Editing Richard A. Searfoss

{{Short description|American astronaut and aviator (1956–2018)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name          = Rick Searfoss
|image         = Richard Searfoss2.jpg
|birth_name    = Richard Alan Searfoss
|birth_date    = {{birth date|1956|6|5}}
|birth_place   = [[Mount Clemens, Michigan|Mount Clemens]], [[Michigan]], U.S.
|death_date    = {{nowrap|{{death date and age|2018|9|29|1956|6|5}}}}
|death_place   = [[Tehachapi, California]], U.S.
|education     = [[United States Air Force Academy]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[California Institute of Technology]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])
|type          = [[NASA astronaut]]
|rank          = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]]
|time          = 39d 3h 18m
|selection     = [[NASA Astronaut Group 13|NASA Group 13 (1990)]]
|mission       = [[STS-58]]<br>[[STS-76]]<br>[[STS-90]]
|insignia      = [[File:Sts-58-patch.png|48px]] [[File:Sts-76-patch.png|42px]] [[File:Sts-90-patch.svg|50px]]
|}}
'''Richard Alan "Rick" Searfoss''' (June 5, 1956 – September 29, 2018) was an American aviator who was [[United States Air Force]] [[colonel]], [[NASA]] [[astronaut]] and [[test pilot]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Richard Alan Searfoss, 1956–2018 |url=http://www.tehachapinews.com/obituaries/richard-alan-searfoss/article_32ce5de8-c8c4-11e8-87fa-4b56b2f02bf5.html |newspaper=[[Tehachapi News]] |location=[[Tehachapi, California]] |accessdate=9 October 2018 |date=5 October 2018}}</ref>

==Early life==
Searfoss was born on June 5, 1956, in [[Mount Clemens, Michigan]], but had considered [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]], to be his hometown.<ref>{{Citation
| last1  = McMahon
| first1 = Charles
| title     = Legendary Locals of Portsmouth
| publisher = Arcadia Publishing
| isbn     = 9781467100762
| page  = 111
| year    = 2013
}}</ref> Growing up, he became an [[Eagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)|Eagle Scout]].

After graduating from Portsmouth Senior High School, [[Portsmouth, New Hampshire]] in 1974, he received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[Aeronautical Engineering]] from the [[United States Air Force Academy]] in 1978, and a [[Master's degree|Master of Science]] degree in [[Aeronautics]] from the [[California Institute of Technology]] on a [[National Science Foundation]] Fellowship in 1979. In the Air Force, he attended [[Squadron Officer School]], [[Air Command and Staff College]], and [[Air War College]].

==Air Force service==
Searfoss graduated in 1980 from [[Undergraduate Pilot Training]] at [[Williams Air Force Base]], [[Arizona]]. From 1981 to 1984, he flew the [[F-111#F-111F|F-111F]] operationally at [[RAF Lakenheath]], England, followed by a tour at [[Mountain Home Air Force Base]], [[Idaho]], where he was an [[F-111#F-111A|F-111A]] [[Flight instructor|instructor pilot]] and [[weapon systems officer|weapons officer]] until 1987. In 1988 he attended the [[United States Naval Test Pilot School|U.S. Naval Test Pilot School]], [[Patuxent River, Maryland]], as a USAF exchange officer. He was a flight instructor at the [[U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School]] at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], [[California]], when selected for the astronaut program.

He has logged over 6,000 hours flying time in 77 different types of aircraft and over 939 hours in space. He also holds FAA Airline Transport Pilot, glider, and flight instructor [[Pilot certification in the United States|ratings]].

==NASA career==
Selected by [[NASA]] in January 1990, Searfoss became an astronaut in July 1991. Initially assigned to the Astronaut Office Mission Support Branch, Searfoss was part of a team responsible for crew ingress/strap-in prior to launch and crew egress after landing. He was subsequently assigned to flight software verification in the [[Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory]] (SAIL). Additionally, he served as the Astronaut Office representative for both flight crew procedures and Shuttle computer software development. He also served as the Astronaut Office Vehicle System and Operations Branch Chief, leading a team of several astronauts and support engineers working on [[Space Shuttle]] and [[International Space Station]] systems development, rendezvous and landing/rollout operations, and advanced projects initiatives.

