Douglas Harry "Wheels" Wheelock (born May 5, 1960) is an American
engineer
Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...
and
astronaut. He has flown in space twice, logging 178 days on the
Space Shuttle
The Space Shuttle is a retired, partially reusable low Earth orbital spacecraft system operated from 1981 to 2011 by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) as part of the Space Shuttle program. Its official program ...
,
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
, and Russian
Soyuz Soyuz is a transliteration of the Cyrillic text Союз ( Russian and Ukrainian, 'Union'). It can refer to any union, such as a trade union (''profsoyuz'') or the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Сою́з Сове́тских Социалис ...
. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced that he would be returning to active duty with the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land warfare, land military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight Uniformed services of the United States, U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army o ...
in support of
Operation Enduring Freedom. He is currently working with
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
to test the
Orion spacecraft
Orion (officially Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or Orion MPCV) is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA's Artemis program. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin and the Euro ...
at the
Glenn Research Center
NASA John H. Glenn Research Center at Lewis Field is a NASA center within the cities of Brook Park and Cleveland between Cleveland Hopkins International Airport and the Rocky River Reservation of Cleveland Metroparks, with a subsidiary facilit ...
in Plum Brook, Ohio.
Early life and education
Douglas Wheelock was born in
Binghamton, New York to Olin and Margaret Wheelock. In a pre-flight interview, Wheelock stated that he was inspired to become an astronaut at an early age. He also stated that a major turning point in his life was the
Apollo 11
Apollo 11 (July 16–24, 1969) was the American spaceflight that first landed humans on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz Aldrin landed the Apollo Lunar Module ''Eagle'' on July 20, 1969, at 20:17 UTC, ...
moon landing in July 1969.
In 1978 Wheelock graduated from Windsor Central High School in
Windsor
Windsor may refer to:
Places Australia
* Windsor, New South Wales
** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area
* Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland
**Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...
,
New York before attending the
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...
at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
.
He earned a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at
Georgia Institute of Technology in 1992.
Military career
Wheelock spent four years as a cadet at West Point, graduating in the class of 1983 with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
degree in
applied science and
engineering
Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...
. After graduation he was commissioned a
second lieutenant in the U.S. Army's
Infantry Branch and entered flight school the next year. In September 1984, then Lieutenant Wheelock graduated at the top of his flight class and was designated an
army aviator
An army aviation unit is an aviation-related unit of a nation's army, sometimes described as an air corps. These units are generally separate from a nation's dedicated air force, and usually comprise helicopters and light support fixed-wing airc ...
. He subsequently served in the Pacific as a combat aviation section leader, platoon leader, company executive officer, battalion operations officer, and commander of an air cavalry troop in the
9th Cavalry. He was later assigned to the Aviation Directorate of Combat Developments as an advanced weapons research and development engineer.
Wheelock was selected as a member of Class 104 at the
U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and upon completion was assigned as an experimental test pilot with the Army Aviation Technical Test Center (ATTC). His flight testing was focused in the areas of tactical reconnaissance and surveillance systems in the
OH-58D
The Bell OH-58 Kiowa is a family of single-engine single-Helicopter rotor, rotor military helicopters used for observation, utility, and direct fire support. It was produced by the American manufacturer Bell Helicopter and is closely related t ...
,
UH-60
The Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk is a four-blade, twin-engine, medium-lift utility military helicopter manufactured by Sikorsky Aircraft. Sikorsky submitted the S-70 design for the United States Army's Utility Tactical Transport Aircraft System ( ...
,
RU-21 and
C-23 aircraft. He served as division chief for fixed-wing testing of airborne signal and imagery intelligence systems in support of the National Program Office for Intelligence and Electronic Warfare.
While on active duty, Wheelock received a
Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...
degree in
aerospace engineering from
Georgia Tech
The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...
in 1992. In August 1996 Wheelock was assigned to the
Johnson Space Center as a Space Shuttle integration test engineer. His technical duties involved engineering liaison for launch and landing operations of the Space Shuttle. He was selected as the vehicle integration test team lead for the joint Space Shuttle and Russian Space Station ''
Mir
''Mir'' (russian: Мир, ; ) was a space station that operated in low Earth orbit from 1986 to 2001, operated by the Soviet Union and later by Russia. ''Mir'' was the first modular space station and was assembled in orbit from 1986 to&n ...
'' mission
STS-86
STS-86 was a Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'' mission to the Mir space station. This was the last ''Atlantis'' mission before it was taken out of service temporarily for maintenance and upgrades, including the glass cockpit.
