Astronaut Biography: Stanley G. Love

NAME: Stanley G. Love (Ph.D.)
NASA Astronaut

PERSONAL DATA: Born June 8, 1965 in San Diego, California, but considers Eugene, Oregon to be his hometown. Married. Two children. Recreational interests include flying, alpine hiking, bicycling, music, and animation. His parents, Glen A. and Rhoda M. Love, reside in Oregon.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Winston Churchill High School, Eugene, Oregon, in 1983; received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, California, in 1987; received Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in astronomy from the University of Washington in 1989 and 1993, respectively.

ORGANIZATIONS: American Astronomical Society; American Geophysical Union; American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics; Harvey Mudd College Alumni Association; Meteoritical Society.

AWARDS: NASA-JSC Performance Award (2003, 2004, 2006). NASA Space Flight Awareness Team Award (2004). NOVA Award, Jet Propulsion Laboratory (1998). O.K. Earl Prize Postdoctoral Fellowship, California Institute of Technology (1995). Dean?s List Distinction, Harvey Mudd College (1985, 1986, 1987).

EXPERIENCE: Worked summers at the University of Oregon in Eugene, as a computer programming instructor (1984) and as an assistant in physics and chemistry laboratories (1985-1987). As a graduate teaching assistant at the University of Washington in Seattle beginning in 1987, he taught and led laboratory sections for undergraduate courses in general and planetary astronomy.

He worked as a graduate research assistant at the University of Washington from 1989 to 1993 on a variety of projects including space propulsion and energy storage, stellar photometry and spectroscopy, analysis of space-exposed surfaces, hypervelocity impact and particle capture, atmospheric entry heating of micrometeoroids, infrared imaging of the zodiacal light, and electron microscopy of interplanetary dust particles. Moved to the University of Hawaii in Honolulu in 1994 for a postdoctoral research appointment modeling the formation of meteoritic chondrules and the collisional evolution of asteroids, and investigating the possibility of meteorites from the planet Mercury.

Awarded a prize postdoctoral fellowship at the California Institute of Technology in 1995: work there included computational fluid dynamic simulations of asteroid collisions, calibration of the Cassini spacecraft dust particle impact detector, and experimental shock compression of the mineral calcite. Transferred to the Jet Propulsion Laboratory as a staff engineer in 1997 to work on computer models of spacecraft optical instrument systems and to participate in a Laboratory-wide process re-engineering effort.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in June 1998, he reported for training in August 1998. Astronaut Candidate Training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, and water and wilderness survival schools.

Dr. Love served as a CAPCOM (spacecraft communicator) in Mission Control for International Space Station Expeditions 1 through 7 and for Space Shuttle missions STS-104 (ISS-7A), STS-108 (ISS-UF-1), and STS-112 (ISS-9A). He served in the Astronaut Office's Exploration Branch, helping to develop future space vehicles and missions. Dr. Love is assigned to the STS-122 mission that will deliver the European Space Agency?s Columbus Laboratory to the International Space Station.

Last Updated: February 2007

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