Editing Robert C. Springer (section)

==Pre-spaceflight experience==
Springer was born May 21, 1942, in [[St. Louis, Missouri]]. He was active in the [[Boy Scouts of America]] where he achieved its second-highest rank, [[Life Scout]]. He graduated from [[Ashland High School (Ohio)|Ashland High School]] in [[Ashland, Ohio]] in 1960. He received a [[Commissioned officer|commission]] in the U.S. Marine Corps following his 1964 graduation from the [[United States Naval Academy]] in [[Annapolis, Maryland]] with a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in Naval Science. Springer attended [[The Basic School]] at [[Marine Corps Base Quantico]], [[Virginia]] before reporting to the [[Naval Air Training Command]] for flight training at [[Pensacola, Florida]] and [[Beeville, Texas]].

Upon receiving his [[Naval Aviator|aviator]] [[United States Aviator Badge|wings]] in August 1966, he was assigned to [[VMFA-513]] at the [[Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point]], [[North Carolina]]. There Springer flew [[F-4 Phantom II]] [[Fighter aircraft|fighter]]s. He was subsequently assigned to [[VMFA-115]] at [[Chu Lai]] in [[South Vietnam]], where he completed 300 F-4 combat missions. In June 1968, Springer served as an advisor to the [[Republic of Korea Marine Corps|South Korean Marine Corps]] units in Vietnam and flew 250 [[Aerial warfare|combat missions]] in [[O-1 Bird Dog]]s and [[UH-1 Iroquois]] "Huey" [[helicopter]]s.

Springer returned to the United States to attend the U.S. [[Naval Postgraduate School]] in [[Monterey, California]], receiving a [[Master of Science]] degree in [[Operations Research]] and [[Systems Analysis]] in 1971. In March 1971 he was assigned to the [[3rd Marine Aircraft Wing]] at [[MCAS El Toro]], [[California]], where he became Wing operations analysis officer.

He flew UH-1Es in 1972 while with [[HML-267]] at [[Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton|Camp Pendleton]], California and then went to [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] in Japan to fly UH-1Es with [[HML-367]], [[1st Marine Aircraft Wing]]. Springer flew F-4 Phantom II fighters as an aircraft maintenance officer with [[VMFA-451]] in [[Beaufort, South Carolina]] and also attended what was then called [[Navy Fighter Weapons School]] ("[[TOPGUN]]").

A 1975 graduate of the [[U.S. Naval Test Pilot School]] at [[NAS Patuxent River]], [[Maryland]], he served as Head of the Ordnance Systems branch and as a test pilot for more than 20 different types of fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft. In this capacity, he performed the first flights in the [[Bell AH-1 SuperCobra|AH-1T]] helicopter. He graduated from the [[Armed Forces Staff College]] in [[Norfolk, Virginia]] in 1978, and was assigned to Headquarters Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic, where he assumed responsibility for joint operational planning for Marine Forces in [[NATO]] and the [[Middle East]]. He was serving as aide-de-camp for the Commanding General, [[Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic]], when advised of his selection by NASA in May 1980.