KV Rominger - 07.08.1956

[Orionid]

Kent Vernon Rominger został wyselekcjonowany w ramach NASA grupa 14 (1992).

Jest 332. człowiekiem w kosmosie.

Nalot:
07.08.2025 pozycja 208 na 557.
07.08.2026 pozycja 217 na 567.

Odbył 5 lotów kosmicznych, jako pilot i dowódca, które trwały w sumie 67d 02h 55m 36s:

20.10.1995-05.11.1995 STS-73 Columbia/F-18 015:21:52:21
19.11.1996-07.12.1996 STS-80 Columbia/F-21 017:15:53:17
07.08.1997-19.08.1997 STS-85 Discovery/F-23 011:20:26:58
27.05.1999-06.06.1999 STS-96 Discovery/F-26 ISS-2A.1 009:19:13:00
19.04.2001-01.05.2001 STS-100 Endeavour/F-16 ISS-6A 011:21:30:00

07.08.1956 urodził się w Del Norte w stanie Colorado.

1978 uzyskał tytuł licencjata inżynierii ogólnej na Colorado State University

1987 uzyskał tytuł magistra inżynierii lotniczej i kosmicznej w U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

1979 otrzymał stopień oficerski w ramach programu Aviation Reserve Officer Candidate (AVROC)

09.1980 zaciągnął się do Naval Aviator i został skierowany na szkolenie pilota myśliwca F-14 Tomcat.

10.1981-01.1985 służył w Fighter Squadron Two (VF-2) na lotniskowcach USS Ranger i USS Kitty Hawk.

W tym czasie ukończył  szkolenie w Navy Fighter Weapons School (Topgun).

1987 po ukończeniu Naval Postgraduate School/Test Pilot School Cooperative Program został przydzielony jako F-14 Project Officer do Carrier Suitability Branch of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate w bazie lotniczej Marynarki Wojennej Patuxent River w stanie Maryland.

Przeprowadził próby lądowania na lotniskowcu dla myśliwca F-14B oraz wykonał pierwsze lądowanie na lotniskowcu i start z katapulty myśliwca F-14 Tomcat Advanced Fighter.

09.1990 został przydzielony Fighter Squadron Two Hundred Eleven (VF-211) na lotniskowcu USS Nimitz, gdzie służył jako Operations Officer i brał udział w  Desert Storm Deployment to the Arabian Gulf (operacja Pustynna Burza w Zatoce Arabskiej).

Osiągnął stopień kapitana Marynarki Wojennej USA.

1989 aplikował do NASA grupa 13.
Był jednym ze 106 kandydatów na astronautów, finalistów  wezwanych do JSC na tygodniowe badanie lekarskie i rozmowę kwalifikacyjną.

18.09.1989 był częścią pierwszej grupy, która ukończyła egzamin

31 marca 1992 roku został wybrany jako kandydat na astronautę do 14. klasy NASA.
Po przyjęciu do "NASA Grupa 14" ukończył roczny kurs podstawowy, uzyskując kwalifikacje pilota wahadłowców.

Został przydzielony do Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch.

Później został mianowany Astronaut Office Shuttle Operations Branch

Misja STS-73 Columbia była drugim lotem USML-2 (US Microgravity Laboratory) po misji STS-50 Columbia.
Badania były prowadzone wewnątrz modułu Spacelab umieszczonego w ładowni orbitera.

STS-80 Columbia była najdłuższym lotem w programie STS.

Po raz pierwszy rozmieszono i odzyskano dwie platformy badawcze:
ORFEUS-SPAS II;
WSF-3 (Wake Shield Facility-3).
STS-80 Bildergalerie

Misja STS-85 Discovery dedykowana została obserwacjom Ziemi i testowaniu technik budowy ISS.
Głównym ładunkiem były kriogeniczne spektrometry i teleskopy podczerwieni dla platformy satelitarnej  CRISTA-SPAS-2 (Atmosphere-Shuttle Pallet Satellite-2.
Inne ładunki to japoński MFD (Manipulator Flight Development), TAS-01 (Technology Applications and Science-01) i IEH-02 (International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker-02).

29.05.1999 o 04:23:55 UTC podczas misji STS-96 Discovery nastąpiło pierwsze dokowanie wahadłowca (przez PMA-2) do ISS.
Była to druga misja Montażowa ISS.
W ładowni znajdował się podwójny moduł SPACEHAB ( SH-DM ), którego był to w sumie 13. lot, 6. w konfiguracji podwójnej.

Jernigan i Barry podczas EVA przenieśli z ładowni Discovery na zewnętrzną część ISS OTD (Orbital Transfer Device)(dźwig zbudowany przez USA) oraz części rosyjskiego wysięgnika Strieła 2.

