John L. Phillips served as a mission specialist on three spaceflight missions and logged over 4,400 flight hours during his tenure as a United States Naval Aviator. A qualified physicist and retired captain in the United States Navy Reserve, he contributed to space science through extensive research on plasma environments before joining the astronaut corps.
Military and Academic Background
Born in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, in 1951, Phillips graduated from Scottsdale High School in 1966. He pursued a rigorous education, completing a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and Russian at the United States Naval Academy in 1972, where he finished second in a class of 906. He later earned a Master of Science in aeronautical systems from the University of West Florida in 1974. His academic journey culminated at the University of California, Los Angeles, where he obtained both a Master of Science and a doctorate in geophysics and space physics by 1987.
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Commissioned as an ensign in 1972, Phillips became a designated Naval Aviator in 1974. He flew the A-7 Corsair II while deployed aboard the USS Oriskany and USS Franklin D. Roosevelt. Following his active duty, he transitioned to the Naval Reserve in 1982, serving until 2002. During his postdoctoral work at Los Alamos National Laboratory, he began an extensive research career. Between 1993 and 1996, he acted as Principal Investigator for the Solar Wind Plasma Experiment on the Ulysses Spacecraft, eventually authoring 156 scientific papers.
Spaceflight Missions
Selected by NASA in 1996, Phillips participated in three significant missions. During STS-100 in 2001, he served as Ascent/Entry Flight engineer for a 12-day flight to the International Space Station. He spent six months in space during Expedition 11 in 2005, during which he performed a five-hour spacewalk and became the first individual to testify before the United States Congress directly from orbit. His final mission, STS-119 in 2009, focused on the delivery and installation of the fourth starboard Integrated Truss Segment and associated solar arrays.
Fast facts
- Born: 1951, Fort Belvoir
- Education: United States Naval Academy, UCLA
- Military Rank: Captain, U.S. Navy Reserve (Retired)
- NASA Selection: 1996
- Space Missions: STS-100, Expedition 11, STS-119
- Flight Hours: Over 4,400
- Notable Awards: NASA Space Flight Medal, Gagarin Medal
- Scientific Contribution: 156 papers on plasma environments
Questions readers ask
Did John L. Phillips fly missions other than the International Space Station construction?
All three of his spaceflight missions, STS-100, Expedition 11, and STS-119, were directly related to the assembly, maintenance, or operation of the International Space Station.
What was the academic focus of his doctoral work?
He earned his doctorate from UCLA in 1987 with a specialization in geophysics and space physics.
Achievements
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at University of California, Los Angeles, United States Naval Academy and Scottsdale High School
- Worked as military officer, astronaut and physicist
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