Jeffrey Nels WILLIAMS

Colonel of the U.S. Army, retired,
NASA Astronaut,
Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, USA

DATE AND PLACE OF BIRTH:

Born January 18, 1958 in Superior, Wisconsin, USA, but considers Winter, Wisconsin, to be his hometown.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from High School in Winter, Wisconsin in 1976.

In May 1980 he graduated from U.S. Military Academy and received a bachelor of science degree in applied science and engineering and a rank of a second lientenant.

In 1987 he graduated from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and received a Master of science degree in aeronautical engineering and the degree of aeronautical engineer.

In 1995-1996 he was educated by exchange at the U.S. Naval War College, Command and Staff course and received a Master of arts degree in National security and strategic studies.

FAMILY STATUS: Married to Anna-Marie Moore and has two children.

ORGANIZATIONS:

Association of the U.S. Army, Society of Experimental Test Pilots,
American Helicopter Society, Army Aviation Association of America,
Order of Daedalians.

AWARDS AND RANKS:

Two Meritorious Service Medals, the Army Commendation Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, NASA Distinguished Service Medal, three NASA Space Flight Medals and others.

HOBBY:

Enjoys running, fishing, camping, skiing, scuba diving and wood-working. As a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy competed in the sport parachute team and held ratings of sport parachute jumpmaster and instructor.

WORK EXPERIENCE:

In September 1981 be was designated an Army aviator. He then completed a three-year assignment in Germany where be served as an Aeroscout Platoon Leader and Operations Officer in the 3rd Armored Division’s aviation battalion. Upon graduation from the Postgraduate School in 1987 he was sent to Johnson Space Center, where he served for over 4 years. He served as a Shuttle launch and landing operations engineer, a pilot in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) and chief of the Operations Development Office, Flight Crew Operations Directorate.

In 1992-1993 he studied at the Naval Test Pilot School and was the best among those who graduated from this School (103rd graduation). Since June 1993, he served as an experimental test pilot and then Flight Test Division Chief in the Army’s Airworthiness Qualification Test Directorate at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He has logged over 3000 hours in more than 50 different aircrafts. Retired in June 2007 after more than 27 years of service.

In May 1996 be was selected for the NASA astronaut detachment (16-th selection). In August 1996 Williams again returned to Johnson Space Center and passed a two-year course of general space training, which be finished in 1998 as a mission specialist. After this he was appointed to the Spacecraft Systems Division and then – to the ISS Operations Division.
On November 16, 1998 he was selected for STS-101 crew.

From May 19-29, 2000 he performed the first spaceflight as the Atlantis mission specialist under STS-101 Program. The main flight task was operations onboard the International Space Station. In flight he performed one EVA of the duration of 6 hours, 44 minutes. The flight duration was 9 days, 20 hours, 9 minutes, 8 seconds.

He passed training for a space mission within the ISS-12 back-up crew as commander.

He performed the second spaceflight from March 30 to September 29, 2006 as the Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft flight engineer and the ISS prime crew-13 together with Pavel Vinogradov and Marcos Pontes (spaceflight participant).

The docking to the ISS occurred on April 1, 2006. From July 6, 2006 together with Pavel Vinogradov and Jeffrey Williams as flight engineer-2 of Expedition-13 Thomas Reiter worked who was carried to the Station by the Discovery shuttle (STS-121). On September 29 at 01:50 Moscow time the Soyuz TMA-8 spacecraft undocked from the international Space Station. The spacecraft landing occurred on September 29, 2006 at 05:13 Moscow time on the Kazakhstan territory north to Arkalyk.
In flight he performed two EVAs of the total duration of 12 hours 25 min.

The flight duration was 182 days 22 hours 43 min 17 s.

In July 2008 it was reported that he was assigned instead of Shannon Walker to the backup crew of Expedition-19 to the ISS. He passed training under the program for Expedition-19 to the ISS as the ISS commander, the backup crew Soyuz TMA flight engineer.

In August 2007 he was preliminarily assigned to the prime crew of Expedition-21 to the ISS. On September 21, 2008 his appointment was confirmed in the plan of flights to the ISS, which was published by Roscosmos press-service. On November 21, 2008 his appointment was officially confirmed by NASA when announcing the ISS-20 – ISS-26 crew members.

On March 3-4, 2009 at the Cosmonaut Training Center Jeffrey Williams together with Maxim Suraev passed preflight examinations with an excellent mark. Together with them backup of space tourist Esther Dyson successfully passed preflight exams. During the launch of TV Soyuz TMA-14 on March 26, 2009 he was a backup of the vehicle flight engineer. On September 7-8, 2009 at the Cosmonaut Training Center Williams together with Maxim Suraev passed preflight examinations with an excellent mark. Together with them space tourist Guy Laliberte successfully passed preflight examinations. On September 10, 2009 the Interdepartmental Commission approved him as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-16 vehicle, crewmember of Expedition 21 and commander of Expedition 22 of the ISS.

Jeffrey Williams performed his third spaceflight at a period of September 30, 2009 to March 18, 2010 as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-16 vehicle, ISS-21 and commander of the ISS-22 together with Maxim Suraev and Guy Laliberte (space flight participant).

The flight duration was 169 days 4 hr 9 min 37 sec.

In January 2014 it was reported that he was assigned to the crew of Soyuz-19 (the ISS-47/48 crew).

On January 30, 2014 Jeffrey Williams within the ISS-47/48 crew together with Oleg Skirpochka and Alexei Ovchinin participated in training for actions in case of the emergency landing in a wooded marshy area in winter.

On February 11, 2014 his assignment to the ISS-47/48 crew was confirmed in NASA press release No. 14-048.

On February 19, 2015 at the State Medical Board (SMB) meeting at Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center Jeffrey Nels Williams was recognized as fit for space flight as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-16M backup crew.

On March 4, 2015 he began to pass the comprehensive training as a flight engineer of the spacecraft backup crew together with the spacecraft commander Aleksei Ovchinin and flight engineer Sergei Volkov. That day the examination training on the Soyuz TMA-M simulator was provided. On March 5 the crew passed the test training on the ISS Russian Segment.

On March 6, 2015 at the State Commission meeting at Yu.A. Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center he was approved as a flight engineer of the Soyuz TMA-16M backup crew.

On March 26, 2015 at the State Commission meeting at the Baikonur Cosmodrome his appointment was confirmed.

On March 27, 2015 during the launch of the Soyuz TMA-16M spacecraft he was a backup of the spacecraft flight engineer-2.

March 2016
Based on data of Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA, USA,
site www.astronaut.ru.