Edward Gibson

Infobox Astronaut
name =Edward George Gibson

---

nationality =USA
date_birth =November 8, 1936
place_birth =Buffalo, New York
occupation =Engineer
selection =1965 NASA Group
time =84d 01h 15m
mission =Skylab 4
insignia =
|:"For the Irish nobleman, see Edward Gibson, 1st Baron Ashbourne"Edward George Gibson, PhD, (born November 8 1936) is a former NASA astronaut.

Personal

Gibson was born November 8, 1936, in Buffalo, New York and is married to the former Julie Anne Volk of Township of Tonawanda, New York. He has four children. His recreational interests include distance running, swimming, photography, flying, and motorcycling.

Education

Gibson graduated from Kenmore Senior High School, Kenmore, New York, and received a bachelor of science degree in Engineering from the University of Rochester, New York, in June 1959, a master of science degree in Engineering (Jet Propulsion Option) from the California Institute of Technology in June 1960, a doctorate in Engineering with a minor in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in June 1964, an honorary doctorate of science from University of Rochester (New York) in 1974, and an honorary doctorate of science from Wagner College, Staten Island, New York, in 1974.hi

Organizations

Gibson was elected a Fellow of the American Astronautical Society; member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), Tau Beta Pi, Sigma Xi, and Theta Chi. He is a member of the Seniors Track Club.

pecial honors

Gibson was awarded a National Science Foundation Fellowship and a R. C. Baker Fellowship at the California Institute of Technology, and listed in several Who's Who publications. He received the Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation (1970), the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (presented by President Richard M. Nixon in 1974), the City of New York Gold Medal (1974), the Robert J. Collier Trophy for 1973 (1974), the Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy for 1975 (1975), the Federation Aeronautique Internationale’s De La Vaulx Medal and V. M. Komarov Diploma for 1974 (1975), the American Astronautical Society’s 1975 Flight Achievement Award (1976), the AIAA Haley Astronautics Award for 1975 (1976), a Senior U.S. Scientist Award from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (1976), and a JSC Special Achievement Award (1978). He was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997 [ [http://www.astronautscholarship.org/gibson.html Edward G. Gibson] , retrieved 2007-08-23]

Experience

While studying at Caltech, Gibson was a research assistant in the field of jet propulsion and classical physics. His technical publications are in the fields of plasma physics and solar physics. He was senior research scientist with the Applied Research Laboratories of Philco Corporation at Newport Beach, California, from June 1964 until coming to NASA. While at Philco, he did research on lasers and the optical breakdown of gases. Subsequent to joining NASA in 1965, he wrote a textbook in solar physics entitled "The Quiet Sun." Gibson’s training and data acquisition as science-pilot on the last Skylab mission were in the areas of solar physics, comet observations, stellar observations, earth resources studies, space medicine and physiology, and flight surgeon activities.

He has logged more than 4,300 hours flying time—2,270 hours in jet aircraft.

NASA experience

Dr. Gibson was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in June 1965. He completed a 53-week course in flight training at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, and earned his Air Force wings. Since then, he has flown helicopters and the T-38.

He served as a member of the astronaut support crew and as a capcom for the Apollo 12 lunar landing. He has also participated in the design and testing of many elements of the Skylab space station. As part of his preparation for the Skylab program, Gibson studied solar physics, ultimately writing an introductory monograph/textbook ("The Quiet Sun") that is still (2006) used as a reference handbook for solar astrophysics.

Dr. Gibson was the science-pilot of Skylab 4 (third and final manned visit to the Skylab space station), launched November 16, 1973, and concluded February 8, 1974. This was the longest manned flight (84 days 1 hour 15 minutes) in history of manned space exploration at that time. Dr. Gibson was accompanied on the record-setting 34.5-million-mile flight by Gerald P. Carr (commander) and William R. Pogue (pilot). They successfully completed 56 experiments, 26 science demonstrations, 15 subsystem detailed objectives, and 13 student investigations during their 1,214 revolutions of the earth. They also acquired a wide variety of earth resources observations data using Skylab’s earth resources experiment package camera and sensor array. Dr. Gibson was the crewman primarily responsible for the 338 hours of Apollo Telescope Mount operation, which made extensive observations of solar processes.

Until March 1978, Dr. Gibson and his Skylab-4 teammates held the world record for individual time in space: 2,017 hours 15 minutes 32 seconds, and Dr. Gibson logged 15 hours and 17 minutes in three EVAs outside the orbital workshop.

Gibson resigned from NASA in December 1974 to do research on Skylab solar physics data as a senior staff scientist with the Aerospace Corporation of Los Angeles, California. Beginning in March 1976, he served for one year as a consultant to ERNO Raumfahrttechnik GmbH, in West Germany, on Spacelab design under the sponsorship of a U.S. Senior Scientist Award form the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. In March 1977, Dr. Gibson returned to the Astronaut Office Astronaut candidate selection and training as Chief of the Scientist-Astronaut Candidates.

Post-NASA and later work

In October 1990, Dr. Gibson began his own consulting firm, Gibson International Corp. The firm provides consulting services on program management, market development and space infrastructure design and operations.

After his NASA career, Dr. Gibson held marketing and program management positions with Booz Allen Hamilton and TRW in the areas of space and energy development. He was the President of the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry and his own consulting company, Gibson International. Currently he is Senior Vice President, Science Applications International Corporation, and Manager of its EROS Data Center Operation in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

He has performed a significant amount of speaking and writing, having published a text book in solar physics, two novels through Doubleday and Bantam, "Reach" and "In the Wrong Hands", and edited "The Greatest Adventure", a compilation of stories and pictures on space missions from many astronauts and cosmonauts around the world.

Dr. Gibson received a number of honorary doctorate degrees and national and international awards and honors including the Robert J. Collier Trophy, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal from the President, and induction into the US Astronaut Hall of Fame.

In the 1998 miniseries "From the Earth to the Moon" Gibson was played by Geoffrey Nauffts.

References

External links

* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/gibson-eg.html NASA biography]
* [http://www.spaceleaders.com Edward Gibson website]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/gibson_edward.htm Spacefacts biography of Edward Gibson]