Searfoss served as [[STS-58]] pilot on the seven-person life science research mission aboard the [[Space Shuttle Columbia]], launching from the [[Kennedy Space Center]] on October 18, 1993, and landing at [[Edwards Air Force Base]] on November 1, 1993. The crew performed neurovestibular, cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, metabolic, and musculoskeletal medical experiments on themselves and 48 rats, expanding our knowledge of human and animal physiology both on earth and in space flight. In addition, the crew performed 16 engineering tests aboard the Orbiter Columbia and 20 Extended Duration Orbiter Medical Project experiments. The mission was accomplished in 225 orbits of the Earth.

Searfoss flew his second mission as pilot of [[STS-76]] aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis, which launched at night on March 22, 1996. During this 9-day mission the STS-76 crew performed the third docking of an American spacecraft with the Russian space station [[Mir]]. In support of a joint U.S./Russian program, the crew transported to Mir nearly two tons of water, food, supplies, and scientific equipment, as well as U.S. Astronaut [[Shannon Lucid]] to begin her six-month stay in space. STS-76 included the first-ever spacewalk on a combined Space Shuttle-Space Station complex. The flight crew also conducted scientific investigations, including European Space Agency sponsored biology experiments, the [[Kidsat]] earth observations project, and several engineering flight tests. Completed in 145 orbits, STS-76 landed at [[Edwards Air Force Base]], California, on March 31, 1996.

Searfoss commanded a seven-person crew on the [[STS-90]] Neurolab mission which launched on April 17, 1998. During the 16-day [[Spacelab]] flight the crew served as both experiment subjects and operators for 26 individual life science experiments focusing on the effects of microgravity on the brain and nervous system. STS-90 was the last and most complex of the twenty-five Spacelab missions NASA has flown. Neurolab's scientific results will have broad applicability both in preparing for future long duration human space missions and in clinical applications on Earth. Completed in 256 orbits, STS-90 landed at [[Kennedy Space Center]], Florida, on May 3, 1998.

A veteran of three space flights, Searfoss logged over 39 days in space.  He retired from the Air Force and left NASA in 1998.  He became a commercial transport pilot for Southwest Airlines for a brief period and then returned to the space program by serving as the chief of safety for United Space Alliance at Kennedy Space Center.  For the next few years, he continued to work as a contract research test pilot at NASA's [[Dryden Flight Research Center]].  For the year and a half immediately prior to his death, he was a T-38 instructor pilot at Edwards Air Force Base.

== Civilian space ==
After leaving NASA, Searfoss served as a judge for the [[Ansari X-Prize]], where he officially declared [[SpaceShipOne]] to have won the competition on October 4, 2004, after completing two flights within a two-week period.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

Searfoss was a test pilot instructor at the [[National Test Pilot School]] at the [[Mojave Spaceport]].<ref>[http://www.ntps.edu/HTML/Bios/rsearfoss.htm NTPS info on Searfoss] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008013730/http://www.ntps.edu/HTML/Bios/rsearfoss.htm |date=2007-10-08 }}</ref>

In 2008, he was a featured guest in a [[Volkswagen]] commercial, where he argued with a black [[Volkswagen Beetle|Beetle]] about who has more engineers between Volkswagen and NASA.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

From the mid-2000s until the company closed, Searfoss worked with [[XCOR Aerospace]] in the development of their rocket-powered aircraft. {{asof|2013|09}}, he was Chief Test Pilot at XCOR.<ref name=xa20130516>
{{cite web |title=XCOR Team – Pilots |url=http://xcor.com/team/pilots.html |publisher=XCOR Aerospace |accessdate=2013-05-16 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131002220829/http://xcor.com/team/pilots.html |archivedate=2013-10-02 }}</ref> He flew the flight tests and [[Flight envelope|envelope expansion]] of the [[XCOR EZ-Rocket|EZ-Rocket]].  He also served as XCOR's only test pilot for a rocket-powered prototype racing aircraft. He made a total of 52 rocket-powered flights and was the world's only tri-qualified rocket pilot (Space Shuttle, EZ Rocket, Rocket Racer prototype).{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

