The STS-116 Space Shuttle mission, which launched on December 9, 2006, served as the primary spaceflight experience for William Oefelein. Piloting Discovery for 308 hours, he supported the International Space Station construction effort by overseeing the addition of the P5 truss segment and the rewiring of the orbiting laboratory's power systems during a successful 12-day mission.
Early Development and Naval Training
Born on March 29, 1965, in Fort Belvoir, Virginia, Oefelein grew up in Anchorage, Alaska. He graduated from West Anchorage High School in 1983 before earning a Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering from Oregon State University in 1988. He received his commission as an Ensign in the United States Navy that same year. After attending flight training, he was designated a Naval Aviator in 1990. He served as a strike fighter pilot in the F/A-18 Hornet, completing deployments to the Persian Gulf. In 1995, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School at NAS Patuxent River, Maryland.
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NASA selected Oefelein for the Astronaut Corps in June 1998 as part of Group 17. After two years of training, he qualified as a Space Shuttle pilot. His technical assignments included roles within the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and as a Capsule Communicator. Following his flight on STS-116, which concluded on December 22, 2006, he spent several months in the Astronaut Corps before his departure from the agency.
Departure and Post-NASA Career
On May 23, 2007, NASA terminated Oefelein's service, citing a mutual decision with the U.S. Navy. This event, occurring alongside the departure of fellow astronaut Lisa Nowak, prompted the agency to draft its first official Code of Conduct for the Astronaut Corps. Oefelein retired from the Navy in 2008. He subsequently returned to Alaska, where he established Adventure Write, a business focused on freelance photography and writing. He married Colleen Shipman in 2010 and later survived a small plane crash in rural Alaska in September 2011.
Fast facts
- Born: 29 March 1965, Fort Belvoir
- Education: Oregon State University, University of Tennessee Space Institute
- Military Rank: Commander
- Spaceflight: STS-116, 2006
- Flight Hours in Space: Over 308
- Awards: Air Medal
- Post-NASA Career: Adventure writer and photographer
Questions readers ask
Was William Oefelein the first astronaut dismissed from NASA?
Yes, he and Lisa Nowak were the first astronauts ever dismissed from the agency.
What was Oefelein's primary role during the STS-116 mission?
He served as the pilot for the Space Shuttle Discovery.
Achievements
- Affiliated with National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Educated at University of Tennessee, Oregon State University and United States Naval Test Pilot School
- Worked as military officer, astronaut and aircraft pilot
