NAME:  James D. Wetherbee (Commander, USN)
       NASA Astronaut
 
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE:  Born November 27, 1952, in Flushing, New York.  His
parents, Mr. and Mrs. Dana A. Wetherbee, reside in Huntington Station, New
York.
 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:  Brown hair; gray eyes; 6 feet 4 inches; 190 pounds.
 
EDUCATION:  Graduated from Holy Family Diocesan High School, South Huntington,
New York, in 1970;  received a bachelor of science degree in Aerospace
Engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1974.
 
MARITAL STATUS:  Married to the former Robin DeVore Platt of Jacksonville,
Florida.  Her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Harry T. Platt, Jr., reside in
Jacksonville, Florida.
 
CHILDREN:  Kelly DeVore, March 28, 1986; Jennifer Marie, September 30, 1987.
 
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:  He enjoys tennis, skiing, softball, racquetball,
basketball, running, and music.
 
ORGANIZATIONS:  Member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
 
SPECIAL HONORS:  Awarded the Navy Achievement Medal, and two Meritorious Unit
Commendations.
 
EXPERIENCE:  Wetherbee received his commission in the United States Navy in
1975 and was designated a Naval Aviator in December 1976.  After training in
the A-7E, he was assigned to Attack Squadron 72 (VA-72) from August 1977 to
November 1980 aboard the USS John F. Kennedy and logged 125 night carrier
landings.  He was then selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School,
Patuxent River, Maryland.  Following training in 1981, he was assigned to the
Systems Engineering Test Directorate where he was a project officer and test
pilot for the weapons delivery system and avionics integration for the F/A-18
aircraft.  Subsequently assigned to Strike Fighter Squadron 132 (VFA-132),
Wetherbee flew operationally in the F/A-18 from January 1984 until his
selection for the astronaut candidate program.  He has logged over 3,500 hours
flying time and 345 carrier landings in 20 different types of aircraft.
 
NASA EXPERIENCE:  Selected by NASA in May 1984, Wetherbee became an astronaut
in June 1985, qualifying him for assignment as a pilot on future Space Shuttle
flight crews.  Some of his assignments since then include having served as
Technical Assistant to the Director of Flight Crew Operations, and tasks within
the Mission Support Branch of the Astronaut Office.
 
Wetherbee was the pilot on the crew of STS-32 which launched from the Kennedy
Space Center, Florida, on January 9, 1990.  In the longest Shuttle mission to
date, crew members on board the Orbiter Columbia successfully deployed the
Syncom IV-F5 satellite, and retrieved the 21,400 lb Long Duration Exposure
Facility (LDEF) using the Remote Manipulator System (RMS).  They also operated
a variety of middeck experiments including the Microgravity Disturbance
Experiment (MDE) using the Fluids Experiment Apparatus (FEA), Protein Crystal
Growth (PCG), American Flight Echocardiograph (AFE), Latitude/Longitude Locator
(L3), Mesoscale Lightning Experiment (MLE), Characterization of Neurospora
Circadian Rhythms (CNCR), and the IMAX Camera.  Additionally, numerous medical
test objectives, including inflight Lower Body Negative Pressure (LBNP),
inflight aerobic exercise and muscle performance were conducted to evaluate
human adaptation to extended duration missions.  Following 173 orbits of the
earth in 261 hours, Columbia returned with a night landing at Edwards Air Force
Base, California, on January 20, 1990.  With the completion of his first
flight, Wetherbee has logged a total of 261 hours in space.
 
CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:  Wetherbee is assigned to command the crew of STS-52.  This
nine day mission is scheduled for launch in the Fall of 1992 aboard the Space
Shuttle Columbia.
 
APRIL 1992