Ronald John Garan Jr. (born October 30, 1961)
is a retired
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. After graduating from
State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1982, he joined the
Air Force
An air force – in the broadest sense – is the national military branch that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an ...
, becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1984. He became an
F-16 pilot, and flew combat missions in
Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Before becoming an astronaut he was the Operations Officer of the
40th Flight Test Squadron
The 40th Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 96th Operations Group, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
History
"Combat in Southwest and Western Pacific, 2 June 1942 – 14 August 1945. Served i ...
(FTS). He first flew in space as a mission specialist on the May 2008
STS-124 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 ( ...
(ISS).
He returned to ISS on April 4, 2011, for a six-month stay as a member of
Expedition 27.
Personal
Born on October 30, 1961, in
Yonkers, New York
Yonkers () is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States. Developed along the Hudson River, it is the third most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City and Buffalo. The population of Yonkers was 211,569 as en ...
, Ron Garan is of
Russian Jewish descent.
He is married to Carmel Courtney. They have three sons.
His father, Ronald Garan Sr., resides in Yonkers. His mother, Linda Lichtblau, resides in
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Port St. Lucie is a city in St. Lucie County, Florida, United States. It is the most populous municipality in the county with a population of 204,851 at the 2020 census. It is located southeast of Orlando and north of Miami. The Port St. Lu ...
, with her husband, Peter Lichtblau.
A devout
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
* Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
* Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a let ...
, Garan's interests include running,
football, coaching and teaching
Sunday School classes to children.
His description of coming back to Earth in a Soyuz capsule was "like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel (that's on fire) followed by a high speed crash".
Garan serves on the advisory council of
Represent.Us, a
nonpartisan anti-corruption organization.
Education
Garan graduated from
Roosevelt High School in Yonkers, New York, in 1979. He earned 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
business economics
Business economics is a field in applied economics which uses economic theory and quantitative methods to analyze business enterprises and the factors contributing to the diversity of organizational structures and the relationships of firms with ...
from the
State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1982; a Master of Aeronautical Science degree from
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 1994; and 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 the
University of Florida
The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida, traces its origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its ...
, 1996.
Organizations
*
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 ...
* Engineers Without Borders
* Founder of the Manna Energy Foundation
* International Solar Energy Society
* Writer and mentor for Unreasonable.is since September 2013, a
social entrepreneurship
Social entrepreneurship is an approach by individuals, groups, start-up companies or entrepreneurs, in which they develop, fund and implement solutions to social, cultural, or environmental issues. This concept may be applied to a wide range of ...
hub founded by Daniel A. Epstein
Garan is the founder of the Fragile Oasis project, aimed at further integrating space and planetary sciences and the promotion of user projects "connecting space and Earth". He is also the vice president of
Spaceship Earth Grants, whose mission is to make
space
Space is the boundless three-dimensional extent in which objects and events have relative position and direction. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions, although modern physicists usually cons ...
more accessible through
human spaceflight and
parabolic flight awards to individual applicants.
Awards and honors
Garan's military decorations include the
Distinguished Flying Cross for Combat Valor,
Meritorious Service Medal A Meritorious Service Medal is an award presented to denote acts of meritorious service, and sometimes gallantry, that are worthy of recognition. Notable medals with similar names include:
* Meritorious Civilian Service Award
*Meritorious Service Me ...
,
Air Medal
The Air Medal (AM) is a military decoration of the United States Armed Forces. It was created in 1942 and is awarded for single acts of heroism or meritorious achievement while participating in aerial flight.
Criteria
The Air Medal was establish ...
,
Aerial Achievement Medal
The Aerial Achievement Medal (AAM) is a decoration of the United States Air Force which was established in 1988. The decoration is intended to recognize the contributions of aircrew members who would, otherwise, not be qualified for the award of ...
