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| Scott Altman | |
|---|---|
| Name | Scott Altman |
| Birth date | 1959-08-15 |
| Birth place | Lincoln, Illinois, United States |
| Occupation | Naval aviator, NASA astronaut, test pilot |
| Alma mater | United States Naval Academy, Naval Postgraduate School |
Scott Altman
Scott Altman is a retired United States Navy captain, former NASA astronaut, and veteran aviator who piloted and commanded multiple Space Shuttle missions. He flew combat missions during the Gulf War, served as a test pilot, and logged extensive time aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis, Space Shuttle Discovery, and Space Shuttle Columbia during the Space Shuttle program era. Altman's career spans service with the United States Navy, operational assignments on carrier air wings, and leadership roles in astronaut training and flight operations at NASA Johnson Space Center.
Altman was born in Lincoln, Illinois, and raised in nearby towns in central Illinois. He graduated from Lincoln Community High School and was appointed to the United States Naval Academy, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Naval architecture and Marine engineering in the early 1980s. He later completed a Master of Science degree at the Naval Postgraduate School in systems engineering, and attended professional military education including programs at Naval Air Station Pensacola and United States Naval Test Pilot School.
Commissioned into the United States Navy from the United States Naval Academy, Altman trained as a naval aviator and was winged after flight training at Naval Air Station Pensacola. He flew the McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet with fleet squadrons assigned to Carrier Air Wing One aboard USS John F. Kennedy (CV-67) and USS America (CV-66), and later served as an F/A-18 instructor and tactics officer. Selected for test pilot training, he attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River and completed developmental flight test assignments with Naval Air Systems Command and industry partners, contributing to weapons systems and avionics evaluations. During the Gulf War period, Altman flew combat sorties and carrier deployments, accruing significant carrier arrested landings and tactical experience.
Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA during the mid-1990s, Altman completed astronaut training at Johnson Space Center and qualified as a shuttle pilot and mission commander. At NASA Johnson Space Center, he served in roles supporting shuttle vehicle integration, flight crew operations, and astronaut office leadership. Altman contributed to mission simulations at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory and worked on rendezvous and proximity operations procedures used in shuttle missions to the Mir space station and International Space Station programs.
Altman flew on four Space Shuttle missions during the late 1990s and 2000s. He served as pilot on STS-90 aboard Space Shuttle Columbia, a life sciences focused flight involving the Neurolab payload. He later piloted STS-106 on Space Shuttle Atlantis, a logistics and assembly mission supporting early phases of International Space Station assembly and participating in cargo transfers and spacewalk preparations. As commander, Altman led STS-109 on Space Shuttle Columbia, the fourth servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope that delivered upgrades including new instruments and a power system refurbishment. His final flight, commanding STS-125 on Space Shuttle Atlantis, was the fifth and final servicing mission to the Hubble Space Telescope, installing the Wide Field Camera 3 and Cosmic Origins Spectrograph and extending Hubble's operational lifespan. Across these missions he worked with crews that included members from European Space Agency, Canadian Space Agency, and mission specialists with backgrounds from Jet Propulsion Laboratory and major research institutions.
After retiring from active astronaut duty and the United States Navy, Altman transitioned to roles in aerospace industry consulting, veteran outreach, and public speaking. He engaged with companies involved in spacecraft development, commercial spaceflight, and flight test programs, providing expertise drawn from his experience with Orbital Sciences Corporation, Boeing, and other aerospace contractors. Altman has participated in educational outreach at institutions such as the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and universities with aerospace programs, and has been involved in charitable activities supporting military and first-responder communities.
Altman has received military decorations and civilian recognitions for flight performance and leadership. His honors include the Defense Superior Service Medal, multiple Legion of Merit awards, the Distinguished Flying Cross for combat sorties, and NASA Distinguished Service Medal recognitions for contributions to human spaceflight. He has also been awarded the Navy Commendation Medal and Meritorious Service Medal, and has been inducted into aviation and astronautical halls of fame and acknowledged by academic institutions for his contributions to aerospace and engineering.
Category:American astronauts Category:United States Navy officers Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts Category:1959 births Category:Living people