PERSONAL
DATA: Born August 15, 1959 in Lincoln,
Illinois. Married to the former Jill Shannon Loomer of Tucson, Arizona.
They have three children. Enjoys classic automobiles, flying and computers.
Avid reader and sports fan/participant. Hometown is Pekin, Illinois,
where his parents, Fred and Sharon Altman, currently reside.
EDUCATION:
Graduated from Pekin Community High School, Pekin, Illinois in 1977;
received bachelor of science degree in aeronautical and astronautical
engineering from the University of Illinois in May 1981, and a master
of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate
School in June 1990.
ORGANIZATIONS:
University of Illinois Alumni Association, Sigma Chi Alumni Association,
life member Association of Naval Aviation and Military Order of the
World Wars, full member Society of Experimental Test Pilots.
SPECIAL
HONORS: Navy Strike/Flight Air Medal, Navy Commendation
Medal, Navy Achievement Medal, 1987 Award winner for Outstanding Achievement
in Tactical Aviation as selected by the Association of Naval Aviation.
EXPERIENCE:
Altman was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy following
completion of Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate School in Pensacola,
Florida, in August 1981. Following training in Florida and Texas,
he received his Navy wings of gold in February 1983 and was ordered
to NAS Miramar in San Diego, California, to fly the F-14. Attached
to Fighter Squadron 51, Altman completed two deployments to the Western
Pacific and Indian Ocean. In August 1987, he was selected for the
Naval Postgraduate School-Test Pilot School Coop program and graduated
with Test Pilot School Class 97 in June 1990 as a Distinguished Graduate.
After graduation, he spent the next two years as a test pilot working
on various F-14 projects such as the air to ground separation effort,
and aft center of gravity flying qualities evaluation, as well as
the Navy evaluation of the Air Force F-15 S/MTD technology demonstrator.
Selected to help take the new F-14D on its first operational deployment,
his next assignment was to VF-31 at NAS Miramar where he served as
Maintenance Officer and later Operations Officer. Altman was awarded
the Navy Air Medal for his role as a strike leader flying over Southern
Iraq in support of Operation SOUTHERN WATCH. Shortly following his
return from this six month deployment, he was selected for the astronaut
program. He has logged over 4000 flight hours in more than 40 types
of aircraft.
NASA
EXPERIENCE: Selected as an astronaut candidate by
NASA in December 1994, Altman reported to the Johnson Space Center
in March 1995. He completed a year of training and was initially assigned
to work technical aspects of orbiter landing and roll out issues for
the Astronaut Office Vehicle Systems Branch. Twice flown, Altman has
logged over 664 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-90 in 1998,
and STS-106 in 2000.
SPACE
FLIGHT EXPERIENCE: STS-90 Neurolab (April 17 to May
3, 1998). During the 16-day Spacelab flight the seven person crew
aboard Space Shuttle Columbia served as both experiment subjects and
operators for 26 individual life science experiments focusing on the
effects of microgravity on the brain and nervous system. The STS-90
flight orbited the Earth 256 times, and covered 6.3 million miles
in over 381.
STS-106 Atlantis (September 8-20, 2000). During the 12-day mission,
the crew successfully prepared the International Space Station for
the arrival of the first permanent crew. The five astronauts and two
cosmonauts delivered more than 6,600 pounds of supplies and installed
batteries, power converters, a toilet and a treadmill on the Space
Station. Altman was one of two operators of the robot arm transporting
the EVA crew during the spacewalk. Additionally, he handflew two complete
flyarounds of the station after performing the undocking from the
station. STS-106 orbited the Earth 185 times, and covered 4.9 million
miles in 11 days, 19 hours, and 10 minutes. FEBRUARY 2000
OCTOBER
2000