James F. Reilly

James Francis Reilly, II
James Francis Reilly, II
Status	Retired
Nationality	American
Occupation	Geologist
	Space career
NASA Astronaut
Time in space	35d 10h 34m
Selection	1994 NASA Group
Missions	STS-89, STS-104, STS-117
Mission insignia

James Francis Reilly, II, Ph.D. (born March 18, 1954) is an American geologist and a former NASA astronaut who has flown on three space shuttle missions: STS-89, STS-104 and STS-117. He was born at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho and considers Mesquite, Texas to be his hometown. He enjoys flying, skiing, photography, running, soccer, hunting and fishing.

Education

Reilly graduated from Lake Highlands High School, Dallas, Texas, in 1972. He has three degrees from the University of Texas at Dallas, a bachelor of science degree in geosciences in 1977, a master of science degree in geosciences in 1987 and a doctorate in geosciences in 1995.

Organizations

Officer in the U.S. Navy Reserve where he is a certified engineering duty officer, Naval Astronaut and holds a qualification as a Space Systems expert. He is a member of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists where he serves as co-chair of the Astrogeology Committee, Naval Reserve Association, Tailhook Association, Reserve Officers Association, and the Association of Space Explorers. He also serves on the Advisory Board for MediSend International, a humanitarian organization dedicated to supplying medical equipment and training to Third World countries. He also serves as an advisory member of the board for the American Geological Institute Foundation dedicated to earth science education in primary and secondary schools.

Special honors

Antarctic Service Medal, 1978. US Navy ROTC scholarship, 1972, Seventh Honorary U.S. Marshal, 2001, FAI Gold Space Medal (with Dr. Danny Olivas) 2008, numerous Navy and NASA awards.

Experience

After receiving his bachelor of science degree in 1977, Reilly entered graduate school and was selected to participate as a research scientist specializing in stable isotope geochronology as part of the 1977-1978 scientific expedition to Marie Byrd Land, West Antarctica. In 1979, he accepted employment as an exploration geologist with Santa Fe Minerals Inc., in Dallas, Texas. From 1980 to the time he was selected for the astronaut program, Reilly was employed as an oil and gas exploration geologist for Enserch Exploration Inc., in Dallas, Texas, rising to the position of Chief Geologist of the Offshore Region. Concurrent with his duties as an exploration geologist, he was actively involved in the application of new imaging technology for industrial applications in deep water engineering projects and biological research. As part of this work, Reilly has spent approximately 22 days in deep submergence vehicles operated by Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the U.S. Navy. - CURRENT EMPLOYMENT: Jim Reilly joined TAEUS International Corporation located in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in October, 2008, as Vice President for Product Development. His responsibilities include new product development, quality control, technical solutions focusing on customer service and future trends in technology. TAEUS International Corporation is a world leader in marketing of intellectual property, reverse engineering and technology applications.

NASA experience

Selected by NASA in December 1994, Reilly reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995, completing a year of training and evaluation, and was qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Initially assigned to work technical issues for the Astronaut Office Computer Support Branch, Reilly also served as the Astronaut Office lead on Shuttle training, as Payloads and Procedures Operations lead for the Astronaut Office ISS Branch, and lead for Crew Exploration Vehicle crew systems and landing operations in the Astronaut Office Exploration Branch. During his time at NASA, he also worked on systems development, materials and vehicle engineering and human factors projects for both the International Space Station and the Space Shuttle. Reilly flew on STS-89 in 1998, STS-104 in 2001 and STS-117 in 2007. He has logged over 853 hours in space, including 5 spacewalks totaling 31 hours and 10 minutes. He has over 2000 hours of high-performance flight time in various NASA aircraft. Reilly retired from NASA in May 2008.

Source

NASA biography [1]

External links

Spacefacts biography of James F. Reilly