Misja STS-100 Endeavour/F-16 ISS-6A dostarczyła na ISS  SSRMS (Canadian-built Space Station Remote Manipulator System - Canadarm-2) i MPLM RAFFAELLO.

06.2002 został przeniesiony na stanowisko menedżera astronautów NASA.

Pracował jako Deputy Director we Flight Crew Operations w JSC.

11.2002 roku został mianowany szefem Astronaut Corps.

09.2006 opuścił korpus astronautów i NASA.

2006 został mianowany wiceprezesem ds. rozwoju zaawansowanego w ATK Launch Systems Group (później części Northrop Grumman).

Łączny jego nalot na 35 typach samolotów wynosi ponad 5000 godzin.
Wykonał 685 lądowań na lotniskowcach.

https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/rominger_kent.pdf

http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/rominger_kent.htm
http://www.astronautix.com/r/rominger.html
https://www.worldspaceflight.com/bios/r/rominger-k.php

https://mek.kosmo.cz/bio/usa/00332.htm
https://www.kozmo-data.sk/kozmonauti/rominger-kent-vernon.html
https://www.astronaut.ru/index/in_pers/13_082.htm
http://www.april12.eu/usaastron/rominger332en.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kent_Rominger
https://pl.frwiki.wiki/wiki/Kent_Rominger

https://aiaa.org/people/kent-rominger/
https://www.nasa.gov/people/kent-rominger/

USAHoF https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=2469.msg206940#msg206940
PW https://www.forum.kosmonauta.net/index.php?topic=2985.msg206939#msg206939

Tell Me A Story: No Shuttle Runway in Sight
22 DEC 2015

Stephane SEBILE @spacemen1969 12:02 AM · Aug 7, 2025
7 août
Bon anniversaire (69) à @Astro_Rommel 🎂🎂🎂
(un des plus expérimentés avec 5 vols entre octobre 1995 et mai 2001 : STS-73 / 80 / 85 comme pilote et STS-96 et 100 comme Commandant soit 67 j 02 h 04 min dans l'espace). Il décolle le jour de son anniversaire avec STS-85)

https://twitter.com/spacemen1969/status/1953215004255371581

NASA History Office @NASAhistory 7:00 PM · Aug 7, 2016
#HappyBirthday to astronaut Kent Rominger! 19 years ago #today, he launched on STS-85...What a birthday gift!

https://twitter.com/NASAhistory/status/762332481609760768

Association of Space Explorers @ASE_Astronauts 9:00 PM · Aug 7, 2025
#HappyBirthday to ASE member Kent Rominger, who flew to space five times between 1995 and 2001 (STS-73, STS-80, STS-85, STS-96, and STS-100), including as part of trips to the @Space_Station!

https://twitter.com/ASE_Astronauts/status/1953531818105274395
2023 https://x.com/spacemen1969/status/1688431023699214336
2023 https://x.com/ASE_Astronauts/status/1688566023597826048
2024 https://x.com/spacemen1969/status/1820943683916853550
2024 https://x.com/ASE_Astronauts/status/1821350769615855651

[Orionid]

1) Kilku astronautów, którzy pracowali dla Northrop Grumman odpowiedziało na kilka pytań.

From Outer Space to Northrop Grumman
By Brandon Hartman, Brad Herron and Kathy Shafer

Kent Rominger, director of programs: While flying fighter jets for the Navy, I learned that being a test pilot made you competitive to be an astronaut; I decided, ‘Hey, I think I want to do that.’ I applied to NASA in 1990, but didn’t get selected, so I went back and flew during Desert Storm. I applied again and I was doing an exercise at Nellis Air Force Base in 1992 when I got a message to call NASA. I thought I was going to get turned down again, so I waited for over an hour before I called, but I was selected after all. (Editor’s note: Kent retired from Northrop Grumman in 2022.)

https://www.northropgrumman.com/life-at-northrop-grumman/from-outer-space-to-northrop-grumman

2) Kent Rominger Joins ATK Launch Systems Group As VP Advanced Programs
By Space Daily Editorial Team Published October 25, 2006 · Updated March 15, 2026

Alliant Techsystems has announced that Kent Rominger, former NASA Chief of the Astronaut Corps, has accepted the position of Vice President, Advanced Programs within the Launch Systems Group. (...)
https://spacedaily.com/kent-rominger-joins-atk-launch-systems-group-as-vp-advanced-programs-999/

3) Astronaut Kent Rominger Talks About Utah's Aerospace Industry
Utah Public Radio | By Morgan Pratt Published March 30, 2016 at 5:16 PM MDT



Over 10,000 Utahns are employed by aerospace aviation companies.

Kent "Rommel" Rominger was a former space astronaut. He flew the space shuttle five times and was with NASA for 14 years. Rominger is also the VP for business development for Orbital ATK, a private aerospace company and builds defense and aviation systems.

Rominger said space exploration budgets are tighter because taxpayers want more bang for their buck.

