Patrick G . Forrester Patrick Graham Forrester ( born March 31 , 1957 ) is a retired United States Army officer and a NASA astronaut . At the time of his retirement from the U . S . Army , Forrester had achieved the rank of Colonel . He is married and has two children . Forrester has flown on three Space Shuttle missions , STS - 105 , STS - 117 and STS - 128 . Personal . Born March 31 , 1957 , in El Paso , Texas . He is an Eagle Scout in the Boy Scouts of America . Married to the former Diana Lynn Morris of Springfield , Virginia . They have two sons , Patrick Forrester , Jr . and Andrew . His father , Colonel ( ret . ) Redmond V . Forrester , is deceased ; his mother , Patsy L . Forrester , resides in Fort Walton Beach , Florida . Military career . Forrester graduated from West Point in June 1979 and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U . S . Army . He entered the U . S . Army Aviation School in 1979 and was designated an Army Aviator in September 1980 . He was subsequently assigned as an instructor pilot at the Aviation School , and as the Aide - de - Camp to the Deputy Commanding General of the U . S . Army Aviation Center . In 1984 , he was assigned to the 25th Infantry Division ( Light ) , Schofield Barracks , Hawaii , where he served as a platoon leader , aviation company operations officer , and an assault helicopter battalion operations officer . After completing a master of science degree at the University of Virginia in 1989 , he was assigned as a flight test engineer and as the research and development coordinator with the Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity at Edwards Air Force Base , California . In June 1992 , he graduated from the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School and was designated an experimental test pilot . In 1992 , he was assigned as an engineering test pilot at the U . S . Army Aviation Technical Test Center , Fort Rucker , Alabama . Other military schools include the Army Parachutist Course , U . S . Army Ranger School , the Combined Arms Services Staff School , and the Command and General Staff College . A Master Army Aviator , Forrester has logged over 4 , 400 hours in over 50 different aircraft . Forrester retired from the Army in October 2005 . NASA career . Forrester was assigned to NASA at the Johnson Space Center as an aerospace engineer in July 1993 . His technical assignments within the Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch have included : flight software testing with the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ) ; Astronaut Office representative for Landing / Rollout issues , Multi - function Electronic Display System ( MEDS ) upgrade of the Orbiter fleet , and the Portable In - flight Landing Operations Trainer ( PILOT ) . He has also served as the crew representative for robotics development for the International Space Station . Forrester was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in May 1996 . Having completed two years of training and evaluation , he is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist . Initially , Forrester was assigned to duties at the Kennedy Space Center as a member of the astronaut support team , responsible for Shuttle prelaunch vehicle checkout , crew ingress and strap - in , and crew egress after landing . He next served as the technical assistant to the Director , Flight Crew Operations . Following that , Forrester served as the Shuttle training and on - board crew procedures representative . Forrester flew on STS - 105 in 2001 , with the crew of STS - 117 in 2007 , and as a mission specialist on the STS - 128 mission in 2009 . He has logged over 950 hours in space , including four spacewalks totaling 25 hours and 22 minutes of EVA time . Currently , Forrester serves as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office . Spaceflight experience . STS - 105 " Discovery " ( August 10 – 22 , 2001 ) was the 11th mission to the International Space Station ( ISS ) . While at the orbital outpost , the STS - 105 crew delivered the Expedition 3 crew , attached the Leonardo Multi - Purpose Logistics Module ( MPLM ) , and transferred over 2 . 7 metric tons of supplies and equipment to the station . During the mission , Forrester and Dan Barry performed two spacewalks totaling 11 hours and 45 minutes of EVA time . Forrester served as the prime robotics operator to install the MPLM . STS - 105 also brought home the Expedition 2 crew . The STS - 105 mission was accomplished in 186 orbits of the Earth , traveling over 4 . 9 million miles in 285 hours and 13 minutes . STS - 117 " Atlantis " ( June 8 – 22 , 2007 ) was the 118th Shuttle mission and the 21st mission to visit the ISS , delivering the second starboard truss segment , the third set of U . S . solar arrays and batteries and associated equipment . The successful construction and repair mission involved four spacewalks by two teams . Forrester accumulated 13 hours and 37 minutes of EVA time in two spacewalks . The mission also delivered crewmember Clayton Anderson , and returned with Sunita Williams from the Expedition 15 crew . STS - 117 returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base , California , having traveled 5 . 8 million miles in 14 days . STS - 128 " Discovery " ( August 28 - September 11 , 2009 ) was the 128th Shuttle mission and the 30th mission to the ISS . While at the orbital outpost , the STS - 128 crew rotated Nicole Stott for crewmember Timothy Kopra on Expedition 20 , attached the Leonardo MPLM and transferred more than 18 , 000 pounds of supplies and equipment to the ISS . The STS - 128 crew conducted three spacewalks . Forrester served as the prime robotics operator for " Discovery " . The STS - 128 mission was accomplished in 217 orbits of the Earth , traveling more than 5 . 7 million miles in 332 hours and 53 minutes and returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base , California .