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Curtis L. Brown, Jr. (b. March 11, 1956) is a
former NASA astronaut and retired United States
Air Force Colonel.

He was born in Elizabethtown, North Carolina. He
is unmarried with one son. He enjoys water and
snow skiing, scuba diving, air racing, restoring
old cars, sailing, and aerobatic aviation|flying. 

Colonel Brown graduated from East Bladen High
School, Elizabethtown, North Carolina, in 1974 and
received a Bachelor of Science degree in
electrical engineering from the United States Air
Force Academy in 1978.

He is a member of the United States Air Force
Association, the United States Air Force Academy
Association of Graduates, the Experimental
Aircraft Association, and the Classic Jet Aircraft
Association.

He has been awarded the Defense Superior Service
Medal,the Defense Meritorious Service Medal twice,
the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Force
Commendation Medal, the Air Force Achievement
Medal, and NASA Space Flight Medal six times.

He was commissioned a Second Lieutenant at the
United States Air Force Academy in Colorado
Springs, Colorado|Colorado Springs, in 1978, and
completed undergraduate pilot training at Laughlin
Air Force Base in Del Rio, Texas. He graduated in
July 1979 and was assigned to fly A-10 aircraft at
Myrtle Beach Air Force Base, South Carolina,
arriving there in January 1980 after completing
A-10 training at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base,
Arizona. In March 1982, he was reassigned to
Davis-Monthan Air Force Base as an instructor
pilot in the A-10. In January 1983, he attended
USAF Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force
Base and returned to Davis-Monthan Air Force Base
as an instructor in A-10 weapons and tactics. In
June 1985, he attended USAF Test Pilot School at
Edwards Air Force Base, California. Upon
graduation in June 1986, Brown was assigned to
Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, where he served as
a test pilot in the A-10 and F-16 aircraft until
his selection for the astronaut program. He has
logged over 6,000 hours flight time in jet
engine|jet aircraft.

Selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in June
1987, Brown completed a one-year training and
evaluation program in August 1988, and is
qualified for flight assignment as a pilot.
Technical assignments have included: involvement
in the upgrade of the Shuttle Mission Simulator
(SMS), development of the Flight Data File (FDF),
lead of the astronaut launch support team
responsible for crew ingress/strap-in prior to
launch and crew egress after landing; monitored
the refurbishment of OV-102 and OV-103 during
ground turnaround processing, lead spacecraft
communicator (Capsule communicator|CAPCOM),
Astronaut Office Lead of Shuttle Operations, and
Deputy Director, Flight Crew Operations
Directorate. A veteran of six space flights, Brown
has logged over 1,383 hours in space. He was the
pilot on STS-47 in 1992, STS-66 in 1994 and STS-77
in 1996, and was spacecraft commander on STS-85 in
1997, STS-95 in 1998, and STS-103 in 1999.

==Space Flight Experience==
STS-47 Spacelab-J (September 12-20, 1992) was an
eight-day cooperative mission between the United
States and Japan focused on life science and
materials processing experiments in space. After
completing 126 orbits of the Earth, the mission
ended with Space Shuttle Endeavour landing at
Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Mission duration
was 190 hours, 30 minutes, 23 seconds.

STS-66 (November 3-14, 1994) was the Atmospheric
Laboratory for Applications and Science-3
(ATLAS-3) mission. ATLAS-3 was part of an ongoing
program to determine the Earth's energy balance
and Earth's atmosphere|atmospheric change over an
11-year solar cycle. Following 175 orbits of the
Earth, the 11-day mission ended with the Shuttle
Space Shuttle Atlantis|Atlantis landing at Edwards
Air Force Base, California. Mission duration was
262 hours and 34 minutes.

STS-77 (May 19-29, 1996) was a ten-day mission
aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. The crew performed
a record number of rendezvous sequences (one with
a SPARTAN satellite and three with a deployed
Satellite Test Unit) and approximately 21 hours of
formation flying in close proximity of the
satellites. During the flight the crew also
conducted 12 materials processing, fluid dynamics,
and biotechnology experiments in a Spacehab
Module. STS-77 deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN
satellite, which carried the Inflatable Antenna
Experiment designed to test the concept of large,
inflatable space structures. A small Satellite
Test Unit was also deployed to test the concept of
self-stabilization by using
aerodynamics|aerodynamic forces and
magnetism|magnetic damping. The mission was
concluded in 160 Earth orbits, traveling 4.1
million miles in 240 hours and 39 minutes.

STS-85 (August 7-19, 1997) was a 12-day mission
during which the crew deployed and retrieved the
CRISTA-SPAS payload, operated the Japanese
Manipulator Flight Demonstration (MFD) robotic
arm, studied changes in the Earth's atmosphere and
tested technology destined for use on the future
International Space Station. The mission was
accomplished in 189 Earth orbits, traveling 4.7
million miles in 284 hours and 27 minutes.

STS-95 (October 29 to November 7, 1998) was a
9-day mission during which the crew supported a
variety of research payloads including deployment
of the Spartan (spacecraft)|Spartan
solar-observing spacecraft, the Hubble Space
Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, and
investigations on space flight and the aging
process. The mission was accomplished in 134 Earth
orbits, traveling 3.6 million miles in 213 hours
and 44 minutes.

STS-103 (December 19-27, 1999) was an 8-day
mission during which the crew successfully
installed new instruments and upgraded systems on
the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). Enhancing HST
scientific capabilities required three space
walks. The STS-103 mission was accomplished in 120
Earth orbits, traveling 3.2 million miles in 191
hours and 11 minutes.