Vance D. Brand completed 9,669 total flying hours over a career that transitioned from military jet aviation to the frontier of international spaceflight. Born in Longmont, Colorado, in 1931, Brand served as a test pilot for Lockheed before joining the National Aeronautics and Space Administration in 1966 as part of the fifth group of pilot astronauts.
Military and Test Pilot Career
Brand began his professional life as a commissioned officer and naval aviator with the United States Marine Corps between 1953 and 1957. He served a fifteen-month deployment as a jet fighter pilot in Japan. After leaving active duty, he continued in the Marine Corps Reserve and Air National Guard. In 1960, he joined Lockheed as a flight test engineer. He graduated from the United States Naval Test Pilot School in 1963 and served as an experimental test pilot on F-104 programs in California and France.
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This nine-day mission facilitated the first joint flight between American and foreign spacecraft. The crews performed four transfers between modules and conducted 44 hours of joint activities. The mission concluded in the Pacific Ocean on July 25, though the crew faced a critical hazard during descent when nitrogen tetroxide gas leaked into the cabin, leading to temporary loss of consciousness for Brand and subsequent hospitalization.
Space Shuttle Operations
Brand commanded three Space Shuttle missions: STS-5, STS-41-B, and STS-35. During STS-5 in November 1982, he commanded the first fully operational flight of the Shuttle, which included the successful deployment of two commercial satellites. In 1984, he commanded Challenger for STS-41-B, a mission involving the deployment of two Hughes HS-376 communications satellites. He remained the final member of his 1966 astronaut class to serve within the agency, contributing to spacecraft development and mission operations until his retirement in January 2008.
Fast facts
- Born: 1931, Longmont, Colorado
- Military service: United States Marine Corps (1953-1957)
- NASA selection: April 1966
- Total flying hours: 9,669
- Space missions commanded: 3
- NASA retirement: January 2008
- Notable honors: Harmon Trophy
- Hall of Fame inductions: United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, International Space Hall of Fame
Questions readers ask
How many hours did Vance Brand log in space?
He logged a total of 746 hours in spacecraft over the course of four missions.
What was his role during the Apollo 13 crisis?
He served as the CAPCOM, the designated communicator between mission control and the flight crew, during the PC+2 burn.
Achievements
- United States Astronaut Hall of Fame
- International Space Hall of Fame — 1996
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at University of California, Los Angeles, University of Colorado Boulder and United States Naval Test Pilot School
- Worked as military officer, astronaut and test pilot
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