), is a retired American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace and aeronautical engineer, and NASA astronaut.

His hobbies are water and snow skiing, board sailing, boating, running, basketball, and squash.

[3] He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1981.

Upon completion of this training, he was assigned to VF-74 and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean aboard the aircraft carrier USS Saratoga.

While assigned to VF-74, he was designated as an airwing qualified Landing Signal Officer (LSO) and also attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School (TOPGUN).

From June 1997[6] to February 1998, he served as NASA Director of Operations at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia.

In five days of docked operations more than three tons of food, water, experiment equipment and samples were moved back and forth between the two spacecraft.

[15] The primary objective of the mission was to deliver and install a 17 ton solar array to the International Space Station, in addition to batteries, radiators to provide cooling and a communications system for voice and telemetry.

[17] The primary objective of the mission was to deliver and install the P3/P4 truss structure and solar array to the International Space Station during 3 EVAs.