Richard Mastracchio

Did You Know?

• During Expedition 38/39, he performed three spacewalks, including two to replace a faulty cooling pump and one to replace a failed backup computer relay box.
• He returned to Earth on May 13, 2014, after spending nearly 188 days in space.

Personal

Richard Mastracchio, a Connecticut native, came into the world in Waterbury and completed high school at Crosby in 1978. He went on to earn three degrees: a bachelor's in electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Connecticut, a master's in electrical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and another master's in physical science from the University of Houston–Clear Lake. He holds membership in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and is married to Candi Mastracchio.

NASA career

Mastracchio moved to Houston, Texas, in 1987 to work for the Rockwell Shuttle Operations Company at the Johnson Space Center. He joined NASA in 1990 as an engineer in the Flight Crew Operations Directorate, developing space shuttle flight software requirements, verifying flight software in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, and developing ascent and abort crew procedures for the Astronaut Office. From 1993 to 1996, he served as an ascent/entry Guidance and Procedures Officer in Mission Control, supporting seventeen missions.

Selected as an astronaut candidate in April 1996, he began training in August 1996 and qualified as a mission specialist. He worked on technical issues for the Astronaut Office Computer Support Branch, Space Station Operations, and the EVA Branch, and later led cockpit avionics upgrades. Mastracchio flew as a mission specialist on STS-106, STS-118 in August 2007, and STS-131 in April 2010, logging over 5,461 hours in space. He served as a flight engineer on Expedition 38/39 aboard the International Space Station and helped repair the malfunctioning main cooling system.

He returned to Earth on May 13, 2014, and retired from NASA in June 2017. On STS-106, the crew prepared the International Space Station for the first permanent crew, delivering supplies and installing equipment; Mastracchio acted as ascent/entry flight engineer, primary robotic arm operator, and transfer coordinator.