Crew
Spacewalk
*'' Pa ...
, and lead engineer for International Space Station hardware fit checks.
Wheelock is a graduate of the Army Airborne and Air Assault Courses, the Infantry and Aviation Officer Advanced Courses, the Combined Arms Services Staff School, the Material Acquisition Management Course, and the
U.S. Army Command and General Staff College
The United States Army Command and General Staff College (CGSC or, obsolete, USACGSC) at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is a graduate school for United States Army and sister service officers, interagency representatives, and international military ...
. In July 2011, Wheelock left for a tour of duty in support of Operation Enduring Freedom. A dual-rated master army aviator astronaut, he has logged over 2,500 flight hours in 43 different rotary and fixed-wing aircraft.
NASA career
In August 1998 Wheelock reported for
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
Astronaut Candidate Training. Having completed the initial two years of intensive Space Shuttle and Space Station training, he was assigned to the Astronaut Office ISS Operations Branch as a Russian Liaison, participating in the testing and integration of Russian hardware and software products developed for the ISS. He worked extensively with the Energia Aerospace Company in
Moscow, Russia, developing and verifying dual-language procedures for ISS crews. Wheelock led joint U.S./Russian teams to the
Baikonur Cosmodrome in
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan, officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country located mainly in Central Asia and partly in Eastern Europe. It borders Russia to the north and west, China to the east, Kyrgyzstan to the southeast, Uzbeki ...
to oversee bench reviews, inventory, loading and launch of the first four unmanned ISS resupply capsules.
In 2001, Wheelock assumed duties as the crew support astronaut for the ISS
Expedition 2
Expedition 2 (also called ISS EO-2) was the second long-duration spaceflight aboard the International Space Station, immediately following Expedition 1. Its three-person crew stayed aboard the station from March to August 2001. In addition to st ...
crew, which was on orbit for 147 days from March 2001 to August 2001, and for the ISS
Expedition 4
Expedition 4 was the fourth expedition to the International Space Station (7 December 2001 - 15 June 2002).
Crew
Mission parameters
*Perigee: 384 km
*Apogee: 396 km
*Inclination: 51.6°
*Period: 92 min
Mission objectives
The Inte ...
crew, which was on orbit for 195 days from December 2001 to June 2002. He was the primary contact for all crew needs, coordination, planning and interactions, and was the primary representative of the crews while they were on orbit. In August 2002, Wheelock was assigned as a spacecraft communicator (
CAPCOM) in the Mission Control Center in
Houston, Texas. In this role, he was the primary communication link between crews on orbit and the ground support team in the Control Center. His work as a CAPCOM culminated in his assignment as the lead CAPCOM for the ISS
Expedition 8 mission, which was 194 days in duration.
In July 2004, Wheelock served as an
aquanaut during the
NEEMO 6 mission aboard the
Aquarius
Aquarius may refer to:
Astrology
* Aquarius (astrology), an astrological sign
* Age of Aquarius, a time period in the cycle of astrological ages
Astronomy
* Aquarius (constellation)
* Aquarius in Chinese astronomy
Arts and entertainme ...
underwater laboratory, living and working underwater for ten days.
In January 2005 and again in 2016, he was assigned as NASA's Director of Operations – Russia where he served at the
Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center
The Yuri A. Gagarin State Scientific Research-and-Testing Cosmonaut Training Center (GCTC; Russian: Центр подготовки космонавтов имени Ю. А. Гагарина) is a Russian training facility responsible for train ...
in
Star City, Russia
Star City (russian: Звёздный городо́к, ''Zvyozdny gorodok''The name "Zvyozdny gorodok" literally means "starry townlet".) is a common name of an area in Zvyozdny gorodok, Moscow Oblast, Russia, which has since the 1960s been ...
. He was responsible for supporting Russia-based training, logistic, and administrative needs of NASA astronauts preparing for flight on the ISS. Wheelock was the primary liaison between Star City and NASA operations in Houston, including medical, training, science, contracting, public affairs, and administration departments. He was also responsible for liaison duties between NASA and the
Russian Space Agency
The State Space Corporation "Roscosmos" (russian: Государственная корпорация по космической деятельности «Роскосмос»), commonly known simply as Roscosmos (russian: Роскосмос) ...
, as well as the Russian aerospace industry.
