USA

Douglas Hurley

(Douglas Gerald Hurley)

(Oct 21, 1966)

Astronaut 496

Astronaut of the USA 318

Spaceflights 3

Spaceflights

NASA astronaut and retired U.S. Marine Corps Colonel Doug Hurley is leaving NASA after 21 years of service. His final day at the agency is July 16, 2021.

Career highlights for Hurley include spending 93 days in space across various missions, including the final Space Shuttle flight and the inaugural crewed flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft.

Hurley served as commander for the first crewed flight of the SpaceX Crew Dragon, which launched on May 30, 2020, and safely returned to Earth on August 2, 2020. This flight marked the fifth time in history that NASA astronauts launched into space aboard a new American spacecraft and ushered in a new era of human spaceflight, enabling crew launches to the International Space Station from U.S. soil using vehicles built and owned by commercial companies. During his 62-day stay aboard the orbital station, he and his crewmate Bob Behnken dedicated more than 100 hours to scientific research.

Hurley began his career at NASA (at the Johnson Space Center) in August 2000 as an astronaut candidate. During his first spaceflight in 2009, he served as pilot of the Space Shuttle Endeavour STS-127 and participated in the delivery and installation of the final two components of the Japanese Kibo experiment module for the International Space Station: the Exposed Facility and the Experiment Logistics Module. In 2011, he flew a second mission as pilot of the Space Shuttle Atlantis STS-135; this was Atlantis's 33rd flight, the 37th shuttle mission to the ISS, and the 135th and final mission of NASA's Space Shuttle Program.

In addition to his flight duties, Hurley provided ground support to NASA astronauts. After completing a two-year training and qualification cycle, he assumed technical responsibilities within the Astronaut Office; notably, he led the astronaut support team at Kennedy Space Center in Florida during preparations for the STS-107 and STS-121 shuttle missions. He served as an instructor for shuttle landing and post-landing operations, was a member of the Space Shuttle Columbia accident reconstruction team at Kennedy Space Center, and worked in the Astronaut Office's advanced exploration branch on the Orion spacecraft program. In addition, he served as NASA’s Director of Operations in Russia (based at the Yuri A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City) and as Deputy Director of the Commercial Crew Program within the Flight Operations Directorate.

Hurley was born in Endicott, New York, but considers Apalachin, New York, his hometown. He graduated from Owego Free Academy in Owego, New York, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from Tulane University in New Orleans.