Ronald J. Garan Jr.
Ronald John Garan Jr. is an American Air Force officer, fighter pilot, test pilot, former NASA astronaut, and author. Selected by NASA in 2000, he flew one shuttle assembly mission and one long-duration ISS mission.
- Born
- October 30, 1961
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Yonkers, New York,United States
Flights
2
Spacewalks
4
EVA time
27 hours, 3 minutes
In space
177 days, 23 hours, 54 minutes
Bio
Garan served as an Air Force fighter pilot and test pilot before NASA, including combat service. His aviation and engineering background led into astronaut training for shuttle assembly, , Soyuz, and station operations.
His first spaceflight was STS-124, the mission that delivered major elements of Japan's Kibo laboratory to the International . Garan performed EVAs during that assembly mission.
He later launched on Soyuz TMA-21 and served aboard 27 and 28. During that mission he supported station research, maintenance, visiting vehicles, photography, and public outreach.
After NASA, Garan became known for writing and speaking about the orbital perspective and global cooperation.