,
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
The Air and Space Outstanding Unit Award (ASOUA) is one of the unit awards of the United States Air Force and United States Space Force. It was established in 1954 as the Air Force Outstanding Unit Award and was the first independent Air Force d ...
with Valor,
National Defense Service Medal
The National Defense Service Medal (NDSM) is a service award of the United States Armed Forces established by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1953. It is awarded to every member of the US Armed Forces who has served during any one of four ...
, Humanitarian Service Award,
Kuwait Liberation Medal Kuwait Liberation Medal may refer to:
*Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
*Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
* Medal for the Liberation of Kuwait (Bahrain), see Gulf War military awards#Medal for the Liberation of Kuwait (Bahrain)
* Kuwait Libe ...
, NASA Superior Accomplishment Award,
NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal
The NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal is an award of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration established in 1991. The medal is awarded to both civilian members of NASA and military astronauts.
To be awarded the medal, a NASA employee ...
, and various other service awards. He received the Distinguished Graduate and Top Academic Award
USAF Fighter Weapons School; was twice selected as Top Academic Instructor Pilot: USAF Weapons School; USAF Weapons School and USAF Weapons and Tactics Center: Lt. Gen. Claire Lee Chennault Award; Distinguished Graduate Squadron Officers School; Top Academic Award F-16 Replacement Training Unit (RTU). He received an honorary
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
degree from the
State University of New York.
Military career
Garan received his commission as a
Second Lieutenant in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Aerial warfare, air military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part ...
from the Air Force Officer Training School at
Lackland Air Force Base
Lackland Air Force Base is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located in Bexar County, Texas. The base is under the jurisdiction of the 802d Mission Support Group, Air Education and Training Command (AETC) and an enclave of the city of S ...
,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
, in 1984. Upon completion, he attended
Undergraduate Pilot Training
Air Education and Training Command (AETC) is one of the nine Major Commands (MAJCOM) of the United States Air Force (USAF), reporting to Headquarters, United States Air Force. It was established 1 July 1993, with the realignment of Air Training ...
(UPT) at
Vance AFB,
Oklahoma and earned his wings in 1985. He then completed
F-16 training at
Luke Air Force Base
Luke Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States., effective 20 December 2007 It is located west of the central business district of Glendale, and west of Phoenix.
Luke AFB is a major traini ...
,
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
and reported to
Hahn Air Base
Hahn Air Base was a United States Air Force installation near Lautzenhausen in Germany for over 40 years. The major unit was the United States Air Force's 50th Tactical Fighter Wing during most of the years it was active.
It was originally buil ...
in former
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
where he served as a combat ready F-16
pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
in the
496th Tactical Fighter Squadron (TFS), from 1986–88. In March 1988, he was reassigned to the 17th TFS,
Shaw Air Force Base
Shaw Air Force Base (Shaw AFB) is a United States Air Force (USAF) base located approximately west-northwest of downtown Sumter, South Carolina. It is one of the largest military bases operated by the United States, and is under the jurisdict ...
,
South Carolina
)'' Animis opibusque parati'' ( for, , Latin, Prepared in mind and resources, links=no)
, anthem = " Carolina";" South Carolina On My Mind"
, Former = Province of South Carolina
, seat = Columbia
, LargestCity = Charleston
, LargestMetro = ...
, where he served as an
instructor pilot, evaluator pilot, and combat ready F-16 pilot. While stationed at Shaw he attended the
USAF Fighter Weapons School, graduating in 1989, and then returned to the 17th TFS to assume the position of Squadron Weapons Officer. From August 1990 through March 1991, he deployed to
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, or Southwest Asia, is the westernmost subregion of the larger geographical region of Asia, as defined by some academics, UN bodies and other institutions. It is almost entirely a part of the Middle East, and includes Ana ...
in support of Operations
Desert Shield/
Desert Storm
The Gulf War was a 1990–1991 armed campaign waged by a 35-country military coalition in response to the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait. Spearheaded by the United States, the coalition's efforts against Iraq were carried out in two key phases: ...
where he flew combat missions in the F-16.
