Jon McBride Jon Andrew McBride is retired United States Navy officer and a former NASA astronaut . Biography . Jon McBride was born August 14 , 1943 , in Charleston , West Virginia , but considers Beckley , West Virginia , to be his hometown . He graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School , Beckley , West Virginia in 1960 , then attended West Virginia University 1960 - 1964 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the U . S . Naval Postgraduate School in 1971 . He did graduate work in Human Resource Management at Pepperdine University . Jon is a member of the Phi Delta Theta Fraternity . Military career . McBride ' s naval service began in 1965 with flight training at Pensacola , Florida . After being designated a Naval Aviator and receiving his wings , he was assigned to Fighter Squadron 101 ( VF - 101 ) based at Naval Air Station Oceana , Virginia , for training in the F - 4 Phantom II aircraft . He was subsequently assigned to Fighter Squadron 41 ( VF - 41 ) where he served 3 years as a fighter pilot and division officer . He has also served tours with VF - 11 and VF - 103 . While deployed to Southeast Asia , McBride flew 64 combat missions . . He attended the U . S . Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base , California , prior to reporting to Air Test and Development Squadron Four ( VX - 4 ) at Naval Air Station Point Mugu , California , where he served as maintenance officer and Sidewinder project officer . He has flown over 40 different types of military and civilian aircraft and piloted the Navy " Spirit of ' 76 " bicentennial - painted F - 4J Phantom in various air shows during 1976 , 1977 , and 1978 . He holds current Federal Aviation Administration ( FAA ) ratings which include commercial pilot ( multi - engine ) , instrument , and glider ; and he previously served as a Certified Flight Instructor ( CFI ) . He has logged more than 8 , 800 hours flying time — including 4 , 700 hours in jet aircraft . NASA career . Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978 , McBride became an astronaut in August 1979 . His NASA assignments have included lead chase pilot for the maiden voyage of Space Shuttle Columbia , software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ) , capsule communicator ( CAPCOM ) for STS - 5 , STS - 6 , and STS - 7 , Flight Data File ( FDF ) Manager , and orbital rendezvous procedures development . McBride was pilot of STS - 41 - G , which launched from Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on October 5 , 1984 , aboard the Orbiter Challenger . This was the first crew of seven . During their eight day mission , crew members deployed the Earth Radiation Budget Satellite , conducted scientific observations of the earth with the OSTA - 3 pallet and Large Format Camera , and demonstrated potential satellite refueling with an EVA and associated hydrazine transfer . Mission duration was 197 hours and concluded with a landing at Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on October 13 , 1984 . McBride was scheduled to fly next in March 1986 , as the commander of STS - 61 - E crew . This flight was one of several deferred by NASA in the wake of the Challenger accident in January 1986 . On July 30 , 1987 , McBride was assigned to NASA Headquarters to serve as Assistant Administrator for Congressional Relations , with responsibility for NASA ' s relationship with the United States Congress , and for providing coordination and direction to all Headquarters and Field Center communications with Congressional support organizations . He held this post from September 1987 through March 1989 . In 1988 , McBride was named to command the crew of the STS - 35 ( ASTRO - 1 ) mission , scheduled for launch in March 1990 , but chose to retire from NASA instead . On September 23 , 2011 the NASA Independent Verification and Validation Facility ( IV & V ) in Fairmont , West Virginia dedicated a NASA software laboratory to the West Virginia native Jon McBride . The laboratory ' s official name is the Jon McBride Software Testing and Research Laboratory , or JSTAR . JSTAR is NASA IV & V ’ s environment for adaptable testing and simulation , designed to enhance tools and methods used to critically assess mission and safety critical software across NASA ’ s missions . The lab supports end to end testing on mission flight software through the application of analytical rigor to reduce the threat of software - related mission failure . In September 2012 , at the JSTAR one year celebration , NASA ' s IV & V Program launched the JSTAR website . The JSTAR website highlights all the work being performed under the JSTAR umbrella at NASA ' s IV & V facility . Business career . In May 1989 , McBride retired from NASA and the Navy , in order to pursue a business career . He was President and Chief Executive Officer of the Flying Eagle Corporation in Lewisburg , West Virginia , and President of the Constructors ’ Labor Council of West Virginia ( heavy / highway construction contractors ) . In 1996 , he unsuccessfully vied for the Republican nomination for Governor of West Virginia , losing to Cecil H . Underwood . In the subsequent years , he left West Virginia to pursue business opportunities in Arizona . , he is retired and living near Cocoa , Florida . In recent years , he has been active in the " Lunch with an Astronaut " program at Kennedy Space Center . Executive Committee , Association of Space Explorers ( Co - President 1995 - 1996 )