Bill Pogue

Bill's 25-year military career included a combat tour in Korea, two years as aerobatic pilot with the Thunderbirds, a tour as an assistant professor of mathematics at the Air Force Academy, and an exchange assignment as test pilot with the Royal Air Force. During his career he flew over fifty types and models of American, British and Czech aircraft. He was selected in the 5th group of astronauts in 1966 and was on the support crews for Apollos 7, 11 and 14. Bill's 84-day space flight aboard the Skylab space station ('73-'74), with astronauts Jerry Carr and Ed Gibson) set eight endurance and distance records. He made two space walks (one for a new record-of over seven hours) and conducted numerous experiments related to studies of the Earth, the sun and the long-term effects of zero gravity on crewmembers. Bill left NASA in 1977 and, since, has worked as an independent technical contractor for several aerospace and energy firms. From 1984 to 1998 he provided contract technical support to the Boeing Company for the Space Station Freedom program which later (1992) evolved into the International Space Station project. In October 1997, Bill was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at Titusville, FL.