Charles O . Hobaugh Charles Owen " Scorch " Hobaugh ( born November 5 , 1961 , in Bar Harbor , Maine ) is a NASA astronaut and a retired U . S . Marine Corps officer . He has had three spaceflights , all of which were Space Shuttle missions to the International Space Station , lasting between 10 and 13 days . Hobaugh was selected to be an astronaut in 1996 , and his first spaceflight was STS - 104 , for which he was designated Pilot of Space Shuttle " Atlantis " . That mission took place in July 2001 , less than a year after the space station received its first long - duration crew . His most recent spaceflight was in November 2009 , STS - 129 on " Atlantis " again ; this time he was designated Commander . In total , he has logged 36 days in space . Education . In 1980 he graduated from North Ridgeville High School , North Ridgeville , Ohio . In 1984 he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy . From January 1993 to August 1994 he attended the University of Tennessee Space Institute . He is a member of the U . S . Naval Academy Alumni Association . Awards and honors . Hobaugh has received several awards an honors , including those listed below . Military career . Hobaugh received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps upon graduation from the U . S . Naval Academy in May 1984 . He graduated from The Basic School in December 1984 . After a six month temporary assignment at the Naval Air Systems Command , he reported to Naval Aviation Training Command and was designated a Naval Aviator in February 1987 . He then reported to VMAT - 203 for initial AV - 8B Harrier training . Upon completion of this training , he was assigned to VMA - 331 and made overseas deployments to Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni , Japan , and flew combat missions in the Persian Gulf during Operation Desert Storm embarked aboard the . While assigned to VMA - 331 , he attended Marine Aviation Warfare and Tactics Instructor Course and was subsequently assigned as the Squadron Weapons and Tactics Instructor . Hobaugh was selected for U . S . Naval Test Pilot School and began the course in June 1991 . After graduation in June 1992 , he was assigned to the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate as an AV - 8 Project Officer and as the ASTOVL / JAST / JSF Program Officer . While there , he flew the AV - 8B , YAV - 8B ( VSRA ) and A - 7E . In July 1994 , he went back to the Naval Test Pilot School as an Instructor in the Systems Department , where he flew the F - 18 , T - 2 Buckeye , U - 6A and gliders . Hobaugh was assigned to the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School when he was selected for the astronaut program . In September 2010 he retired from the U . S . Marine Corps . Prior to the launch of STS - 118 , several reporters asked Hobaugh the meaning of his call - sign , " Scorch " . Hobaugh has yet to explain it , saying he probably won ' t ; he feels it sounds better if you don ' t know the origin of the name . He did admit that it is related to his days of flying Harrier jets in the Marines , but would say no more than that . Hobaugh has logged over 5 , 000 flight hours in more than 40 different aircraft and has over 200 V / STOL shipboard landings . NASA career . Selected by NASA in April 1996 , Hobaugh reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996 . He completed two years of training and evaluation , and was qualified for flight assignment as a pilot . Hobaugh was initially assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft Systems / Operations Branch . Projects included Landing and Rollout , evaluator in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ) , Advanced Projects , Multifunction Electronics Display Enhancements , Advanced and Upgrade , Rendezvous and Close Proximity Operations and Visiting Vehicles prior to his first flight assignment . Most recently , he served as Capsule Communicator , working in the Mission Control Center as the voice to the crew . Hobaugh was the reentry and landing CAPCOM for the STS - 107 mission , on which the Space Shuttle Columbia was destroyed on reentry . He spoke the words " " Columbia " , Houston . UHF Comm Check " several times after Mission Control had lost contact with " Columbia " . STS - 104 . Hobaugh flew as the pilot of STS - 104 ( July 12 – 24 , 2001 ) . This mission was the tenth 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 Quest Joint Airlock and to outfit it with four high - pressure gas tanks . The mission was accomplished in 200 Earth orbits , traveling 5 . 3 million miles in 306 hours and 35 minutes . STS - 118 . He flew as pilot on STS - 118 in August 2007 for 13 days . STS - 129 . Hobaugh served as commander on STS - 129 mission aboard for 10 days in November 2009 . Civilian career . Hobaugh was hired by FedEx in 2011 and is currently a MD - 11 First Officer . Personal life . Hobaugh is married to the former Corinna Lynn Leaman of East Petersburg , Pennsylvania ; they have four children . He enjoys weight lifting , volleyball , boating , water skiing , snow skiing , soccer , bicycling , running , rowing and triathlon . His parents , Jimmie and Virginia Hobaugh , reside in Sault Ste . Marie , Michigan . His wife ' s parents , Jerry and Dottie Leaman , reside in East Petersburg , Pennsylvania .