fly aboard the Russian Soyuz spacecraft for a 5-month stay. Ford launched with two cosmonauts from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan aboard Soyuz TMA-06M on October 23, 2012. During his stay on ISS, the crews carried out hundreds of hours of science, utilization, and maintenance activities. Ford served as Flight Engineer for Expedition 33 and Commander of Expedition 34. Ford and his Soyuz crewmates landed safely in Kazakhstan on March 16, 2013, having completed 2233 Earth orbits in 143 days 16 hours.
POST-NASA CAREER: Following his retirement from active astronaut status, Ford has served as a researcher/lecturer in academia and as the technical advisor to former astronaut Lt General Tom Stafford, Chair of the International Space Station Advisory Committee. From 2018 to 2022, he flew international routes in the Boeing 757/767 aircraft for a major airline. He has accumulated over 7000 hours of flying time, holds an airline transport pilot rating for airplanes, commercial certificates for helicopters and gliders, and a private rating for hot air balloons.