GEORGE D. ZAMKA (COLONEL, USMC, RET.)

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born in 1962 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Raised in New York 

City; Irvington, New York; Medellin, Colombia; and Rochester Hills, Michigan. 

Married to the former Elisa P. Walker of Mississippi; they have two children. He 

enjoys weightlifting, running, bicycling, scuba diving and boating. His mother, 

Sofia Zamka, and brother, Conrad P. Zamka, both live in Florida. His father, 

Conrad Zamka, resides in Indiana. 

EDUCATION: Graduated from Rochester Adams High School, Rochester Hills,

Michigan, in 1980. Received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics from the 

United States Naval Academy in 1984; received a Master of Science degree in 

Engineering Management from the Florida Institute of Technology in 1997.

ORGANIZATIONS: Association of Space Explorers, United States Naval Academy 

Alumni Association, Marine Corps Association and Marine Corps Aviation 

Association

SPECIAL HONORS: NASA Space Flight Medal (two), NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, Legion of Merit, 

Distinguished Flying Cross, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Navy Strike Air Medal (six), 

Navy Commendation Medal with Combat V and various other military service and campaign awards. Distinguished Graduate, 

United States Naval Academy. Commodore’s list and Academic Achievement Award, Training Air Wing Five. Awarded the 

Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland.

EXPERIENCE: Zamka was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps after graduating from 

the United States Naval Academy in May 1984. After basic flight training, he was trained as an A-6E pilot at Whidbey Island, 

Washington, from 1987 to 1988. He then flew with Marine All Weather Attack Squadron VMA(AW)-242 in El Toro, 

California. He served in administration and flight safety roles and also as squadron weapons and tactics instructor. In 1990, he 

trained to be an F/A-18 pilot and was assigned to Marine All Weather Fighter Attack Squadron VMFA(AW)-121, also in 

El Toro. He flew the F/A-18D Night Attack Hornet during overseas deployments to Japan, Korea, Singapore and Southwest 

Asia. Zamka flew 66 combat missions over occupied Kuwait and Iraq during Desert Storm. In 1993, he served with 

1st Battalion, 5th Marines in Camp Pendleton, California, and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit in the Western Pacific. He 

was selected to attend the United States Air Force Test Pilot School class 94A and graduated in December 1994. Zamka was 

then assigned as an F/A-18 test pilot/project officer and the F/A-18 operations officer for the Naval Strike Aircraft Test 

Squadron (NSATS). While assigned to NSATS, Zamka flew a wide variety of tests in the F/A-18 Hornet, including high angle 

of attack, loads, flutter, crew equipment and weapon system programs. Zamka returned to VMFA(AW)-121 in 1998 and was 

serving as the aircraft maintenance officer deployed to Iwakuni, Japan, when he was selected for the astronaut program. 

Colonel Zamka retired from the Marine Corps in August 2010.

He has logged more than 5,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected as a pilot by NASA in June 1998, Zamka reported for astronaut candidate training in 

August 1998. He has served in various technical and leadership roles in the Astronaut Office, including space rendezvous and 

proximity operations, landing and rollout instructor and lead for shuttle systems within the Shuttle Operations Branch. Zamka 

served as lead for the Shuttle Training and Procedures Division and as supervisor for the astronaut candidate class of 2004. In 

2007, he completed his first spaceflight as pilot on STS-120. For his second spaceflight, Zamka commanded the crew of 

STS-130, which flew in February 2010. Colonel Zamka has logged more than 692 hours in space. In March 2013, Zamka 

retired from NASA. He is now serving as the Deputy Associate Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, for 

Commercial Space Transportation.

-moreNational Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058
SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-120 Discovery (October 23 to November 7, 2007) launched from and returned to 

land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. During the mission, the Node 2 element Harmony was delivered to the 

International Space Station. This element opened up the capability for future international laboratories to be added to the

station. In addition, the P6 solar array was relocated from the Z1 truss to the end of the port side of the integrated truss 

structure. During the redeploy of the array, the array panels snagged and were damaged. An unplanned spacewalk was 

successfully performed to repair the array. The mission was accomplished in 238 orbits, traveling 6.2 million miles in 15 days, 

2 hours and 23 minutes.

STS-130 Endeavour (February 8 to February 21, 2010) launched at night, carrying aloft the final International Space Station

permanent modules, Tranquility and Cupola. Tranquility (or Node 3) is now the life-support hub of the station, containing 

exercise, water recycling and environmental control systems, while Cupola provides the largest set of windows ever to grace a

spacecraft. These seven windows, which are arranged in a hemisphere, provide a spectacular and panoramic view of our planet 

and afford crews a direct view of space station robotic operations. During the 13-day, 18-hour mission, Endeavour and her 

crew traveled more than 5.7 million miles and completed 217 orbits of the Earth, touching down at night at Kennedy Space 

Center in Florida.

MARCH 2013

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