SPECIAL HONORS: Eagle Scout; graduated second of 1,083 in the Class of 1983 at the US Naval Academy; presented Outstanding Student and Best DT-II Thesis awards as graduate of U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Class 101; awarded Navy Commendation Medals (2), Navy Achievement Medals (2), and various other service awards.

EXPERIENCE: McCool completed flight training in August 1986 and was assigned to Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 129 at Whidbey Island, Washington, for initial EA-6B Prowler training. His first operational tour was with Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 133, where he made two deployments aboard USS CORAL SEA (CV-43) to the Mediterranean Sea, and received designation as a wing qualified landing signal officer (LSO). In November 1989, he was selected for the Naval Postgraduate School/Test Pilot School (TPS) Cooperative Education Program. After graduating from TPS in June 1992, he worked as TA-4J and EA-6B test pilot in Flight Systems Department of Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at Patuxent River, Maryland. He was responsible for the management and conduct of a wide variety of projects, ranging from airframe fatigue life studies to numerous avionics upgrades. His primary efforts, however, were dedicated to flight test of the Advanced Capability (ADVCAP) EA-6B. Following his Patuxent River tour, McCool returned to Whidbey Island, and was assigned to Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 132 aboard USS ENTERPRISE (CVN-65). He served as Administrative and Operations Officer with the squadron through their work-up cycle, receiving notice of NASA selection while embarked on ENTERPRISE for her final pre-deployment at-sea period.

McCool has over 2,800 hours flight experience in 24 aircraft and over 400 carrier arrestments.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in April 1996, McCool reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. He completed two years of training and evaluation, and is qualified for flight assignment as a pilot. Initially assigned to the Computer Support Branch, McCool also served as Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations, and worked Shuttle cockpit upgrade issues for the Astronaut Office. He is assigned as pilot on STS-107 scheduled for launch in 2003.

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

Let's talk a little bit, just about you. Your backgroundcan you think back about what interest you may have had growing up that kind of put you on the road to getting here?

My father, prior military, Marine, and Naval aviator, had a big influence, I think, on me in terms of just the natural progression. You finish high school, you go to college. I went to the Naval Academy; it just seemed the natural thing to do. And went on, you know, into Naval aviation in my father's footsteps. As a child he was a big advocate of building model airplanes and we flew RSC and control on aircraft. So, I had this natural inclination for flying. And I think it's just something that subconsciously just led me into an aviation career. And as my career progressed, things just worked out in my benefit to lead me into the astronaut program. So I think parental influence is probably the biggest motivator behind everything that's led me to become an astronaut.

How do you think that being part of activities, being part of teams all your life has helped in the transition to NASA? Because NASA is, in essence, one big team.

Well the military and NASA are a lot alike when you talk about working together as a team. In Naval aviation, you work as a squadron. You work with an air wing. I flew the EA-6B Prowler. We had a crew of four. And we advocated crew coordination and working together as a crew. And just as you mentioned all those lessons that I learned in my aviation career and my Navy career about working together as a team just seemed to naturally apply and work well with NASA. NASA does the same exact thing. We operate as a crew in the same way as we did back in my Navy days in the EA-6B Prowler. The Astronaut Office, the folks here at JSC, operate in the same fashion that we had learned to operate as a team within the squadron and within the air wing. So, I think [they] dovetail quite well.

Outside of your time with NASA, what's been the most enjoyable experience of your life so far?

My most enjoyable experience is: I really can't pinpoint one. But I can kind of say as a category my most enjoyable experiences are going out with my wife and my boys back country backpacking in the Olympic Mountains or, you know, the canyon lands in Utah and just enjoying life without outside distractions. And enjoying each other, and enjoying the environment. And we love to do that frequently, whenever we can. Unfortunately, [I] don't get enough of it here, you know, recently with all the training. But those memories prevail. And they're something that I look forward to doing in the future when we get done with this mission.