J. M. LINENGER, M.D., M.S.S.M., M.P.H., PH.D. 

(CAPTAIN, MEDICAL CORPS, USN, RET.)

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born January 16, 1955, and raised in Eastpointe, Michigan. Married 

to the former Kathryn M. Bartmann of Arlington Heights, Illinois. They have four children.

EDUCATION: Graduated from East Detroit High School, Eastpointe, Michigan, in 1973; 

received a bachelor of science degree in bioscience from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1977; a 

doctorate in medicine from Wayne State University in 1981; a master of science degree in 

systems management from University of Southern California in 1988; a master of public 

health degree in health policy from the University of North Carolina in 1989; a doctor of 

philosophy degree in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina in 1989.

ORGANIZATIONS: The U.S. Naval Academy, University of Southern California, Wayne 

State University School of Medicine, and University of North Carolina Alumni Associations; 

the Association of Naval Aviation; the U. S. Navy Flight Surgeons Association; the Aerospace 

Medicine Association; the American Medical Association; the American College of Preventive Medicine; the Society of U.S. Navy 

Preventive Medicine Officers; and the American College of Sports Medicine. Linenger is board certified in preventive medicine.

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation; Navy Unit Commendation; National Defense Service 

Medal; Navy Battle Efficiency Award; Navy Commendation Medal with gold star; and 2 NASA Space Flight Medals. Top 

graduate, Naval Flight Surgeon Training and Naval Safety Officer’s School. Elected to Phi Kappa Phi and Alpha Omega Alpha 

academic honor societies. Distinguished Alumni Award, Wayne State University School of Medicine. 

EXPERIENCE: Linenger graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and proceeded directly to medical school. After completing 

surgical internship training at Balboa Naval Hospital, San Diego, California, and aerospace medicine training at the Naval 

Aerospace Medical Institute, Pensacola, Florida, he served as a naval flight surgeon at Cubi Point, Republic of the Philippines. He 

was then assigned as medical advisor to the Commander, Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego. After completing 

doctorate-level training in epidemiology, Linenger returned to San Diego as a research principal investigator at the Naval Health 

Research Center. He concurrently served as a faculty member at the University of California-San Diego School of Medicine in the 

Division of Sports Medicine.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Linenger joined astronaut selection Group XIV at the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He flew on 

STS-64 (September 9-20, 1994) aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. Mission highlights included: first use of lasers for 

environmental research; deployment and retrieval of a solar science satellite; robotic processing of semiconductors; use of an RMSattached boom for jet thruster research; first untethered spacewalk in 10 years to test a self-rescue jetpack. In completing his first 

mission, Linenger logged 10 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes in space, completed 177 orbits, and traveled over 4.5 million miles. 

Following his first mission, he began training at the Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia, in preparation for a longduration stay aboard the Russian Space Station Mir. All training was conducted using the Russian language, and consisted of 

learning all Mir space station systems (life support/electrical/communication/attitude control/computer systems), simulator 

training, Soyuz launch/return vehicle operations, and spacewalk water tank training. He also trained as chief scientist to conduct 

the entire US science program, consisting of over one-hundred planned experiments in various disciplines. A sampling includes: 

medicine (humoral immunity, sleep monitoring, radiation dosimetry), physiology (spatial orientation/performance changes during 

long duration flight), epidemiology (microbial surface sampling), metallurgy (determination of metal diffusion coefficients),

oceanography/geology/limnology/physical science (photographic survey (over 10,000 photos) of the planet), space science (flame 

propagation), microgravity science (behavior of fluids, critical angle determination).

Linenger launched aboard U.S. Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-81) on January 12, 1997, remained onboard the space station with two 

Russian cosmonauts upon undocking of the Shuttle, and eventually returned upon a different mission of Atlantis (STS-84) on May 

24, 1997—spending a total of 132 days, 4 hours, 1 minute in space—the longest duration flight of an American male at that time.

- more -

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058
During his stay aboard space station Mir, Linenger became the first American to conduct a spacewalk from a foreign space station 

and in a non-American made spacesuit. During the five hour walk, he and his Russian colleague tested for the first time ever the 

newly designed Orlan-M Russian-built spacesuit, installed the Optical Properties Monitor (OPM) and Benton dosimeter on the 

outer surface of the station, and retrieved for analysis on Earth numerous externally-mounted material-exposure panels.

The three crewmembers also performed a “flyaround” in the Soyuz spacecraft—undocking from one docking port of the station, 

manually flying to and redocking the capsule at a different location—thus making Linenger the first American to undock from a 

space station aboard two different spacecraft (U.S. Space Shuttle and Russian Soyuz).

While living aboard the space station, Linenger and his two Russian crewmembers faced numerous difficulties—the most severe 

fire ever aboard an orbiting spacecraft, failures of onboard systems (oxygen generator, carbon dioxide scrubbing, cooling line loop 

leaks, communication antenna tracking ability, urine collection and processing facility), a near collision with a resupply cargo ship 

during a manual docking system test, loss of station electrical power, and loss of attitude control resulting in a slow, uncontrolled 

“tumble” through space. In spite of these challenges and added demands on their time (in order to carry out the repair work), they 

still accomplished all mission goals—spacewalk, flyaround, and one-hundred percent of the planned U.S. science experiments.

In completing the nearly five month mission, Linenger logged approximately 50 million miles (the equivalent of over 110 

roundtrips to the Moon and back), more than 2000 orbits around the Earth, and traveled at an average speed of 18,000 miles per 

hour. Because of the flawless launch, docking, undocking, and landing of the Space Shuttle Atlantis (STS-84) crew-exchange 

mission, he made it back to the planet just in time to be reunited with Kathryn and to witness the birth of their second son.

Linenger retired from NASA and the U.S. Navy in January 1998, and presently lives with his family in Northern Michigan.

AUGUST 2001

This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought direct from the above named individual.