Linteris trained in chemical and mechanical engineering and worked as a National Institute of Standards and Technology combustion scientist. His research background fit the Microgravity Science Laboratory missions, where crew members directly supported experiments that could not be run the same way on Earth.

He flew on STS-83 in 1997, but that mission ended early because of a fuel-cell problem. NASA reflown the laboratory mission as STS-94 later that same year, giving Linteris a rare pair of closely connected shuttle flights with nearly the same science objectives.

His work focused on flame behavior, materials science, and microgravity laboratory operations. Profiles like his are important because the shuttle program carried dedicated researchers whose careers were defined by the payload, not by long astronaut-office tenure.