KENNETH T. HAM (CAPTAIN, USN) 

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born December 12, 1964, in Plainfield, New Jersey. Two 

children, Ryan and Randy. He is married to the former Michelle Lucas of Hobart, 

Indiana. His parents, Ed and Marion Ham, reside in Brunswick, Maine. Recreational 

interests include running, weight lifting, all sports, general aviation, snow and water 

skiing, sky and scuba diving and sailing.

EDUCATION: Arthur L. Johnson Regional High School, Clark, New Jersey, 1983 

Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering, U.S. Naval Academy, 

1987 

Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering, Naval Postgraduate

School, 1996

ORGANIZATIONS: Society of Experimental Test Pilots, U.S. Naval Academy 

Alumni Association, Association of Space Explorers

SPECIAL HONORS: Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School

EXPERIENCE: Ham received his commission as an ensign in the United States Navy from the United States Naval Academy 

in May 1987. He was temporarily assigned to the NASA-JSC Zero-g Office at Ellington Field, Houston, where he flew as a 

crew member on the NASA zero-g research aircraft. He was designated a Naval Aviator in October 1989 after completing 

flight training in the T-34C, T-2C and TA-4J aircraft at NAS Corpus Christi and NAS Beeville, Texas. Ham reported to NAS 

Cecil Field, Florida for F/A-18 training and subsequent operational assignments with the Privateers of VFA-132 and the 

Gunslingers of VFA-105. He completed two deployments to the Mediterranean Sea, including combat missions over northern

Iraq and Bosnia. During these tours, he served as an Air Wing Strike Leader, F/A-18 Demonstration Pilot and Night Vision 

Goggle Instructor. Ham was selected for the Naval Postgraduate School/Test Pilot School cooperative program, where he 

studied aeronautical engineering for 18 months in Monterey, California, followed by 12 months of test pilot training at NAS 

Patuxent River, Maryland. He was selected as a team member of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet Integrated Test Team as one of 

five Navy pilots responsible for developing a new fleet of aircraft. This duty involved envelope expansion flight test in 

arrested landings, catapult assisted takeoffs, weapon separation, propulsion stability, performance and general flying qualities. 

Ham was serving as the F/A-18E/F lead Carrier Suitability Test Pilot when he was selected for the astronaut program.

He has logged more than 6,000 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft and has more than 300 shipboard and 300 landbased arrested landings.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Selected by NASA in June 1998, he reported for training in August 1998. His astronaut candidate 

training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in shuttle and 

International Space Station systems, physiological training and ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training as well as 

learning water and wilderness survival techniques. Initially assigned as Ascent/Entry, Orbit and station Capsule Communicator 

(CAPCOM), Ham completed his first spaceflight as pilot on STS-124 and logged more than 13 days in space. He completed 

his second mission as commander of the STS-132 crew and has logged a total of 25 days, 12 hours, 41 minutes and 9 seconds 

in space. Subsequently, Ham was assigned to the Aircraft Operations Division as a T-38N instructor pilot and WB-57F 

research pilot. Ham left the agency in June 2012.

SPACEFLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-124 Discovery (May 31 to June 14, 2008) was the 123rd space shuttle flight and the 

26th space shuttle flight to the International Space Station. STS-124 was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and 

docked with the station on June 2, 2008, to deliver the Japanese Experiment Module-Pressurized Module (JEM-PM) and the 

Japanese Remote Manipulator System. The STS-124 shuttle astronauts delivered the 37-foot (11-meter) Kibo lab, added its 

rooftop storage room and performed three spacewalks to maintain the station and prime the new Japanese module’s robotic 

arm for work during the nine days it was docked at the orbiting laboratory. STS-124 also delivered a new station crew

member, Expedition 17 Flight Engineer Greg Chamitoff. He replaced Expedition 16 Flight Engineer Garrett Reisman, who 

returned to Earth with the STS-124 crew. The STS-124 mission was completed in 218 orbits, traveling 5,735.643 miles in 13 

days, 18 hours, 13 minutes and 7 seconds.

-moreNational Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058
STS-132 Atlantis (May 14 to May 26, 2010) was the 132nd space shuttle flight and the 32nd shuttle flight to the International 

Space Station. STS-132 launched from Kennedy Space Center and docked with the station on May 16, 2010, to deliver 

Rassvet, a Russian-built Mini Research Module (MRM1) to the station. STS-132 shuttle astronauts performed three 

spacewalks to install a spare antenna and a stowage platform, replace batteries on the P6 truss that store solar energy and 

retrieve a power data grapple fixture for installation at a later date. They used Atlantis’ robotic arm to remove Rassvet from 

the shuttle payload bay and hand it to the station robotic arm, Canadarm2, for installation on the Zarya module. The STS-132 

mission was completed in 186 orbits, traveling 4,879,978 miles in 11 days, 18 hours, 28 minutes and 2 seconds.

JUNE 2012

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