"It is an interesting world for the aerospace industry," he said. "In the space world, NASA decided to pull on some of the private sector with contracting mechanisms that allow them to bring systems maybe at a more affordable prices."

Rominger said NASA relies on companies like SpaceX and Orbital ATK to supply the space stations.

"NASA is continuing to do the tough pieces of exploration that are really tough and take a lot of work such as putting humans on Mars," he said.

Orbital ATK is working on the project as well. They are helping build the mega rocket that’ll take humans to Mars.

Rominger also said ATK assists the Air Force and the Navy to create defense systems.   

"The strategic missiles that the Navy and the Air Force have, we do all of the propulsion for that right out of here in Utah," he said.

ATK is designing and building rockets that can help the Air Force put its satellites in orbit. Rominger said the F-22 is the peak in the limit, so it can do more than the human body can actually withstand.

 "We're kind of at the limits of the human body," he said.

Rominger said the industry is moving toward more unmanned vehicles.

"As a pilot, it’s sad but it is unfortunately the right thing to do is start using unmanned vehicles more and more where they are going into harm's way and not putting human life at risk," he said.
https://www.upr.org/utah-news/2016-03-30/astronaut-kent-rominger-talks-about-utahs-aerospace-industry

NASA History Office @NASAhistory 5:00 PM · May 29, 2024
25 years ago today, STS-96 Commander Kent Rominger eased Space Shuttle Discovery to a textbook docking with the baby @Space_Station's Unity module. During the mission, the crew transferred 3,567 pounds of material to the station!

https://twitter.com/NASAhistory/status/1795832476272677194

Kent Rominger @Astro_Rommel 2:09 PM · Jul 7, 2020
The latest episode in the #OmegARocket virtual tour is about transporting rocket hardware from Utah to Florida. Thanks, @KatieQian !

https://twitter.com/Astro_Rommel/status/1280473947868467200

[Orionid]

Aerospace Corp. wybrała byłego astronautę NASA i wiceprezesa ds. programów strategicznych w Northrop Grumman, do swojej rady powierniczej.

Aerospace Names Former NASA Astronaut to Board of Trustees
By Staff Writer May 17, 2026

(...) As a NASA astronaut, Rominger flew five space shuttle missions, commanded two and logged over 1,600 hours in space. He still serves on NASA’s Aerospace Safety Advisory Council. His 26-year flight career began in the Navy, where he piloted over 35 aircraft types and served during Operation Desert Storm.

Over 15 years of senior leadership at Northrop Grumman, Orbital ATK and ATK, Rominger helped develop and sustain key Navy and U.S. Air Force missile, propulsion and launch programs. As vice president of strategic programs, he led work on the Navy’s Fleet Ballistic Missile Program, the Air Force’s Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent pursuit and Minuteman III sustainment. (...)
https://washingtonexec.com/2026/05/aerospace-names-former-nasa-astronaut-to-board-of-trustees/

Cady Coleman @Astro_Cady 2:01 PM · Aug 7, 2026
🥳🎂Please join me in extending warm birthday wishes to my friend and former crewmate @Astro_Rommel, who piloted #SpaceShuttle #Columbia on our #STS73 mission. Here's many more amazing orbits!💫
(Image Credit: @NASA)

https://twitter.com/Astro_Cady/status/2085697715279724942

[Orionid]

From the Shuttle to the Lab, NPS Alumni Look for Solutions to Today’s Space Challenges
Amanda D. Stein  |  June 1, 2011


Kent Rominger, far left, works with fellow astronauts in NASA’s Space Station Processing Facility in preparation for the launch of STS-100. Rominger worked with NASA until 2006 when he took a job with ATK, where he currently serves as Vice President of Strategy and Business Development. Photo courtesy of Kent Rominger.

(...) Rominger echoed that sentiment, noting that his aspirations all began with a passion for flying and an opportunity made possible by the Navy.

“From the time I first flew with my father in a small plane at the age of 4, I knew I wanted to be a pilot,” said Rominger. “It was as a Navy F-14 fighter pilot that I set my goal on becoming an astronaut. As a young fighter pilot I learned all the NASA pilot astronauts were test pilots and that many had masters degrees in engineering fields. The Navy had a program ideally suited for me, the NPS/Test Pilot School cooperative program. (...)
https://nps.edu/-/from-the-shuttle-to-the-lab-nps-alumni-look-for-solutions-to-today-s-space-challenges

Association of Space Explorers @ASE_Astronauts 3:30 AM · Aug 8, 2026
#ASEspotlight: Kent Rominger 💫
In November 1995, ASE member @Astro_Rommel was photographed taking a photograph aboard Space Shuttle Columbia during STS-73.
Fun fact: He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2015!
Happy 70th birthday, Rommel! 🎉

https://twitter.com/ASE_Astronauts/status/2085901372860329987