Paul W. Richards
I couldn't meet Paul W. Richards when he made an appearance at Drexel University in Philadelphia in October 2011, although the university did acquire his autograph for me on a separate piece of paper (both myself and my book was unavailable at that time, the latter probably because it was on its way to being signed by Rich Clifford.)
He works at Goddard, so I was hoping to one day meet him and have him sign my book proper. As it turns out, Richards made an appearance (in place of ret. Navy Capt. Christopher J. Ferguson, who interesting enough, appeared with Richards in 2011) at Drexel, his alma mater, so I was able to get this candid photo as well as my Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years book autographed. (And Richards used his own Sharpie!) 20 March 2013, Philadelphia, Pa.
Richards was selected by NASA in April 1996, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed 2 years of training and evaluation, he is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Richards was initially assigned to the Computer Branch working on software for the space shuttle and the International Space Station. He next served in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch assigned to support Payload and General Support Computers (PGSCs) and the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL).
Richards flew on STS-102 and has logged more than 307 hours in space, including 6.4 EVA hours. He was assigned as a backup crewmember for ISS Expedition-7.
Richards left NASA in February 2002 to become an aerospace consultant. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Space Business Roundtable and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Drexel University's College of Engineering.
In 2004, Richards returned to NASA GSFC as the Observatory Manager for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R Series). The GOES-R series is the next-generation of advanced weather satellites being developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with NASA.
STS-102/Discovery (March 8-21, 2001) was the eighth shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. Mission accomplishments included the delivery of the Expedition-2 crew and the contents of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, the return to Earth of the Expedition-1 crew as well as the return of Leonardo, the reusable cargo carrier built by the Italian Space Agency. Richards performed an EVA totaling 6 hours and 21 minutes. Mission duration was 307 hours and 49 minutes.
Paul W. Richards
I couldn't meet Paul W. Richards when he made an appearance at Drexel University in Philadelphia in October 2011, although the university did acquire his autograph for me on a separate piece of paper (both myself and my book was unavailable at that time, the latter probably because it was on its way to being signed by Rich Clifford.)
He works at Goddard, so I was hoping to one day meet him and have him sign my book proper. As it turns out, Richards made an appearance (in place of ret. Navy Capt. Christopher J. Ferguson, who interesting enough, appeared with Richards in 2011) at Drexel, his alma mater, so I was able to get this candid photo as well as my Space Shuttle: The First 20 Years book autographed. (And Richards used his own Sharpie!) 20 March 2013, Philadelphia, Pa.
Richards was selected by NASA in April 1996, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed 2 years of training and evaluation, he is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Richards was initially assigned to the Computer Branch working on software for the space shuttle and the International Space Station. He next served in the Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch assigned to support Payload and General Support Computers (PGSCs) and the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL).
Richards flew on STS-102 and has logged more than 307 hours in space, including 6.4 EVA hours. He was assigned as a backup crewmember for ISS Expedition-7.
Richards left NASA in February 2002 to become an aerospace consultant. He also served on the Board of Directors for the Maryland Space Business Roundtable and currently serves on the Board of Advisors for Drexel University's College of Engineering.
In 2004, Richards returned to NASA GSFC as the Observatory Manager for the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite (GOES-R Series). The GOES-R series is the next-generation of advanced weather satellites being developed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in partnership with NASA.
STS-102/Discovery (March 8-21, 2001) was the eighth shuttle mission to visit the International Space Station. Mission accomplishments included the delivery of the Expedition-2 crew and the contents of the Leonardo Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, the return to Earth of the Expedition-1 crew as well as the return of Leonardo, the reusable cargo carrier built by the Italian Space Agency. Richards performed an EVA totaling 6 hours and 21 minutes. Mission duration was 307 hours and 49 minutes.