In 1991, Garan was reassigned to the USAF Weapons School where he served as an F-16 Weapons School Instructor Pilot, Flight Commander and Assistant Operations Officer. In 1994, he was reassigned to the
39th Flight Test Squadron
The 39th Flying Training Squadron is part of the 340th Flying Training Group and is the reserve associate to the 12th Flying Training Wing based at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.
The squadron was first activated as the 39th Pursuit Squadron i ...
(39th FTS),
Eglin Air Force Base,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
where he served as a developmental test pilot and chief F-16 pilot. Garan attended the
U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at the
Naval Air Station Patuxent River
Naval Air Station Patuxent River , also known as NAS Pax River, is a United States naval air station located in St. Mary’s County, Maryland, on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River.
It is home to Headquarters, Naval Air S ...
, Maryland, from January to December 1997, after which he was reassigned to the 39th FTS, Eglin Air Force Base, where he served as the Director of the Joint Air to Surface Standoff Missile Combined Test Force. Garan was the Operations Officer of the
40th Flight Test Squadron
The 40th Flight Test Squadron is a United States Air Force unit. It is assigned to the 96th Operations Group, based at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
History
"Combat in Southwest and Western Pacific, 2 June 1942 – 14 August 1945. Served i ...
when he was selected as an
astronaut 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 ...
. He has logged over 5,000 hours in more than thirty different aircraft.
On June 1, 2009, Garan retired from the Air Force.
NASA career
Selected as a pilot by
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 ...
in July 2000, Colonel Garan reported for training in August 2000. Following the completion of two years of training and evaluation, he was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Station and Shuttle Operations Branches.
In April 2006, Garan became an
aquanaut through his participation in the joint NASA-
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...
,
NEEMO 9 (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations) project, an exploration research mission held in
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 ...
, the world's only
undersea research laboratory. During this eighteen-day mission, the six-person crew of NEEMO 9 developed
lunar surface
The geology of the Moon (sometimes called selenology, although the latter term can refer more generally to " lunar science") is quite different from that of Earth. The Moon lacks a true atmosphere, which eliminates erosion due to weather. It does ...
exploration procedures and telemedical technology applications in support of the United States'
Vision for Space Exploration
Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to:
Perception Optical perception
* Visual perception, the sense of sight
* Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight
* Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain und ...
.
Ron Garan completed his first space flight in 2008 on
STS-124 as mission specialist 2 for ascent and entry, and has logged over 13 days in space and 27 hours and 3 minutes of
EVA
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
in four spacewalks.
Spaceflight experience
*
STS-124 Discovery
Discovery may refer to:
* Discovery (observation), observing or finding something unknown
* Discovery (fiction), a character's learning something unknown
* Discovery (law), a process in courts of law relating to evidence
Discovery, The Discover ...
(May 31 to June 14, 2008) was the 123rd Space Shuttle flight, and the 26th Shuttle flight 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 ( ...
. STS-124 was launched from the
Kennedy Space Center
The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC, originally known as the NASA Launch Operations Center), located on Merritt Island, Florida, is one of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) ten field centers. Since December 1968 ...
in
Cape Canaveral, Florida
Cape Canaveral ( es, Cabo Cañaveral, link=) is a city in Brevard County, Florida. The population was 9,912 at the 2010 United States Census. It is part of the Palm Bay–Melbourne– Titusville Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
After t ...
, and docked with the International Space Station on June 2 to deliver the
Japanese Experiment Module
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
Pressurized Module (JEM-PM) and the
Japanese Remote Manipulator System. During the nine days docked to the space station, the STS-124 Shuttle astronauts delivered the 37-foot (11-meter) Kibo
lab and moved the
Logistics Module to its permanent home on the top of the JEM-PM. Garan accumulated 20 hours and 32 minutes of
Extra-vehicular activity time in three spacewalks required to maintain the station and to prime the new Japanese module's
robotic arm
A robotic arm is a type of mechanical arm, usually programmable, with similar functions to a human arm; the arm may be the sum total of the mechanism or may be part of a more complex robot. The links of such a manipulator are connected by join ...