After his first spaceflight, Wheelock was assigned as the backup to
T.J. Creamer for the
Soyuz TMA-17/
Expedition 22/
Expedition 23
Expedition 23 (russian: МКС-23) was the 23rd long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 23 began with the Soyuz TMA-16 undocking on 18 March 2010. Shortly thereafter cosmonauts Aleksandr Skvortsov and Mikhail Ko ...
mission to the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
. Creamer completed a successful 163 day mission from 2009–2010.
As of September 2019, Wheelock is currently working as an astronaut trainer testing systems aboard the
Orion spacecraft
Orion (officially Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle or Orion MPCV) is a partially reusable crewed spacecraft used in NASA's Artemis program. The spacecraft consists of a Crew Module (CM) space capsule designed by Lockheed Martin and the Euro ...
.
That month, he contributed to an article in ''
The Columbus Dispatch
''The Columbus Dispatch'' is a daily newspaper based in Columbus, Ohio. Its first issue was published on July 1, 1871, and it has been the only mainstream daily newspaper in the city since ''The Columbus Citizen-Journal'' ceased publication in 19 ...
'' detailing the inaccuracies of the space science fiction film ''
Ad Astra''.
Spaceflight experience
STS-120
On October 23, 2007, Wheelock launched on his first spaceflight aboard
Space Shuttle ''Discovery''. During the
STS-120
STS-120 was a Space Shuttle mission to the International Space Station (ISS) that launched on 23 October 2007 from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. The mission is also referred to as ISS-10A by the ISS program. STS-120 delivered the ''Harmony' ...
mission, Wheelock was
Mission Specialist 3 on a multinational crew whose mission was to deliver the
Node 2
''Harmony'', also known as ''Node 2'', is the "utility hub" of the International Space Station. It connects the laboratory modules of the United States, Europe and Japan, as well as providing electrical power and electronic data. Sleeping cab ...
module to the International Space Station. Wheelock participated in three
spacewalks
Extravehicular activity (EVA) is any activity done by an astronaut in outer space outside a spacecraft. In the absence of a breathable Earthlike atmosphere, the astronaut is completely reliant on a space suit for environmental support. EVA inc ...
with fellow astronaut
Scott Parazynski
Scott Edward Parazynski (born July 28, 1961 in Little Rock, Arkansas) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. A veteran of five Space Shuttle flights and seven spacewalks, Parazynski's latest mission was STS-120 in October, 2007 – ...
in order to perform mission critical tasks on the exterior of the Station. The spacewalks involved outfitting the Node 2 module, storing an S-band antenna, work on the
Integrated Truss Structure
The Integrated Truss Structure (ITS) of the International Space Station (ISS) consists of a linear arranged sequence of connected trusses on which various unpressurized components are mounted such as logistics carriers, radiators, solar arrays, ...
, and
External Stowage Platform
External stowage platforms (ESPs) are key components of the International Space Station (ISS). Each platform is made from steel and serves as an external pallet that can hold spare parts, also known as orbital replacement units (ORUs), for the spa ...
2. During the mission a solar array on the P6 truss tore requiring an emergency repair by Wheelock and Parazynski. Parazynski attached cufflinks to the solar array allowing it to expand without additional damage. Wheelock orbited the Earth 238 times during the 15-day mission.
Expedition 24/25
Wheelock launched to the International Space Station on June 15, 2010, aboard the
Soyuz TMA-19 spacecraft with
Fyodor Yurchikhin
Fyodor Nikolayevich Yurchikhin (russian: Фёдор Николаевич Юрчихин, Greek: Θεόδωρος Γιουρτσίχιν του Νικόλαου; born 3 January 1959) is a Russian cosmonaut of Greek descent, engineer and RSC Ene ...
and
Shannon Walker
Shannon Walker (born June 4, 1965) is an American physicist and a NASA astronaut selected in 2004. She launched on her first mission into space on June 25, 2010, onboard Soyuz TMA-19 and spent over 163 days in space.
She returned to space fo ...
.
Wheelock joined the
Expedition 24
Expedition 24 was the 24th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 24 initially had two planned spacewalks, one Russian and one American Extra-vehicular Activity (EVA). The U.S. EVA was re-planned and a second ...
crew in progress.
During the mission he participated in several scientific investigations. On July 31, 2010 a pump module on the exterior of the Space Station failed. Wheelock and
Tracy Caldwell-Dyson made three spacewalks to replace the module, during which he sustained long-term damage to his vision.
The failed pump module was later returned home on
STS-135
STS-135 ( ISS assembly flight ULF7) was the 135th and final mission of the American Space Shuttle program. It used the orbiter ''Atlantis'' and hardware originally processed for the STS-335 contingency mission, which was not flown. STS-135 la ...
