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About Skylab Astronaut Bill Pogue

NAME: William Reid Pogue, Colonel, USAF (Ret.)

PERSONAL DATA: Born January 23, 1930, in Okemah, Oklahoma, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Alex W. Pogue of Sand Springs, Oklahoma. Married. Three children. He enjoys running and playing paddleball and handball, and his hobbies are gardening and cabinet making.

EDUCATION: Attended primary and secondary schools in Oklahoma; received a bachelor of science degree in Education from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1951 and a Master of Science degree in Mathematics from Oklahoma State University in 1960; awarded an honorary doctorate of science degree from Oklahoma Baptist University in 1974.

ORGANIZATIONS: Member of the Air Force Association Explorers Club, American Astronautical Society, and Association of Space Explorers.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1974) and JSC Superior Achievement Award (1970); winner of the Air Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, and an Outstanding Unit Citation (while a member of the USAF Thunderbirds); the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and Command Pilot Astronaut Wings (1974); presented the City of Chicago Gold Medal (1974); the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1973 (1974); the City of New York gold Medal (1974); the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy for 1975 (1975); the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's De La Vaulx Medal and V. M. Komarov Diploma for 1974 (1975); the General Thomas D. White USAF Space Trophy for 1974 (1975); Fellow of the Academy of Arts and Sciences of Oklahoma State University (1975); AIAA Haley Astronautics Award for 1974 (1975); the American Astronautical Society's 1975 Flight Achievement Award (1976). Inductee 5 Civilized Tribes Hall of Fame (1975), and Oklahoma Aviation and Space Hall of Fame (1980) Clarence E. Page Memorial Trophy - Oklahoma Aviation and Space Museum (1989).

EXPERIENCE: Pogue, retired Air Force Colonel, came to the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center from an assignment at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where he had been an instructor at the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School since October 1965.

He enlisted in the Air Force in 1951 and received his commission in 1952. While serving with the Fifth Air Force during the Korean conflict, from 1953 to 1954, he completed a combat tour in fighter bombers. From 1955 to 1957, he was a member of the USAF Thunderbirds.

He has gained proficiency in more than 50 types and models of American and British aircraft and is qualified as a civilian flight instructor. Pogue served in the mathematics department as an assistant professor at the USAF Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, from 1960 to 1963. In September 1965, he completed a two-year tour as test pilot with the British Ministry of Aviation under the USAF/RAF Exchange Program, after graduating from the Empire Test Pilot's School in Farnborough, England.

He has logged over 7,200 hours flight time--including 4,200 hours in jet aircraft and 2,017 hours in space flight.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Colonel Pogue was one of the 19 Astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for the Apollo 7, 11, and 14 missions.

Pogue was pilot of Skylab 4 (third and final manned visit to the Skylab orbital workshop), launched November 16, 1973, and concluded February 8, 1974. This was the longest manned flight (84 days, 1 hour and 15 minutes) in the history of manned space exploration to date. Pogue was accompanied on the record setting 34.5-million-mile flight by Gerald P. Carr (commander) and Dr. Edward G. Gibson (science-pilot). They successfully completed 56 experiments, 26 science demonstrations, 15 subsystem detailed objectives, and 13 student investigations during their 1,214 revolutions of the earth.

They also acquired extensive earth resources observations data using Skylab's earth resources experiment package camera and sensor array and logged 338 hours of operations of the Apollo Telescope Mount which made extensive observations of the sun's solar processes. Logged 13 hours and 31 minutes in two EVA's outside the orbital workshop.

Pogue retired from the United States Air Force on September 1, 1975, and he is now retired from NASA.

Pogue is the author of two popular SpaceBooks: "How Do You Go to the Bathroom in Space?" and "Space Trivia".

Pogue is self-employed as a consultant to aerospace and producer of general viewer videos on space flight.

Email us a question for astronaut and author Bill Pogue. We can think of no better person to kick off this new series!

Biography courtesy of NASA and edited by Boggs SpaceBooks®