.
STS-124 also delivered a new station crew member,
Expedition 17 Flight Engineer
Greg Chamitoff. He replaced
Expedition 16
Expedition 16 was the 16th expedition to the International Space Station (ISS).
The first two crew members, Yuri Malenchenko and Peggy Whitson, launched on 10 October 2007, aboard Soyuz TMA-11, and were joined by spaceflight participant Shei ...
Flight Engineer
Garrett Reisman, who returned to Earth with the STS-124 crew. The STS-124 mission was completed in 218 orbits, traveling 5,735,643 miles in 13 days, 18 hours, 13 minutes and 7 seconds.
* Ron Garan's second mission was as a crew member on Expedition
27/
28.
His
Soyuz TMA-21 launch craft was named ''Gagarin'' in honor of the 50th anniversary, eight days after its launch on April 4, of the
first human spaceflight by
Yuri Gagarin
Yuri Alekseyevich Gagarin; Gagarin's first name is sometimes transliterated as ''Yuriy'', ''Youri'', or ''Yury''. (9 March 1934 – 27 March 1968) was a Soviet pilot and cosmonaut who became the first human to journey into outer space. T ...
. Garan participated in the last space-shuttle-based spacewalk during the
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 ...
mission, accumulating an additional 6 hours and 31 minutes of Extra-vehicular activity time. He returned to Earth aboard TMA-21 on September 16, 2011.
The Soyuz TMA-21 "Gagarin" descent module is in permanent exhibition at the German Titov Museum in Polkovnikovo, Altai Kray, Siberia.
Spirituality
Before his flight aboard Discovery in 2008, Garan asked the women religious of a
Carmelite community in
New Caney, Texas
New Caney is an Unincorporated community in Montgomery County, Texas, United States within the metropolitan area. As of 2010, the population of the New Caney area is 19,987.
History
New Caney was established in 1862 under the name Presswood, nam ...
, for their prayers and told them he could take an item into space for them. The sisters gave him relics of
St. Thérèse of Lisieux, and quoted her words:
I have the vocation of an apostle. I would like to travel over the whole earth to preach your name and to plant your glorious cross on infidel soil. But oh, my beloved, one mission would not be enough for me, I would want to preach the Gospel on all five continents simultaneously and even to the most remote isles. I would be a missionary, not for a few years but from the beginning of creation until the consummation of the ages.
Garan is the founder of the Manna Energy Foundation, which is assisting the villages of
Rwanda to make potable water.
On June 24, 2009, Garan met Pope Benedict XVI at his general audience.
Post-NASA career
In 2014, Garan retired from NASA to work on communicating what he called the "Orbital Perspective". He has published a book called ''The Orbital Perspective - Lessons in Seeing the Big Picture from a Journey of 71 Million Miles'' and is working on a documentary called ''Orbital''.
On February 23, 2016,
World View Enterprises has announced that Ron Garan will be chief pilot for current robotic flight operations and upcoming human spaceflights via balloon.
Awards and decorations
;Air Force
;NASA
References
External links
*
Spacefacts biography of Ronald J. Garan Jr.FragileOasis.orgBlog
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Garan, Ronald J. Jr.
1961 births
Living people
United States Air Force personnel of the Gulf War
American people of Russian descent
Aquanauts
Garan Jr, Ronald
United States Air Force colonels
University of Florida College of Engineering alumni
Recipients of the Air Medal
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
United States Air Force astronauts
NASA civilian astronauts
State University of New York at Oneonta alumni
Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University alumni
Catholics from New York (state)
Space Shuttle program astronauts
Spacewalkers