Curtis Brown Curtis Lee " Curt " Brown , Jr . ( born March 11 , 1956 ) is a former NASA astronaut and retired United States Air Force colonel . Colonel Brown graduated from East Bladen High School in Elizabethtown , North Carolina in 1974 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1978 . He is a member of the United States Air Force Association , the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates , the Experimental Aircraft Association , and the Classic Jet Aircraft Association . Military service . He was commissioned a second lieutenant at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs , Colorado , in 1978 , and completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio , Texas . He graduated in July 1979 and was assigned to fly A - 10 aircraft at Myrtle Beach Air Force Base , South Carolina , arriving there in January 1980 after completing A - 10 training at Davis - Monthan Air Force Base , Arizona . In March 1982 , he was reassigned to Davis - Monthan AFB as an instructor pilot in the A - 10 . In January 1983 , he attended USAF Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base , Nevada and returned to Davis - Monthan AFB as an instructor in A - 10 weapons and tactics . In June 1985 , he attended USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base , California . Upon graduation in June 1986 , Brown was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base , Florida , where he served as a test pilot in the A - 10 and F - 16 aircraft until his selection for the astronaut program . He has logged over 6 , 000 hours flight time in jet aircraft . NASA . Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June 1987 , Brown completed a one - year training and evaluation program in August 1988 , and is qualified for flight assignment as a pilot . Technical assignments have included : involvement in the upgrade of the Shuttle Mission Simulator ( SMS ) , development of the Flight Data File ( FDF ) , lead of the astronaut launch support team responsible for crew ingress / strap - in prior to launch and crew egress after landing ; monitored the refurbishment of OV - 102 and OV - 103 during ground turnaround processing ; lead spacecraft communicator ( CAPCOM ) , Astronaut Office Lead of Shuttle Operations , and Deputy Director , Flight Crew Operations Directorate . Space flights . A veteran of six space flights , Brown has logged over 1 , 383 hours in space . He was the pilot on STS - 47 in 1992 , STS - 66 in 1994 and STS - 77 in 1996 , and was spacecraft commander on STS - 85 in 1997 , STS - 95 in 1998 , and STS - 103 in 1999 . STS - 47 Spacelab - J ( September 12 – 20 , 1992 ) was an eight - day cooperative mission between the United States and Japan focused on life science and materials processing experiments in space . After completing 126 orbits of Earth , the mission ended with Space Shuttle " Endeavour " landing at Kennedy Space Center , Florida . Mission duration was 190 hours , 30 minutes , 23 seconds . STS - 66 ( November 3 – 14 , 1994 ) was the Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications and Science 3 ( ATLAS - 3 ) mission . ATLAS - 3 was part of an ongoing program to determine the Earth ' s energy balance and atmospheric change over an 11 - year solar cycle . Following 175 orbits of the Earth , the 11 - day mission ended with the Shuttle " Atlantis " landing at Edwards AFB , California . Mission duration was 262 hours and 34 minutes . STS - 77 ( May 19 – 29 , 1996 ) was a ten - day mission aboard Space Shuttle " Endeavour " . The crew performed a record number of rendezvous sequences ( one with a SPARTAN satellite and three with a deployed Satellite Test Unit ) and approximately 21 hours of formation flying in proximity of the satellites . During the flight the crew also conducted 12 materials processing , fluid dynamics , and biotechnology experiments in a Spacehab Module . STS - 77 deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN satellite , which carried the Inflatable Antenna Experiment designed to test the concept of large , inflatable space structures . A small Satellite Test Unit was also deployed to test the concept of self - stabilization by using aerodynamic forces and magnetic damping . The mission was concluded in 160 Earth orbits , traveling 4 . 1 million miles in 240 hours and 39 minutes . STS - 85 ( August 7 – 19 , 1997 ) was a 12 - day mission during which the crew deployed and retrieved the CRISTA - SPAS payload , operated the Japanese Manipulator Flight Demonstration ( MFD ) robotic arm , studied changes in the Earth ' s atmosphere and tested technology destined for use on the future International Space Station . The mission was accomplished in 189 Earth orbits , traveling 4 . 7 million miles in 284 hours and 27 minutes . STS - 95 ( October 29 to November 7 , 1998 ) was a 9 - day mission during which the crew supported a variety of research payloads including deployment of the Spartan solar - observing spacecraft , the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform , and investigations on space flight and the aging process . The mission was accomplished in 134 Earth orbits , traveling 3 . 6 million miles in 213 hours and 44 minutes . The mission was highly publicized for the return of 77 year - old Senator John Glenn ' s return to space after 38 years . STS - 103 ( December 19 – 27 , 1999 ) was an 8 - day mission during which the crew successfully installed new instruments and upgraded systems on the Hubble Space Telescope ( HST ) . Enhancing HST scientific capabilities required three space walks . The STS - 103 mission was accomplished in 120 Earth orbits , traveling 3 . 2 million miles in 191 hours and 11 minutes .