Eric Boe

Eric A. Boe
NASA Astronaut
Nationality	American
Status	Active
Born	October 1, 1964 (1964-10-01) Miami, Florida
Other occupation	Fighter pilot
Rank	Colonel, USAF
Time in space	28d 15h 34m
Selection	2000 NASA Group
Missions	STS-126, STS-133
Mission insignia

Colonel Eric A. Boe, USAF (born October 1, 1964), in Miami, Florida) is an Air Force fighter pilot, test pilot and a NASA astronaut. He flew as the pilot of Space Shuttle missions STS-126 and STS-133.

Early life and education

Boe graduated from Henderson High School, Chamblee, Georgia in 1983. He was a cadet in the Georgia Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. While a cadet, Boe earned General Carl A Spaatz Award, the highest award given to Civil Air Patrol cadets. Col Boe is still a Senior Member in the Florida Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Astronautical Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1987, and a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1997. He is married to the former Kristen Newman of Thousand Oaks, California, and they have two children.

Military career

Boe was commissioned from the Air Force Academy in 1987. He completed Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training (ENJJPT) at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, in 1988. Following transition training in the F-4 Phantom II, he was then assigned to the 3rd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Clark Air Base, Philippines as a combat ready pilot in the F-4E. In 1991, he served as a T-38 instructor pilot in the 50th Flying Training Squadron, and as an AT-38B instructor pilot in the 49th Fighter Training Squadron at Columbus AFB, Mississippi. In 1994, following transition training in the F-15 Eagle at Tyndall AFB, Florida, he was assigned to the 33rd Fighter Wing's 60th Fighter Squadron at Eglin AFB, Florida, serving as a flight commander in the F-15C. He flew 55 combat missions over Iraq in support of Operation Southern Watch after the Gulf War. In 1997, he attended the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, California. After graduation, he was assigned as the Director of Test, Air-to-Air Missile Test Division, 46th Test Wing, Eglin AFB, Florida where he served as a test pilot flying the A/B/C/D and E models of the F-15 and the UH-1N helicopter. He has logged over 4,000 flight hours in more than 45 different aircraft.

NASA career

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in July 2000, Boe reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 2000. Following the completion of two years of training and evaluation, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and Station Operations Branch. His current technical assignment involves work with displays and controls for future space vehicles^{[citation needed]}. He made his first trip to space as pilot of Space Shuttle Endeavour during STS-126 on November 14, 2008. Boe flew his second space flight as pilot on STS-133, the final scheduled flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery and the third-to-last flight of the Space Shuttle program.

Awards and honors

Boe was a distinguished graduate with honors from the United States Air Force Academy, and was awarded the Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowship for graduate studies.

In addition to his current USAF aeronautical rating of Command Pilot/Astronaut, his personal military decorations and service awards include the:

• Defense Meritorious Service Medal
• Meritorious Service Medal
• Air Medal (2 awards)
• Aerial Achievement Medal (5 awards)
• Air Force Commendation Medal (3 awards)
• Air Force Achievement Medal
• Air Force Outstanding Unit Awards (3 awards)
• Combat Readiness Medal
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• National Defense Service Medal (2 awards)
• War on Terrorism Service Medal

External links

• NASA bio of Boe
• Spacefacts biography of Eric A. Boe
• Civil Air Patrol article about Boe