==Honors and awards==
*Eagle Scout
*Awarded the Harmon, Fairchild, Price and Tober Awards (top overall, academic, engineering, and aeronautical engineering graduate), United States Air Force Academy Class of 1978.<ref name=nasabio>{{NASA}}{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/searfoss_richard.pdf |title=RICHARD A. SEARFOSS (COLONEL, USAF, RET.), NASA ASTRONAUT (DECEASED) |publisher=NASA|date=October 2018 |access-date=May 20, 2021}}</ref>
*Air Force Aero Propulsion Laboratory Excellence in Turbine Engine Design award.<ref name=nasabio/>
*USAF Squadron Officer's School Commandant's Trophy as top graduate.<ref name=nasabio/>
*Distinguished graduate, USAF [[United States Air Force Fighter Weapons School|Fighter Weapons School]].<ref name=nasabio/>
*Named the [[Tactical Air Command]] [[F-111]] Instructor Pilot of the Year, 1985.<ref name=nasabio/>
*Selected for Outstanding Young Men of America, 1987.<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[Air Force Commendation Medal]]<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[Defense Meritorious Service Medal]]<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[Defense Superior Service Medal]]<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[NASA Space Flight Medal]] (3)<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[NASA Exceptional Service Medal]]<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal]]<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[Distinguished Flying Cross (U.S.)|Distinguished Flying Cross]]<ref name=nasabio/>
*[[Orbit Award]]
* Asteroid [[13157 Searfoss]], discovered by the [[Spacewatch]] survey in 1995, was named in his honor.<ref name="MPC-object" /> The official {{MoMP|13157|naming citation}} was published by the [[Minor Planet Center]] on 1 May 2003 ({{small|[[Minor Planet Circulars|M.P.C.]] 48394}}).<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive" />

==Organizations==
*[[Society of Experimental Test Pilots]]
*[[Association of Space Explorers]]
*[[National Eagle Scout Association]]
*[[Air Force Association]]
*[[Academy of Model Aeronautics]]

== Popular culture ==
In January 2017, Searfoss was a featured guest on the first [[Star Trek]] Cruise, where he gave a presentation with actor [[Robert Picardo]] about the history and future of space flight.<ref>http://www.startrek.com/article/star-trek-the-cruise-day-two-recap Star Trek Cruise 2017 article</ref> He offered two lectures on both sailings of the Star Trek Cruise II in January 2018.<ref>http://www.startrek.com/article/star-trek-the-cruise-ii-day-2 Star Trek: The Cruise II - Day 2</ref><ref>http://www.startrek.com/article/star-trek-the-cruise-ii-day-6 Star Trek: The Cruise II - Day 6</ref>

Searfoss made small appearances in several films, including ''[[Green Lantern (film)|Green Lantern]]'', ''[[Oblivion (2013 film)|Oblivion]]'', and ''[[Trek Nation]]''.<ref>[https://m.imdb.com/name/nm3210922 Rick Searfoss at IMDB]</ref>

==Personal life and death==
Searfoss was a member of [[The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]].<ref name="obit" /> He died in [[Tehachapi, California]], on September 29, 2018, at the age of 62.<ref name="obit" /> He was buried in the [[United States Air Force Academy Cemetery]].<ref name="obit">{{Cite web |url=https://www.woodmortuary.net/obituaries/Richard-Searfoss/#!/Obituary |title=Colonel Richard Alan Searfoss Obituary |website=WoodMortuary.net |access-date=October 17, 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|refs=

<ref name="MPC-object">{{cite web
  |title      = 13157 Searfoss (1995 TQ6)
  |work       = Minor Planet Center
  |url        = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/db_search/show_object?object_id=13157
  |accessdate = 13 June 2019}}</ref>

<ref name="MPC-Circulars-Archive">{{cite web
  |title      = MPC/MPO/MPS Archive
  |work       = Minor Planet Center
  |url        = https://www.minorplanetcenter.net/iau/ECS/MPCArchive/MPCArchive_TBL.html
  |accessdate = 13 June 2019}}</ref>

}} <!-- end of reflist -->

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH6XaS69vOY&feature=player_embedded Interview at Oshkosh 2008] following airshow flight of the [[XCOR]] [[Rocket Racing League]] X-Racer prototype.
* [http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/38256457 XCOR at CSF Members Meeting] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140904145624/http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/38256457 |date=2014-09-04 }}, Rick Searfoss, Chief Test Pilot (starts @1:22), ''Commercial Spaceflight Federation'', 4 Sep 2013.

{{NASA Astronaut Group 13}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Searfoss, Richard A.}}
[[Category:1956 births]]
[[Category:2018 deaths]]
[[Category:American Latter Day Saints]]
[[Category:American test pilots]]
[[Category:Aviators from Michigan]]
[[Category:California Institute of Technology alumni]]
[[Category:Converts to Mormonism]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Michigan]]
[[Category:People from Mount Clemens, Michigan]]
[[Category:People from Portsmouth, New Hampshire]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal]]
[[Category:United States Air Force Academy alumni]]
[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
[[Category:United States Air Force astronauts]]
[[Category:American flight instructors]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Mir crew members]]