posted 11-02-2017 10:05 PM               

Veteran Space Shuttle Astronaut Smith Retires from NASA

An astronaut with four space shuttle missions has retired from NASA. Steven L. Smith left the agency after a career that began even before he became an astronaut.

"Steve brought so much to NASA during the course of his career," said Pat Forrester, chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA's Johnson Space Center. "He made great contributions not just to the astronaut office and the Johnson Space Center but to the entire agency. We appreciate his service over the past several decades and wish him well in the future."

Smith was selected as an astronaut in 1992, after first coming to NASA in 1989 as a payload officer in the Mission Operations Directorate. He was the first member of the 1992 class to receive a flight assignment and made his first of four spaceflights in 1994 as part of Endeavour's STS-68 mission, conducting Earth observations with the Space Radar Laboratory.

Smith flew again aboard Discovery in 1997, as part of the STS-82 crew, visiting the Hubble Space Telescope and performing three of the mission's four spacewalks. He returned to Hubble and served as the payload commander in 1999 as part of the STS-103 mission, again onboard Discovery, and performed two more spacewalks.

Smith's final flight came in 2002, on board space shuttle Atlantis for STS-110. Visiting the new International Space Station, he served as the lead spacewalker, performing two more spacewalks and helping to install the station's initial truss segment.

During those four missions, Smith conducted seven spacewalks, totaling 49 hours and 25 minutes. He currently ranks seventh on the list of most time spent spacewalking by U.S. astronauts.

Following his final spaceflight, Smith continued to serve in a variety of positions at NASA, such as the Automated Transfer Vehicle (ATV) Launch Package Manager for all five ATV flights, the International Space Station Program's liaison to the European Space Agency, and associate director for the program's science directorate at NASA's Ames Research Center in California.

Smith was born in Phoenix, Arizona, and considers San Jose, California, his hometown. He earned a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, and two master's degrees in electrical engineering and business administration, all from Stanford University.

posted 05-08-2018 09:31 PM               

Blue Sky Network Appoints Former NASA Astronaut Steven L. Smith to Board of Directors

Blue Sky Network, an industry-leading global provider of satellite tracking and fleet management solutions, today announced the appointment of former NASA astronaut Steven L. Smith to the Board of Directors.

A veteran of four spaceflights covering 16 million miles, Smith's total spacewalk hours place him in the top 10 of both U.S. astronauts and space explorers from other nations. Undertaking seven spacewalks totaling 49 hours and 25 minutes, he has serviced the Hubble Space Telescope and International Space Station (ISS). He later served as the NASA ISS Program Liaison to the European Space Agency and then as the Associate Director for ISS, Science Directorate, at NASA Ames Research Center in Silicon Valley.

A Stanford University graduate, with bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering plus an MBA, Smith now lends his considerable technical and business expertise to progressive technology companies including Blue Sky Network.

"I'm honored to join Blue Sky Network as a Director," said Smith. "From both business and safety standpoints, today's fleet owners must be able to fully manage their assets in real-time. Blue Sky Network's innovative technology, tracking and analytics engine, two-way messaging, and voice solutions allow safer, more efficient fleet operations."

"I am thrilled to welcome Steve to our Board," said Gregoire Demory, Blue Sky Network President. "His industry expertise and the relationships he's built over years will greatly benefit our growth initiatives."

"Steve joins a highly accomplished group of professionals serving on our Board of Directors," said Kambiz Aghili, Blue Sky Network CEO. "His forward-looking vision will prove invaluable to the company's continued success."