JACK ROBERT LOUSMA (COLONEL, USMC, RET.)

NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)

PERSONAL DATA: Born February 29, 1936, in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Lousma 

and his wife, Gratia Kay, have been married since 1956. They have four children and 

six grandchildren. He is a golfing enthusiast and enjoys hunting, fishing, and aviation.

EDUCATION: Graduated from Ann Arbor High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan; 

received a bachelor of science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University 

of Michigan in 1959, and a master of science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from 

the U. S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1965; presented an honorary doctorate of 

Astronautical Science from the University of Michigan in 1973, an honorary Doctor of 

Science from Hope College in 1982, and an honorary Doctor of Science in Business 

Administration from Cleary College in 1986.

ORGANIZATIONS: Fellow of the American Astronautical Society; member of the 

Society of the Sigma Xi, the University of Michigan "M" Club, the Officer's Christian 

Fellowship, and the Association of Space Explorers. 

SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation (1970) and the NASA Distinguished 

Service Medal (1973); presented the Navy Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Astronaut Wings (1974), the City of 

Chicago Gold Medal (1974), the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1973 (1974), the Marine Corps Aviation Association's 

Exceptional Achievement Award (1974), the Federation Aeronautique Internationale's V. M. Komarov Diploma for 1973 

(1974), the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy for 1975 (1975), the AIAA Octave Chanute Award for 1975 (1975), the 

AAS Flight Achievement Award for 1974 (1975); inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame (1982). NASA 

Distinguished Service Medal (1982), Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal (1982), NCAA Silver Anniversary 

Award (1983). Inducted into the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame (1988).

EXPERIENCE: Lousma was a reconnaissance pilot with VMCJ-2, 2nd Marine Air Wing, at Cherry Point, North Carolina, 

before being assigned to Houston and the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center. He became a Marine Corps officer in 1959 and 

received his wings in 1960 after completing training at the U.S. Naval Air Training Command. He was then assigned to VMA224, 2nd Marine Air Wing, as an attack pilot and later served with VMA-224, 1st Marine Air Wing, at Iwakuni, Japan. He has 

logged 7000 hours of flight time--including 700 hours in general aviation aircraft and 1619 hours in space, 4,500 hours in jet 

aircraft, 240 hours in helicopters, and 700 hours in general aviation aircraft.

NASA EXPERIENCE: Lousma is one of the 19 astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. He served as a member of the 

astronaut support crews for the Apollo 9, 10, and 13 missions. He was the pilot for Skylab-3 (July 28 to September 25, 1973) 

and was spacecraft commander on STS-3 (March 22-30, 1982), logging a total of over 1,619 hours in space. Lousma also 

spent 11 hours on two spacewalks outside the Skylab space station. He also served as backup docking module pilot of the 

United States flight crew for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission which was completed successfully in July 1975.

Jack Lousma left NASA in 1983.

SPACE FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: Skylab-3 (SL-3) (July 28 to September 25, 1973). The crew on this 59-1/2 day flight 

included Alan L. Bean (spacecraft commander), Jack Lousma (pilot), and Owen K. Garriott (science-pilot). SL-3 

accomplished 150% of mission goals while completing 858 revolutions of the earth and traveling some 24,400,000 miles in 

earth orbit. The crew installed six replacement rate gyros used for attitude control of the spacecraft and a twin-pole sun-shade 

- more -

National Aeronautics and

Space Administration

Biographical Data

 Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center

 Houston, Texas 77058
used for thermal control, and they repaired nine major experiment or operational equipment items. They devoted 305 man 

hours to extensive solar observations from above the earth's atmosphere, which included viewing two major solar flares and 

numerous smaller flares and coronal transients. Also acquired and returned to earth were 16,000 photographs and 18 miles of 

magnetic tape documenting earth resources observations. The crew completed 333 medical experiment performances and 

obtained valuable data on the effects of extended weightlessness on humans. Skylab-3 ended with a Pacific Ocean splashdown 

and recovery by the USS NEW ORLEANS.

STS-3, the third orbital test flight of space shuttle Columbia, launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on March 22, 

1982, into a 180-mile circular orbit above the earth. Jack Lousma was the spacecraft commander and C. Gordon Fullerton was 

the pilot on this 8-day mission. Major flight test objectives included exposing the Columbia to extremes in thermal stress and 

the first use of the 50-foot remote manipulator system (RMS) to grapple and maneuver a payload in space. The crew also 

operated several scientific experiments in the orbiter's cabin and on the OSS-1 pallet in the payload bay. Space Shuttle 

Columbia responded favorably to the thermal tests and was found to be better than expected as a scientific platform. The crew 

accomplished almost 100% of the objectives assigned to STS-3, and after a 1-day delay due to bad weather, landed on the 

lakebed at White Sands, New Mexico, on March 30,1982, having traveled 3.4 million miles during 129.9 orbits of the earth. 

Mission duration was 192 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds.

FEBRUARY 1999

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