William Oefelein William Anthony " Bill " Oefelein ( ; born March 29 , 1965 ) is an American businessman and a former test pilot instructor , naval officer and NASA astronaut who , on his only spaceflight , piloted the STS - 116 Space Shuttle mission . Oefelein gained media attention on February 5 , 2007 when fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak was arrested in Florida and charged with attempting to kidnap his girlfriend , U . S . Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman . Nowak later pled guilty to felony burglary and misdemeanor battery . Oefelein admitted to a two - year affair with Nowak , and he and Nowak became the first astronauts ever dismissed from NASA . Following the dismissals , NASA created its first astronaut Code of Conduct . Early life and education . Oefelein was born in Fort Belvoir , Virginia , but grew up in Anchorage , Alaska , where he flew Floatplane s . He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in electrical engineering from Oregon State University in 1988 , where he became a member of Sigma Alpha Epsilon . Ten years later he received a Master of Science in aviation systems from the University of Tennessee Space Institute . Career . In 1988 , Oefelein received his commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy from Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School in Pensacola , Florida . He entered flight training in Texas in 1989 and was designated a Naval Aviator in September 1990 . His early assignments included overseas deployments to the Persian Gulf as a strike fighter pilot in the F / A - 18 Hornet . After attending the Navy Fighter Weapons School ( TOPGUN ) , Oefelein graduated in 1995 from the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River , Maryland , where he later served as an instructor . In 1998 , he was working as a strike operations officer for Carrier Air Wing Eight at NAS Oceana , Virginia . In 1998 , Oefelein was selected to join NASA ' s Astronaut Corps . After two years of training and evaluation , he qualified for an assignment as a Space Shuttle pilot . He was initially assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and Capsule Communicator ( CAPCOM ) Branch . Oefelein completed his only mission as pilot on STS - 116 , which was launched on December 9 , 2006 , and logged over 308 hours in space . NASA terminated Oefelein ' s service with the space agency on May 23 , 2007 , stating he would be reassigned to the U . S . Navy . Oefelein and fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak were the first astronauts ever dismissed by NASA , which created a written Code of Conduct for the NASA Astronaut Corps following their termination . Oefelein retired from the Navy in the fall of 2008 , returning to Alaska to start a business called Adventure Write as a freelance writer and photographer with his fiancee , Colleen Shipman . Spaceflight experience . Oefelein served as pilot for the STS - 116 mission aboard Space Shuttle " Discovery " from December 9 to 22 , 2006 . The seven - member crew on this 12 - day mission continued construction of the International Space Station by adding the P5 spacer truss segment during the first of four spacewalks . The next two spacewalks rewired the station ’ s power system , preparing it to support the addition of European and Japanese science modules by future Shuttle crews . The fourth spacewalk was added to allow the crew to coax and retract a stubborn solar panel to fold up accordion - style into its box . " Discovery " also delivered a new crew member and more than two tons of equipment and supplies to the station . Almost two tons of items no longer needed on the station returned to Earth with STS - 116 . Personal life . Oefelein was married for 15 years to Michaella Davis , whom he had known since high school . They divorced in 2005 and their two children , Kristen and Bud , live with Davis . Oefelein met fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak in 1996 . They became friends about two years later while training together at NASA . On February 5 , 2007 , Nowak was arrested at the Orlando International Airport following an alleged assault on U . S . Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman , Oefelein ' s girlfriend . Nowak pled guilty on November 10 , 2009 to lesser charges and was sentenced to time served plus one year ' s probation . On July 10 , 2009 Oefelein and Shipman announced their engagement . They were married in 2010 .