Carl J . Meade Carl Joseph Meade ( Colonel , USAF ) is a former NASA astronaut . Personal data . Born November 16 , 1950 , at Chanute Air Force Base , Illinois . Married . Two sons . He enjoys woodworking , home - built aircraft construction , racquetball , jogging , and snow skiing . His father , Mr . John Meade , resides in Universal City , Texas . His mother , Mrs . Esther J . Meade , is deceased . He graduated in 1968 from Randolph High School , on Randolph Air Force Base , in Texas . In 1973 he received a bachelor of science degree ( with honors ) in electronics engineering from The University of Texas and in 1975 completed a master of science degree in electronics engineering from California Institute of Technology . He currently works for Northrop Grumman Integrated Systems as an engineering manager on the Crew Exploration Vehicle project . Experience . Prior to entering active duty in the United States Air Force , Meade was a Hughes Fellow at the California Institute of Technology and an electronics design engineer at Hughes Aircraft Company in Culver City , California . He entered the U . S . Air Force at Laughlin Air Force Base , Texas , where he was a distinguished graduate of Undergraduate Pilot Training . In 1977 , Meade was assigned to the 363rd Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Shaw Air Force Base , South Carolina , where he flew the RF - 4C . He was then selected as a member of the USAF Test Pilot School Class 80B . Upon graduation he received the Liethen - Tittle Award as the Outstanding Test Pilot and was assigned to the 6510th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base , California . While there , Meade was involved with research development test and evaluation of the F - 5E , RF - 5E and F - 20 aircraft and the ground - launched and air - launched cruise missiles . He also performed high speed taxi , braking , tailhook , takeoff , landing , flying qualities , performance and weapon systems tests in the F - 4E aircraft . Meade was then assigned to the F - 16 Combined Test Force where he flew performance , loads and flutter , flying qualities , and weapon systems tests in both the F - 16A and F - 16C aircraft . In 1985 , he was reassigned to the USAF Test Pilot School as a test pilot instructor in the F - 4 , A - 7 Corsair II , A - 37 , and various gliders , teaching performance , stability / control , departure / spins , and radar flight test techniques . He was also the departure / spin lead instructor and avionics systems test training aircraft program manager . He has logged over 4 , 800 hours of jet time in 27 different aircraft . NASA experience . Selected by NASA in June 1985 , Meade became an astronaut in July 1986 . He has held a variety of technical assignments including verification testing of flight software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ) , crew escape flight tests , Orbiter ground egress tests and launch support duties , both at the Kennedy Space Center and at the Vandenberg Launch Site . Prior to STS - 38 and after STS - 50 , Meade was the Astronaut Office representative to the Solid Rocket Booster Program and the Space Shuttle Main Engine Program at the Marshall Space Flight Center . He also served as a spacecraft communicator ( CAPCOM ) in Mission Control and the lead astronaut for Rendezvous and Docking Operations during the two years following STS - 50 . A veteran of three space flights , Meade has logged over 712 hours in space . He served as a mission specialist on STS - 38 in 1990 , STS - 50 in 1992 , and STS - 64 in 1994 . STS - 38 launched at night from the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on November 15 , 1990 . Meade conducted Department of Defense operations during this five - day flight which concluded after 80 orbits of the Earth in 117 hours , 54 minutes , 28 seconds . In the first Shuttle recovery in Florida since 1985 , Space Shuttle " Atlantis " and her five - man crew landed back at the Kennedy Space Center on November 20 , 1990 . STS - 50 , carrying the first United States Microgravity Laboratory ( USML ) , launched from the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on June 25 , 1992 . USML is a series of Spacelab flights dedicated to basic scientific research in the fields of fluid physics , combustion science , solid state physics , and biotechnology . This flight was also the first to utilize the Extended Duration Orbiter capabilities of the newly modified Orbiter " Columbia " . Mission duration was 331 hours , 30 minutes , 4 seconds . After 221 orbits of the Earth , the crew of " Columbia " landed at the Kennedy Space Center on July 9 , 1992 , thus ending the longest flight in the history of the Space Shuttle Program . Most recently , Meade flew on STS - 64 ( September 9 – 20 , 1994 ) aboard the Space Shuttle " Discovery " . The mission highlight occurred when Meade performed the first untethered spacewalk in 10 years . The objective was to flight test a self - rescue jetpack . Meade logged 6 . 9 hours outside " Discovery " and 3 . 6 hours piloting the jetpack . Other activities included the first use of lasers for environmental research , deployment and retrieval of a solar science satellite , and the performance of plume characterization studies of the reaction control thruster exhaust . Mission duration was 10 days , 22 hours , 51 minutes . Meade has served as the Deputy Division Chief of the Crew and Thermal Systems Division and as the Chief of the Flight Support Branch of the Astronaut Office . In March 1996 , Meade left NASA and the military to join the Lockheed Skunk Works as the Deputy Project Manager for the X - 33 vehicle . Special honors . Source :