William R. Pogue

Bill Pogue has flown over thirty-four million miles during eighty-four days in space, still the U. S. record. His Air Force military career included a combat tour during the Korean conflict, two years as an aerobatic pilot with the Air Force's precision flying team, the Thunderbirds, and an exchange assignment with the Royal Air Force as a test pilot. During his flying career, he logged over five thousand hours of flight time, most of which was in jet aircraft, and has gained proficiency in more than fifty types and models of American and British aircraft. In addition, he served as an assistant professor of mathematics at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado, Springs, Colorado.

In April of 1966, Bill was selected in the 5th group of NASA astronauts and, prior to Skylab, he served on the support crews for the Apollo 7, 11 and 14 missions.

On November 16, 1973 Pogue, along with fellow astronauts Gerald P. Carr and Dr. Edward G. Gibson launched for the third and final manned visit to the Skylab space station. The Skylab 4 crew spent the next eighty-four days orbiting the Earth a total of one thousand two hundred and fourteen times, during which time Bill and Jerry Carr set a new record for the longest walk in space by spending seven hours outside Skylab.

The accomplishments of this space flight included astrophysics observations and the completion of numerous experiments related to studies of the Earth, the sun and the long-term physiological effects of weightlessness on crew members.

Pogue set the American space endurance record during Skylab 4, with 84 days, along with his crew mates. That record was broken in 1994/1995 by Norman E. Thagard, with his ascent to Russian space station Mir on Soyuz-TM 21, and his return on Atlantis STS-71. Pogue called Thagard on board Mir, along with the rest of Skylab 4, to congratulate him on his record.

Pogue left NASA in 1977 to pursue a new career as consultant to aerospace and energy companies. He worked with the Boeing Company in support of the Space Station Freedom Project, and now works with them on the International Space Station Project, specializing in assembly EVA.

Bill is participating in several advanced technology and future mission studies currently being
conducted by NASA and is a member of a special subcommittee of the Aerospace Medical Advisory Committee to advice the Administrator on the acceptability of medical procedures to certify crew members for long durations in space. He has also made frequent public appearances and has written a book based on hundreds of questions with the public. The book, entitled How Do You Go the the Bathroom in Space?, gives Bill's answers to the most frequently asked questions about space.

From September to February of 1988, Bill participated in an advanced study for NASA's Office of Exploration to develop a plan for optimizing the use of automation and robotics for the in-space assembly of space vehicles for Mars missions.

In May of 1989, Bill concluded a two-year study for NASA to develop requirements for Extravehicular Activity (space walks/surface exploration) for Geosynchronous Earth Orbit, Lunar Surface and Mars Surface (and Phobos surface).

Pogue is currently a technical services contractor to aerospace firms on the Space Station Program.