Steven Lindsey Steven Wayne Lindsey ( born August 24 , 1960 ) is an American Air Force officer and a NASA astronaut . Lindsey served as Chief of the NASA Astronaut Office from September 2006 until October 2009 . Lindsey was born in Arcadia , California , although he considers Temple City , California to be his hometown . Lindsey graduated from Temple City High School . Lindsey is an Eagle Scout from troop 161 . His nickname was " razor back Lindsey pig " . He received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering science s from the United States Air Force Academy in 1982 , and a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1990 . He currently lives in Clear Lake City ( Houston ) with his wife , Diane Renee Lindsey ( née Trujillo ) and three children : Jessica , Jason , and Jill . Military career . Lindsey was commissioned a second lieutenant at the United States Air Force Academy , Colorado Springs , Colorado , in 1982 . In 1983 , after receiving his pilot wings at Reese Air Force Base , Texas , he qualified in the RF - 4C Phantom II and was assigned to the 12th Tactical Reconnaissance Squadron at Bergstrom Air Force Base , Texas . From 1984 until 1987 , he served as a combat - ready pilot , instructor pilot , and academic instructor at Bergstrom . In 1987 , he was selected to attend graduate school at the Air Force Institute of Technology , Wright - Patterson Air Force Base , Ohio , where he studied aeronautical engineering . In 1989 , he attended the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base , California . In 1990 , Lindsey was assigned to Eglin Air Force Base , Florida , where he conducted weapons and systems tests in F - 16 and F - 4 aircraft . While a member of the 3247th Test Squadron , Lindsey served as the deputy director , Advanced Tactical Airborne Reconnaissance System Joint Test Force and as the squadron ’ s F - 16 Flight Commander . In August 1993 , Lindsey was selected to attend Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base , Alabama . Upon graduation in June 1994 , he was reassigned to Eglin Air Force Base , Florida , as an Integrated Product Team leader in the USAF SEEK EAGLE Office where he was responsible for Air Force weapons certification for the F - 16 , F - 111 , A - 10 , and F - 117 aircraft . In March 1995 , he was assigned to NASA as an astronaut candidate . He has logged over 4500 hours of flying time in more than 50 different types of aircraft . He was branded with the callsign " Pinto " because of his likeness to actor Tom Hulce who played " Pinto " in the 1978 movie Animal House . NASA career . Lindsey was selected by NASA in December 1994 . He became an astronaut in May 1996 , qualified for flight assignment as a pilot . Initially assigned to flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ) , Lindsey also served as the Astronaut Office representative working on the Multifunction Electronic Display System ( MEDS ) program , a glass cockpit Space Shuttle upgrade program , as well as a number of other advanced upgrade projects . In between his first two flights , he worked as the Shuttle Landing and Rollout representative responsible for training flight crews and testing orbiter landing techniques and flying qualities . After his second flight , Lindsey served as Deputy for Shuttle Operations and Co - Chairman of the Space Shuttle Cockpit Council , responsible for designing , testing , and implementing crew interfaces and displays for the $ 400 million Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade . More recently , he served as the Chief of International Space Station Operations for the astronaut office , responsible for integrating astronaut , civil service , and contractor activities in providing support to all aspects of the development , testing , crew training and operations of the International Space Station . After the completion of STS - 121 , he became Chief of the Astronaut Office . In this position , Steven also flew weather reconnaissance in the Shuttle Training Aircraft during the launch or landing of a Space Shuttle . Lindsey ceded his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office to astronaut Peggy Whitson when he was selected for STS - 133 . Space flight . Lindsey has flown five missions in space for NASA . He served as Pilot of STS - 87 ( 1997 ) and STS - 95 ( 1998 ) and Commander of STS - 104 ( 2001 ) , STS - 121 ( 2006 ) and STS - 133 ( 2011 ) . STS - 87 ( November 19 to December 5 , 1997 ) was the fourth U . S Microgravity Payload flight and focused on experiments designed to study how the weightless environment of space affects various physical processes , and on observations of the Sun ’ s outer atmospheric layers . Two members of the crew performed an EVA ( spacewalk ) that featured the manual capture of a Spartan satellite , and tested EVA tools and procedures for future Space Station assembly . During the EVA , Lindsey piloted the first flight of the AERCam Sprint , a free - flying robotic camera . The mission was accomplished in 252 orbits of the Earth , traveling 6 . 5 million miles in 376 hours and 34 minutes . STS - 95 ( October 29 to November 7 , 1998 ) was a 9 - day mission during which the crew supported a variety of research payload s including deployment and retrieval 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 . STS - 104 ( July 12 to July 24 , 2001 ) , designated assembly mission 7A , was the 10th mission to the International Space Station ( ISS ) . During the 13 - day flight the crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 2 crew and performed three spacewalks to install the ISS Joint Airlock Quest and to outfit it with four high - pressure gas tank s . In addition to installing and activating the Joint Airlock , the crew also performed the first spacewalk from Quest . The mission was accomplished in 200 Earth orbits . STS - 121 ( July 4 to July 17 , 2006 ) was an ISS visit and space shuttle checkout mission . It was the second flight after the " Columbia " disaster ( STS - 107 ) and was considered one of the two Return to Flight test missions before resumption of normal shuttle operations . Lindsey served as mission commander on the flight . STS - 133 ( February 24 to March 9 , 2011 ) was the last flight for Space Shuttle " Discovery " . A veteran of five space flights , Lindsey has logged over 1500 hours in space . Awards and honors . Lindsey is a distinguished graduate of the Air Force Undergraduate Pilot Training ( 1983 ) . He is also a distinguished graduate and recipient of the Liethen - Tittle Award as the outstanding test pilot of the USAF Test Pilot School Class 89A ( 1989 ) . He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross , the Defense Superior Service Medal , the Defense Meritorious Service Medal , 3 NASA Space Flight Medal s , the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal , the NASA Exceptional Service Medal , the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal , the Air Force Commendation Medal , the Air Force Achievement Medal and the Aerial Achievement Medal . Lindsey is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots , of the USAF Academy Association of Graduates , and of the Association of Space Explorers . Lindsey is a recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award which was presented to him by the San Gabriel Valley Council , Boy Scouts of America on November 10 , 2012 on behalf of the Boy Scouts of America .