Daniel C . Burbank Daniel Christopher Burbank ( born July 27 , 1961 ) is an American astronaut and a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions . Burbank , a Captain in the United States Coast Guard , is the second Coast Guard astronaut after Bruce Melnick . Burbank was born in Manchester , Connecticut , and raised in Tolland , Connecticut , where he graduated from Tolland High School . He attended Fairfield University his freshman year before transferring to the United States Coast Guard Academy , where he earned his commission in 1985 . In 1987 , he went through flight training and became an instructor pilot , serving at various Coast Guard stations at Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City , Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod , and Coast Guard Air Station Sitka . Burbank is listed as a member of the astronaut band " Max Q " , and a former member of The Idlers . He has a master ' s degree in aeronautical science from Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University . He is a licensed amateur radio operator ( ham ) with Technician License KC5ZSX . NASA career . Selected by NASA in April 1996 , Burbank reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996 . After completing two years of training and evaluation , Burbank worked technical issues for the Astronaut Office Operations Planning Branch , and the International Space Station ( ISS ) Branch , and served as CAPCOM ( spacecraft communicator ) for both Space Shuttle and ISS missions . He was also a member of the Space Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade design team . Twice flown , he served as a mission specialist on STS - 106 and STS - 115 logging over 23 days in space , and 7 hours and 11 minutes of EVA time . From January 2007 to December 2009 Burbank served as a Professor of Engineering at the U . S . Coast Guard Academy where he taught Astronomy , Aerodynamics , and Statics & Engineering Design . Burbank was assigned to ISS Expedition 29 and Expedition 30 aboard ISS beginning September 2011 . Spaceflight experience . STS - 106 " Atlantis " ( September 8 – 20 , 2000 ) . During the 12 - day mission , the crew successfully prepared the ISS for the arrival of the first permanent crew . The five astronauts and two cosmonauts delivered more than 6 , 600 pounds of supplies and installed batteries , power converters , oxygen generation equipment and a treadmill on the ISS . A space walk was performed to connect power and data cables between the newly arrived Service Module and the ISS . STS - 115 " Atlantis " ( September 9 – 21 , 2006 ) successfully restarted assembly of the ISS . During the 12 - day mission , the crew delivered and installed the massive P3 / P4 truss , and two sets of solar arrays that provide one quarter of the station ’ s electrical power . The crew also performed unprecedented robotics activity using the Shuttle and ISS robotic arms . Burbank made a E seven - hour EVA that completed P3 / P4 truss installation , activated the solar alpha rotary joint and enabled the solar arrays to be deployed . Expedition 29 was launched to the ISS along with Russian cosmonauts Anton Shkaplerov and Anatoli Ivanishin on November 13 , arriving at the station on November 16 via Soyuz TMA - 22 . This expedition spent 66 days in space . < br > Expedition 30 Burbank then served as commander of Expedition 30 , beginning in November 2011 . Burbank , along with Shkaplerov and Ivanishin , returned to Earth on April 27 , 2012 after spending an additional 158 days in space .