Alan G. Poindexter
Alan Goodwin "Dex" Poindexter was an American naval officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He flew as pilot of STS-122 and of STS-131, both International assembly or logistics missions.
- Born
- November 5, 1961
- Died
- July 1, 2012
- Birthplace
- Pasadena, California,United States
Flights
2
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
27 days, 21 hours, 9 minutes
Bio
Poindexter grew up in a Navy family and trained as an aerospace engineer before becoming a naval aviator. He flew F-14 Tomcats, deployed to the Persian Gulf, and later became a test pilot through the Naval Postgraduate School and United States Naval Test Pilot School cooperative program.
NASA selected him in Astronaut Group 17 in 1998. He supported Shuttle operations, worked as a CAPCOM, piloted Atlantis on STS-122 to deliver the Columbus laboratory, and commanded Discovery on STS-131 to deliver supplies with the Leonardo module.
After retiring from NASA, Poindexter returned to Navy education and leadership work. He died on July 1, 2012, after a personal watercraft accident near Pensacola Beach, Florida.