James C . Adamson James Craig Adamson ( born March 3 , 1946 ) is a former NASA astronaut and retired Colonel of the United States Army . He is married with 3 children . James Adamson flew on two missions , STS - 28 and STS - 43 , and completed 263 orbits and 334 hours in space . After retiring from NASA , he was recruited by Allied Signal ( later merged with Honeywell ) where he retired in 2001 . Adamson has logged over 3 , 000 hours in over 30 different types of helicopters and airplanes . Personal data . Adamson was born in Warsaw , New York . He currently resides in Fishersville , Virginia with his wife Ellen and two of his three children . Education . Adamson completed his Bachelor of Science in Engineering and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U . S . Army at United States Military Academy at West Point , New York in 1969 . In 1977 , he completed a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University . In 2010 , he completed his Chartered Director certification , graduating from The Directors College , ( a joint venture between McMaster University and the Conference Board of Canada . Additionally he has completed undergraduate and graduate pilot training , paratrooper training , Arctic water and mountain survival training , Nuclear weapons training , basic and advanced officer training , U . S . Army Command and General Staff College , and the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School . Military experience . As a military test pilot , Adamson has flown research aircraft at Edwards Air Force Base , Princeton University , West Point , Naval Air Station Patuxent River , and NASA Houston . During the Vietnam War , he flew in the IV Corps area and in Cambodia with the Air Cavalry as Scout Pilot , Team Lead , and Air Mission Commander . He has also flown with several peacetime flight units at Fort Bliss , Texas , West Point and Houston , Texas . Following completion of his Master ' s in aerospace engineering at Princeton University , he became Assistant Professor of Aerodynamics at the U . S . Military Academy at West Point . While at West Point , he developed and taught courses in Fluid Mechanics , Aerodynamics , Aircraft Performance , and Stability and Control . He also developed flight laboratories in aircraft flight testing and completed a text on aircraft performance . In addition to being an experimental test pilot and Master Army Aviator , Adamson is also a certified Professional Engineer and licensed commercial pilot . In ground assignments with the Army , Adamson has commanded nuclear - capable missile units in Europe and in the United States . NASA experience . Adamson was employed at the Lyndon B . Johnson Space Center from 1981 to 1992 . During the Operational Flight Test phase of the Shuttle Program , he served as a research test pilot and aerodynamics officer in Mission Control . Following completion of the operational test flights he became Guidance Navigation and Control Officer for Shuttle Missions 5 through 11 . As research test pilot he also conducted airborne remote sensing studies in Biospheric Research . Selected by NASA as an astronaut in 1984 , Adamson became qualified for mission assignment on Space Shuttle flights . In November 1985 , he was selected to the crew of a Department of Defense mission , which was subsequently delayed due to the " Challenger " accident . During the Shuttle Program reconstruction period , Adamson was one of eleven astronauts selected to hold management positions within NASA . He served as Shuttle Program Office Assistant Manager for Engineering Integration . In this position he was responsible for the initial development of a reliability based maintenance program for the Space Shuttle program . He also initiated an enhancements program for Shuttle ground processing . In February 1988 Adamson was assigned to the flight crew of STS - 28 , the first flight of Space Shuttle " Columbia " following the reconstruction period . Columbia launched from the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , on August 8 , 1989 . The mission carried a classified Department of Defense payload and a number of secondary payloads . After 80 earth orbits in 121 hours , this five day mission concluded with a dry lakebed landing on Runway 17 at Edwards Air Force Base , California , on August 13 , 1989 . Following STS - 28 Adamson once again returned to management . This time he was assigned to the Kennedy Space Center as Director of Shuttle Processing Analysis . He served in this post from September 1989 until October 1990 when he was assigned to the flight crew of STS - 43 . During this period Adamson developed risk based processing and scheduling programs which resulted in reduction of processing times from 80 days to 50 days . The nine day STS - 43 mission aboard Space Shuttle " Atlantis " launched from the Kennedy Space Center on August 2 , 1991 , setting a new world record for payload weight lifted to orbit . The five member crew deployed a Tracking and Data Relay Satellite ( TDRS - E ) and conducted 32 physical and life sciences experiments . During this flight Adamson performed the first flight test of the Orbital Digital Autopilot following Shuttle retrofit with new General Purpose Computers and new software . After 142 earth orbits in 213 hours , the STS - 43 mission concluded with a landing on Runway 15 at the Kennedy Space Center on August 11 , 1991 . Following Adamson ’ s retirement from government service in June 1992 , he continued as a management consultant to NASA and the aerospace industry . Until September 1994 he served as management consultant and strategic planner for Lockheed Corporation in the area of Human Space Flight Operations . He was also selected by the NASA Administrator to serve on the NASA Advisory Council . In September 1994 Adamson joined Lockheed Corporation as Executive Vice President of Lockheed Engineering and Science Company ( LESC ) where he was shortly promoted to President and CEO . In late 1995 he was selected by Lockheed Martin to start up and become the first COO of the United Space Alliance ( USA ) , a joint venture with Rockwell International . USA subsequently won the Space Flight Operations Contract with NASA to operate the Space Shuttle Program and grew to $ 1 . 5 billion annual revenue in the first year . In 1999 Adamson was recruited by AlliedSignal Corporation to be the President of Allied Signal Technical Services Corporation . He remained in that post through Allied Signal ’ s merger with Honeywell until his retirement in March 2001 . Adamson is still active as a consultant and board member for the aerospace industry and still serves on the NASA Advisory Council for the NASA Administrator . Honors and awards . Adamson was recently awarded the " Gil Bennett Gold Standard Award " for corporate governance . In 2007 he was inducted into the Army Aviation Hall of Fame . Adamson was a two time All - American in pistol competition . He was also a winner of the Army ' s Excellency In Competition Award , and a recipient of the George S . Patton Award . Named an Outstanding College Athlete of America , Adamson captained West Point ' s pistol team to the national championship in 1969 . He was a distinguished graduate of his pilot training class , as well as his graduate fixed - wing and multi - engine pilot training classes . During aerial combat in Southeast Asia , he earned two Distinguished Flying Cross es , 18 Air Medal s , and three Vietnam Crosses of Gallantry for valor . He has also earned the Defense Superior Service Medal , Defense Meritorious Service Medal , the Meritorious Service Medal , two Army Commendation Medal s , the Bronze Star , NASA Exceptional Service Medal , two NASA Space Flight Medal s , and is a world record holder for space flight lifting the most weight to orbit . He is a Charter Honoree of the Geneseo Central School Alumni Hall of Fame , Class of 1964 . Adamson is an Eagle Scout .