SPECIAL HONORS: Distinguished Graduate of AFROTC, Undergraduate Pilot Training, Squadron Officers School, F-4 Instructor School, and USAF Test Pilot School; Outstanding Engineering Student Award, Texas Tech University, 1980; F-4 Tactical Air Command Instructor Pilot of the Year (1987); named a 1997 Distinguished Engineer of the College of Engineering, Texas Tech University. Military decorations include the Meritorious Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, the Aerial Achievement Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, two NASA Group Achievement Awards for work on the X-38 Development Team and the Orbiter Upgrade Definition Team.

EXPERIENCE: After graduation from Texas Tech University in May 1980, Husband was commissioned a second lieutenant in the USAF and attended pilot training at Vance Air Force Base (AFB), Oklahoma. He graduated in October 1981, and was assigned to F-4 training at Homestead AFB, Florida. After completion of F-4 training in September 1982, Husband was assigned to Moody AFB, Georgia flying the F-4E. From September to November 1985, he attended F-4 Instructor School at Homestead AFB and was assigned as an F-4E instructor pilot and academic instructor at George AFB, California in December 1985. In December 1987, Husband was assigned to Edwards AFB, California, where he attended the USAF Test Pilot School. Upon completion of Test Pilot School, Husband served as a test pilot flying the F-4 and all five models of the F-15. In the F-15 Combined Test Force, Husband was the program manager for the Pratt & Whitney F100-PW-229 increased performance engine, and also served as the F-15 Aerial Demonstration Pilot. In June 1992, Husband was assigned to the Aircraft and Armament Evaluation Establishment at Boscombe Down, England, as an exchange test pilot with the Royal Air Force. At Boscombe Down, Husband was the Tornado GR1 and GR4 Project Pilot and served as a test pilot in the Hawk, Hunter, Buccaneer, Jet Provost, Tucano, and Harvard. He has logged over 3800 hours of flight time in more than 40 different types of aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Husband was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in December 1994. He reported to the Johnson Space Center in March 1995 to begin a year of training and evaluation. Upon completion of training, Husband was named the Astronaut Office representative for Advanced Projects at Johnson Space Center, working on Space Shuttle Upgrades, the Crew Return Vehicle (CRV) and studies to return to the Moon and travel to Mars. Most recently, he served as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office. He flew as pilot on STS-96 in 1999, and has logged 235 hours and 13 minutes in space. Husband is assigned to command the crew of STS-107 scheduled for launch in 2003.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-96 Discovery (May 27 to June 6, 1999) was a 10-day mission during which the crew performed the first docking with the International Space Station and delivered 4 tons of logistics and supplies in preparation for the arrival of the first crew to live on the station early next year. The mission was accomplished in 153 Earth orbits, traveling 4 million miles in 9 days, 19 hours and 13 minutes.

Here are some excerpts from NASA's official pre-flight interview for STS-107:

I'd like to talk a little bit about you and your background. If you were to think back growing up about your interest, what intrigued, what was it about those things that made Rick Husband NASA material?

Well, from the time I was about four years old, I wanted to be an astronaut. And, it was about that time when the Mercury program started up. And so, I saw those things on the TV, and it just really excited me. It really grabbed my interest. And, seeing those rockets and learning about the astronauts, and seeing what they were doing, and then the models that came out in the stores and you could build the plastic models, and I remember building a Gemini model that I put together. And just, I thought everything about that was so fascinating. And in following that all the way through, from Mercury to Gemini to Apollo, watching the Moon landings and everything, it was just so incredibly adventurous and exciting to me that I just thought, "There is no doubt in my mind that that's what I want to do when I grow up." And at the same time, I was very interested in airplanes and flying. And, you know, I'd be out in my backyard playing. And, any time I heard any kind of an airplane, you know, it's like, stop what you're doing and take a look and see, "Where's that airplane? What kind is it? Where is it going? How high is it? How fast is it going?" And so, it's the kind of thing that has just been such a part of my life in what I wanted to do when I grew up. And so, as I grew up I became interested in math and science, and went to college at Texas Tech University, and had the good fortunate of being able to join Air Force ROTC and get a pilot's slot. While I was at school at Texas Tech was about the time that they were hiring the first bunch of shuttle astronauts. So, I sent a letter off to NASA asking them, what kind of requirements were necessary to become an astronaut? So, I got a package back, and it told about the Pilots and the Mission Specialists and the requirements that were necessary. And so, that kind of laid the pathway for what I needed to do if I wanted to be a Pilot-astronaut. So, I joined the Air Force, went through pilot training, got to go fly fighters. I flew F-4s, operationally. And then, I went through Test Pilot School. And, after Test Pilot School, finished a masters in engineering and started applying to the space program. And, I applied four different times--

Wow.

--and interviewed two different times, and then was hired after the second interview. And so, it was the achievement of a lifelong dream and a goal. And, it's very humbling, I'd say, and exciting at the same time to be able to actually go and do the kind of thing that I'd wanted to do, and the thing that I had looked forward to doing for such a long time.

That's good. Were you actually able, when you were a kid, looking up, were you able to automatically recognize what type of plane that you were looking at?

Well, sometimes. You know, I think it probably went down to just basic categories, like jets and props and things like that.

Yeah.

So, as I got older and learned more about airplanes, I got to where I could recognize a few different types.

Okay. Outside of your time with NASA, what's been your most enjoyable time or experience in life?

Well, I think apart from NASA, the most enjoyable part of my life has been my time with my family. And, if you think about, probably the pinnacle or the most exciting or memorable events, I would say probably my marriage and then the birth of our two children, and being there with my wife, and just the awesome experience of seeing a baby come into the world. And just being so overwhelmed with God's goodness in blessing us with two wonderful children.

One of your hobbies is singing. Was that something that you had as a kid? Or, is this recent? Tell me about that?

Well, I've been singing for a long time. Whenever I was growing up going to church, I sang in church choir as a real little kid. And then, I sang in choir in school, elementary, junior high, and high school. I sang in a barbershop quartet for several years with different groups of guys. And, when I went off to college, I was majoring in engineering but still was very interested in music because it was just such an enjoyable part of my life. I just really love music, and I love singing. And so, while I was taking engineering courses, I was also a member of the Texas Tech Choir, with all these other music majors and everything. And so, I was very fortunate to be able to be in that choir. And, it served as a tremendous outlet for me, to kind of broaden my horizons and my experience in the different types of music that we sang. And then after college I primarily have spent my time singing in church choir. And sometimes in community choirs, depending on where we lived at the time. And, I continue to sing in a church choir today. So, it's something that I really, really enjoy.

What's the experience like? What does it do for you? Is it therapeutic? Or, is it--

Oh, being able to sing, especially when you're singing a song just from the standpoint of if it's something that you really think is a beautiful song and you can really belt it out, or sing it with the kind of precision that's necessary to sing, just depending on the type of song it is. It, first of all, I think gives you a feeling of teamwork with the other members of the choir. It also gives you a feeling of almost release, in my particular case, because, it's, I'd say, very relaxing. And then, especially with some of the songs that we sing in church, just being able to sing a song to tell God how much I love Him, it just feels great. It really does. And I think it's probably almost as good as exercising.