Landing the World’s Fastest Glider

In AllThingsAero.com, former pilot astronaut (and former Huntsville Soaring Club member) Jim Halsell describes what it’s like to land the Space Shuttle. For several years, Jim was a member of our local soaring club in Huntsville, Alabama. Unfortunately, he was so busy attending to his professional responsibilities that he had little time to fly gliders (other than the Space Shuttle!), but we were happy to have Jim as a member.

http://allthingsaero.com/space/article-landing-the-world-s-fastest-glider

You might also enjoy two more articles by Jim:

http://allthingsaero.com/space/article-the-eight-and-a-half-minute-takeoff-roll

http://allthingsaero.com/space/article-right-place-right-time

Jim’s Bio

Jim Halsell was born and raised in West Monroe, Louisiana and attended the United States Air Force Academy and went on to fly the F-4 and F-16. After training as a test pilot, he piloted the SR-71. Halsell was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1990 and was trained as a Space Shuttle pilot. He piloted missions STS-65 (1994) and STS-74 (1995), and commanded missions STS-83, STS-94 (1997) and STS-101 (2000). Halsell was Space Shuttle Program manager for launch integration at the Kennedy Space Center from 2000–2002, responsible for giving the “go for launch” on 13 Shuttle missions. After the Columbia accident, he led the NASA Return to Flight Planning Team, responsible for converting the recommendations of the accident investigation board into Shuttle Program actions that resulted in resumption of missions in 2005. Halsell earned a masters degree in Space Operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1985. He retired from NASA in November 2006 to accept a position in the private sector.