Kevin A. Ford

Early life and education

Born on July 7, 1960, in Portland, Indiana, Kevin A. Ford considers Montpelier, Indiana his hometown. He graduated from Blackford High School in 1978.

Ford earned a Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Notre Dame in 1982, followed by a Master of Science in international relations from Troy State University in 1989, another Master of Science in aerospace engineering from the University of Florida in 1994, and a Ph.D. in astronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1997. His military schooling includes the U.S. Air Force Squadron Officer School, the Air Command and Staff College Associate Program, and the Air War College. Ford was a distinguished graduate of Detachment 225, Reserve Officer Training Corps in 1982, of Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus AFB in 1984, and of the United States Air Force Test Pilot School in 1990.

Military career

Commissioned as a second lieutenant in 1982, Ford completed primary jet training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi in 1984. He flew the F-15 Eagle with the 22nd Tactical Fighter Squadron at Bitburg Air Base, Germany from 1984 to 1987, then with the 57th Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland until 1989, where he intercepted and escorted 18 Soviet combat aircraft over the North Atlantic. After attending the United States Air Force Test Pilot School in 1990, he flew F-16 Fighting Falcon test missions with the 3247th Test Squadron at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida from 1991 to 1994.

His test work included F-16 flutter missions, development of the ALE-47 Countermeasures Dispenser System, and air-to-air missile testing, including the first AMRAAM shot from an F-16 Air Defense Fighter. Following doctoral studies at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, he served at the Air Force Test Pilot School as director of plans and programs, teaching academics and instructing students in the F-15, F-16, and gliders. Ford logged 6,100 flying hours and holds an FAA Airline Transport Pilot certificate with B757/767 type ratings, commercial helicopter and glider certificates, and a private hot air balloon license.

He is also a certified flight instructor in airplanes and gliders. He retired from the Air Force as a colonel in June 2008.

NASA career

NASA selected Ford as an astronaut candidate in July 2000, and he reported for training in August 2000. After two years of training, he worked in the Astronaut Office Advanced Vehicles Branch and the Space Shuttle Branch. From January 2004 to January 2005, he served as Director of Operations at the Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center in Star City, Russia. In 2007, he rode a Minardi F1 two-seater race car at the Grand Prix of Houston, driven by Zsolt Baumgartner.

Ford piloted Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-128, launching August 28, 2009, and landing September 11, 2009, delivering 20,000 pounds of cargo to the International Space Station. He later worked as a Space Station CAPCOM in Mission Control. On October 23, 2012, he launched on Soyuz TMA-06M as flight engineer 2 for Expedition 33. He became commander of Expedition 34 on November 18, 2012, after the Soyuz TMA-05M departed, and returned to Earth on March 16, 2013.