.
On September 22, 2010, Wheelock took command of the
International Space Station
The International Space Station (ISS) is the largest modular space station currently in low Earth orbit. It is a multinational collaborative project involving five participating space agencies: NASA (United States), Roscosmos (Russia), JAXA ( ...
at the beginning of
Expedition 25
Expedition 25 was the 25th long-duration mission to the International Space Station (ISS). Expedition 25 began with the Soyuz TMA-18 undocking on 25 September 2010. Three new crewmembers (Scott Kelly, Alexander Kaleri and Oleg Skripochka) arriv ...
. He is the first U.S. Army officer to command the ISS. Wheelock and his crew continued science and maintenance of the space station.
Wheelock is sharing pictures of the Earth, station and views of space via
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
, as
Soichi Noguchi
is a Japanese aeronautical engineer and former JAXA astronaut. His first spaceflight was as a Mission Specialist aboard STS-114 on 26 July 2005 for NASA's first "return to flight" Space Shuttle mission after the ''Columbia'' disaster. He was a ...
did before him. In September 2010, Wheelock tweeted photos from space of
Hurricane Earl.
He also participated in a
NASA Tweetup on March 16, 2011.
He became the first person to "check in" from space on October 22, using the mobile social networking application
Foursquare
Four square is a ball game.
Four square may also refer to:
Internet and entertainment
* Foursquare City Guide, a local search and discovery app
* ''4 Square'' (game show), a British game show
* ''4 Square'' (TV series), a Canadian children's s ...
. Wheelock's check-in to the International Space Station launched a partnership between NASA and Foursquare to connect its users to the space agency, enabling them to explore the universe and discover Earth.
He returned to Earth on November 26, 2010 aboard the Soyuz.
Awards and decorations
Doug has also been awarded:
* Order of St. Michael (Bronze Award) from the Army Aviation Association of America (2007).
* Two NASA Group Achievement Awards: Global Positioning System (1997) and Russian Liaison Support Team (2001)
* NASA Superior Accomplishment Award (2002 and 2004)
* Distinguished Graduate of the U.S. Army Flight Training Course (1984)
*
25th Infantry Division Flight Safety Award (1986 and 1989)
*
Shorty Awards Real-Time Photo of the Year
Personal life
His hometown is
Windsor, New York
Windsor is a town in Broome County, New York, United States. The population was 5,804 at the 2020 census.
The town is on the southern border of the county and is east of Binghamton. The town includes the village of Windsor, located on the Susque ...
. Wheelock's parents, Olin and Margaret Wheelock, reside in upstate New York.
In 1989 he was selected by the U.S.
Jaycees as one of "Ten Outstanding Young Men of America". In 1990 the
Veterans of Foreign Wars selected Wheelock as an "Outstanding Spokesman for Freedom".
Organizations
Wheelock is a member of the
Society of Experimental Test Pilots
The Society of Experimental Test Pilots is an international organization that seeks to promote air safety and contributes to aeronautical advancement by promoting sound aeronautical design and development; interchanging ideas, thoughts and suggest ...
, the
Society of American Military Engineers
The Society of American Military Engineers (SAME) unites public and private sector individuals and organizations from across the architecture, engineering, construction, environmental, facility management, contracting and acquisition fields and ...
, the
Association of the United States Army
The Association of the United States Army (AUSA) is a private, non-profit organization that serves as the professional association of the United States Army. Founded in 1950, it has 121 chapters worldwide. Membership is open to everyone, not ju ...
, and the
Army Aviation Association of America
An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...
.
References
External links
Douglas H. Wheelockon
Twitter
Twitter is an online social media and social networking service owned and operated by American company Twitter, Inc., on which users post and interact with 280-character-long messages known as "tweets". Registered users can post, like, and ...
Douglas H. Wheelockon
Twitpic
TwitPic was a website and app that allowed users to post pictures to the Twitter microblogging service, which at the time of TwitPic's creation could not be posted to Twitter directly. TwitPic was often used by citizen journalists to upload and d ...
Spacefacts biography of Douglas H. Wheelock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wheelock, Douglas H.
1960 births
Living people
Aquanauts
United States Army astronauts
Commanders of the International Space Station
Crew members of the International Space Station
People from Binghamton, New York
United States Military Academy alumni
United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni
Georgia Tech alumni
United States Army Command and General Staff College alumni
United States Army colonels
American test pilots
Amateur radio people
People from Windsor, New York
Space Shuttle program astronauts
Spacewalkers