NAME:  Kenneth S. Reightler, Jr. (Commander, USN)
       NASA Astronaut
 
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE:  Born March 24, 1951, in Patuxent River,
Maryland, but considers Virginia Beach, Virginia, to be his hometown.
His parents, Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth S. Reightler, Sr., reside in Virginia
Beach.
 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:  Brown hair; blue eyes; 6 feet 1 inch; 160
pounds.
 
EDUCATION:  Graduated from Bayside High School, Virginia Beach,
Virginia, in 1969; received a bachelor of science degree in aerospace
engineering from United States Naval Academy in 1973, and master of
science degrees, in 1984, in aeronautical engineering from United
States Naval Postgraduate School, and in systems management from
University of Southern California.
 
MARITAL STATUS:  Married to the former Maureen Ellen McHenry of
Virginia Beach, Virginia.  Her mother, Mrs. Jean W. McHenry, resides
in Virginia Beach.  Her father, Cdr. William H. McHenry, USN, is
deceased.
 
CHILDREN:  Katherine McHenry, November 24, 1978; Emily Harrison,
February 7, 1984.
 
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:  He enjoys sailing, wind surfing, camping.
 
ORGANIZATIONS:  Member, Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP);
U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association; Association of Space Explorers;
National Aeronautic Association.
 
SPECIAL HONORS:  Mac Short Award in Aviation from U.S. Naval Academy
(1973); Navy Commendation Medal; Navy Unit Commendation; Meritorious
Unit Commendation; Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal; National Defense
Service Medal; NASA Space Flight Medal.  Distinguished graduate, U.S.
Naval Academy and U.S. Naval Test Pilot School.  Absolute world
altitude record for Class P aerospace craft.
 
EXPERIENCE:  Reightler graduated from the United States Naval Academy
in 1973, and was designated a naval aviator in August 1974 at Corpus
Christi, Texas.  After replacement pilot training in the P-3C
airplane, he reported to Patrol Squadron Sixteen in Jacksonville,
Florida, serving as both a mission commander and patrol plane
commander.  He made deployments to Keflavik, Iceland, and to
Sigonella, Sicily.  Following jet transition training, Reightler
attended the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River,
Maryland.  Upon graduation in 1978, he remained at the Naval Air Test
Center (NATC) where he served as test pilot and project officer for a
variety of flight test programs involving the P-3, S-3, and T-39
airplanes.  He returned to the Test Pilot School, serving as a flight
test instructor and safety officer flying the P-3, T-2, OV-1, T-39,
and TA-7 airplanes.  In June 1981 Reightler was assigned to USS Dwight
D. Eisenhower (CVN-69) as Communications Officer and COD pilot, making
two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea.  Selected for postgraduate
education, he attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey,
California.  Redesignated an aerospace engineering duty officer (AEDO)
he was sent to transition training for the F/A-18 airplane with Strike
Fighter Squadron 125 (VFA-125) at Naval Air Station Lemoore,
California.  He then reported for duty at the United States Naval Test
Pilot School in March 1985, serving as senior airborne systems
instructor pilot and later as chief flight instructor until his
selection for the astronaut program.  He has logged 4,000 hours flying
time in over 60 different types of aircraft.
 
NASA EXPERIENCE:  Selected by NASA in June 1987, Reightler became an
astronaut in August 1988.  He is qualified for assignment as a pilot
on Space Shuttle flight crews.  His technical assignments to date have
included:  Flight Crew Operations Directorate Representative to the
Program Requirements Control Board; weather coordinator for Space
Shuttle launches and landings; Astronaut Office Representative in the
areas of Ascent, Entry, and Aborts; and Lead Astronaut for flight
software development and computer systems.
 
Reightler was the pilot on the crew of STS-48 (September 12-18,
1991).  During the five-day mission, the crew aboard the Shuttle
Discovery successfully deployed the Upper Atmosphere Research
Satellite (UARS), designed to provide scientists with their first
complete data set on the upper atmosphere's chemistry, winds and
energy inputs, in addition to conducting numerous secondary
experiments ranging from growing protein crystals, to studying how
fluids and structures react in weightlessness.  Mission duration was
81 orbits and logged him over 128 hours in space.
 
CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:  Reightler is currently assigned as deputy chief
of the Mission Support Branch in the Astronaut Office, and also serves
as the lead capsule communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control.
 
APRIL 1992