Michael Coats Michael Lloyd Coats ( born January 16 , 1946 in Sacramento , California ) is a former NASA astronaut ( three spaceflights ) , raised in Riverside , California . From December 2005 to December 2012 , he served as Director of the Johnson Space Center in Houston , Texas . Education . Graduated from Ramona High School in Riverside , California , in 1964 ; received a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1968 , a master of science in Administration of Science and Technology from George Washington University in 1977 , and master of science in Aeronautical Engineering from the U . S . Naval Postgraduate School in 1979 . Honors . Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal , 2 Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses , 32 Strike Flight Air Medal s , 3 Individual Action Air Medal s , 9 Navy Commendation Medal s with Combat " V " , and the NASA Space Flight Medal . Career . Coats graduated from the Naval Academy in 1968 and was designated a Naval Aviator in September 1969 . After training as an A - 7E pilot , he was assigned to Attack Squadron 192 ( VA - 192 ) from August 1970 to September 1972 aboard the USS " Kitty Hawk " and , during this time , flew 315 combat missions in Southeast Asia . He served as a flight instructor with the A - 7E Readiness Training Squadron ( VA - 122 ) at Naval Air Station Lemoore , California , from September 1972 to December 1973 , and was then selected to attend the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River , Maryland . Following test pilot training in 1974 , he was project officer and test pilot for the A - 7 and A - 4 aircraft at the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate . He served as a flight instructor at the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School from April 1976 until May 1977 . He then attended the U . S . Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey , California , from June 1977 until his selection for the astronaut candidate program . He has logged over 5 , 000 hours flying time in 28 different types of aircraft , and 400 carrier landings . Space Shuttle astronaut . Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1978 , Coats became a NASA astronaut in August 1979 . He was a member of the STS - 4 astronaut support crew , and was a capsule communicator ( CAPCOM ) for STS - 4 and STS - 5 . A veteran of three space flights , Coats flew on STS - 41 - D in 1984 , STS - 29 in 1989 , and STS - 39 in 1991 . From May 1989 to March 1990 , he served as Acting Chief of the Astronaut Office . STS - 41 - D . On his first mission , Coats was pilot on the crew of STS - 41 - D , which launched from Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on August 30 , 1984 . This was the maiden flight of the Orbiter " Discovery " . The mission was delayed three times over a two - month period prior to liftoff . Delays included the first pad abort of the Shuttle program ( and the first for NASA since Gemini 6 ) as well as a fire on the launch pad . During this 6 - day mission the crew successfully activated the OAST - 1 solar cell wing experiment , deployed three satellites ( SBS - D , SYNCOM IV - 2 , and TELSTAR 3 - C ) , operated the CFES - III experiment , the student crystal growth experiment , and photography experiments using the IMAX motion picture camera . The crew earned the name " Icebusters " in successfully removing hazardous ice particles from the orbiter using the Remote Manipulator System . STS - 41 - D completed 96 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base , California , on September 5 , 1984 . STS - 61 - H . In February 1985 , Coats was selected as the commander of STS - 61 - H , which was subsequently canceled after the " Challenger " accident . STS - 29 . As commander of STS - 29 , Coats and his crew launched from Kennedy Space Center aboard " Discovery " on March 13 , 1989 . During this highly successful five day mission , the crew deployed a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite ( TDRS ) , and performed numerous secondary experiments , including a Space Station " heat pipe " radiator experiment , two student experiments , a protein crystal growth experiment , and a chromosome and plant cell division experiment . In addition , the crew took over 3 , 000 photographs of the earth using several types of cameras , including the IMAX 70 mm movie camera . Mission duration was 80 orbits and concluded with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base , California , on March 18 , 1989 . With the completion of his second mission , Coats has logged a total of 264 hours in space . STS - 39 . Coats commanded a seven man crew on STS - 39 , an unclassified eight - day Department of Defense mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center , Florida on April 28 , 1991 . Crew members worked around the clock in two - shift operations during which they deployed , operated and retrieved the SPAS - II spacecraft , in addition to conducting various science experiments including research of both natural and induced phenomena in the Earth ' s atmosphere . After completing 134 orbits of the Earth , " Discovery " and her crew landed at the Kennedy Space Center , Florida on May 6 , 1991 . With the completion of his third mission , Coats has logged over 463 hours in space . Private sector . Coats left the astronaut corps and retired from the US Air Force in 1991 to work for Loral Space Information Systems From 1991 to 1996 , Coats served as Vice President of Avionics and Communications Operations for Loral Space Information Systems , from 1996 - 1998 he was Vice President of Civil Space Programs for Lockheed Martin Missiles and Space in Sunnyvale , California , and from 1998 - 2005 he was Vice President of Advanced Space Transportation for Lockheed Martin Space Systems Company in Denver , Colorado . Johnson Space Center director . In November 2005 , Coats was hired as the 10th director of the Johnson Space Center ( JSC ) . Coats retired from NASA on December 31 , 2012 .