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| Kevin R. Kregel | |
|---|---|
| Name | Kevin R. Kregel |
| Birth date | 16 November 1956 |
| Birth place | 16 November 1956 |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Test pilot, astronaut, United States Air Force officer |
| Alma mater | Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, United States Air Force Test Pilot School |
| Rank | Colonel (United States Air Force) |
| Selection | 1994 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-70, STS-78, STS-87, STS-99 |
Kevin R. Kregel is an American aviator, United States Air Force officer, and former NASA astronaut. He flew on four Space Shuttle missions and served as a test pilot and instructor before joining NASA, contributing to science payload operations and Earth remote sensing. Kregel's career intersected with programs and institutions across the United States Air Force, NASA, and aerospace education.
Kregel was born in Amarillo, Texas and raised in Lake Worth, Texas and Pampa, Texas, later attending Pampa High School. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Professional Aeronautics from Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University and completed graduate-level work at Air Command and Staff College and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Kregel also graduated from the United States Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base and completed training with institutions associated with Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and the Air Force Flight Test Center.
Kregel served in the United States Air Force, where he flew operational and test assignments, accumulating extensive flight hours in aircraft such as the F-4 Phantom II, F-111 Aardvark, A-7 Corsair II and various test aircraft. His assignments included service at Nellis Air Force Base, Tyndall Air Force Base, and Eglin Air Force Base, and he participated in programs managed by the Air Force Weapons Laboratory and the Air Force Flight Test Center. Kregel attended professional military education at the Air War College and held the rank of Colonel before transferring to NASA, contributing to joint activities with organizations like the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in collaborative flight test and sensor evaluation roles.
Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1994 with NASA Astronaut Group 15 (1994), Kregel completed astronaut candidate training including instruction at the Johnson Space Center and participation in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory. He served in roles relating to Shuttle mission development, payload integration, and astronaut training alongside colleagues from groups associated with the Space Shuttle program, the International Space Station, and scientific investigators from institutions such as NASA Ames Research Center, NASA Langley Research Center, and Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Kregel worked on mission support teams coordinating with the Kennedy Space Center, Marshall Space Flight Center, and international partners including European Space Agency and Canadian Space Agency personnel for payload operations and rendezvous development.
Kregel flew as a mission specialist and pilot on four Space Shuttle flights. His flights included STS-70 aboard Space Shuttle Discovery delivering the TDRS satellite, STS-78 on Space Shuttle Columbia for the Life and Microgravity Spacelab (LMS), STS-87 on Space Shuttle Columbia which included the United States Microgravity Payload and spacewalk operations involving collaborators from RSA and university investigators, and STS-99 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour conducting the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission (SRTM) in partnership with the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency and the German Aerospace Center. Across these missions he worked with crewmembers from organizations linked to Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, Ball Aerospace, and academic teams from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, and University of Colorado Boulder on scientific and engineering experiments.
After leaving active flight status, Kregel engaged with aerospace education, industry consulting, and advisory roles involving Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, United States Air Force Test Pilot School, and aerospace contractors such as Raytheon Technologies and Aerojet Rocketdyne. He participated in outreach with museums and organizations including the Smithsonian Institution, the National Air and Space Museum, and regional aerospace centers, supporting programs with ties to American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics and the Experimental Aircraft Association. Kregel has contributed to conferences hosted by International Astronautical Federation and panels convened by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.
Kregel is married and has family ties in Texas; he has participated in community events connected to Veterans of Foreign Wars, Boy Scouts of America, and academic scholarship programs at Pampa High School and Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University. His awards and recognitions include honors traditionally associated with service members and astronauts such as decorations awarded by the United States Air Force and commendations from NASA and partner institutions.
Category:American astronauts Category:United States Air Force officers Category:Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni