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Rick Mastracchio is a NASA astronaut, born
February 11, 1960 in Waterbury, Connecticut.

He graduated from Crosby High School, Waterbury,
Connecticut, in 1978; received a bachelor of
science degree in electrical engineering/computer
science from the University of Connecticut in
1982, a master of science of degree in electrical
engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in 1987, and a master of science degree in
physical science from the University of
Houston-Clear Lake in 1991.

He is a member of the Institute of Electrical and
Electronics Engineers.

Rick Mastracchio worked for Hamilton Standard in
Connecticut as an engineer in the system design
group from 1982 until 1987. During that time, he
participated in the development of high
performance, strapped-down inertial measurement
units and flight control computers.

==NASA experience==

In 1987, Mastracchio moved to Houston, Texas, to
work for the Rockwell Shuttle Operations Company
at the Johnson Space Center. In 1990, he joined
NASA as an engineer in the Flight Crew Operations
Directorate. His duties included the development
of space shuttle flight software requirements, the
verification of space shuttle flight software in
the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory, and
the development of ascent and abort crew
procedures for the Astronaut Office.

From 1993 until 1996, he worked as an ascent/entry
Guidance and Procedures Officer (GPO) in Mission
Control. An ascent/entry GPO has both pre-mission
and real time Space Shuttle support
responsibilities in the areas of onboard guidance,
navigation, and targeting. During that time, he
supported seventeen missions as a flight
controller.

In April 1996, Mastracchio was selected as an
Astronaut Candidate and started training in August
1996. Having completed two years of training and
evaluation, he is qualified for flight assignment
as a mission specialist. Mastracchio has worked
technical issues for the Astronaut Office Computer
Support Branch, for Space Station Operations, and
the EVA Branch. He next served as lead for cockpit
avionics upgrades. Mastracchio flew as a mission
specialist on STS-106 and has logged over 283
hours in space.

Currently, he is assigned to the STS-117 crew. The
mission will launch in 2004.

==Space flight experience==

STS-106 Atlantis (September 8-20, 2000). During
the 12-day mission, the crew successfully prepared
the International Space Station for the arrival of
the first permanent crew. The five astronauts and
two cosmonauts delivered more than 6,600 pounds of
supplies and installed batteries, power
converters, a toilet and a treadmill on the Space
Station. Two crewmembers performed a space walk in
order to connect power, data and communications
cables to the newly arrived Zvezda Service Module
and the Space Station. Mastracchio was the
ascent/entry flight engineer, the primary robotic
arm operator, and responsible for the transfer of
items from the Space Shuttle to the Space Station.
STS-106 orbited the Earth 185 times, and covered
4.9 million miles in 11 days, 19 hours, and 10
minutes.

Source:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/mastracc.htm
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NASA