Did you know that out of 375 astronauts, 216 of those have served their country through military service?
Active military, veterans and gold star families can spend a night at Space Center Houston exploring space, science, technology and engineering through special activities and an astronaut presentation at our first Military Campout on Oct. 20.
Astronaut appearance
Hear first-hand space exploration stories from NASA astronaut Brian Duffy, who is a member of the United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates, the Air Force Association and the Association of Space Explorers.
Duffy graduated from the United States Air Force Academy in 1975. He completed Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, in 1976, and was selected to fly the F-15. He was stationed at Langley Air Force Base, Virginia, until 1979. At the end of 1979 he transferred to Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan. He flew F-15s there until 1982 when he was selected to attend the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School. Following graduation, he served as the Director of F-15 tests at Eglin Air Force Base, Florida.
Selected by NASA in June 1985, Duffy became an astronaut in July 1986. Since then, he has participated in the development and testing of displays, flight crew procedures, and computer software to be used on shuttle flights. He served as spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control during numerous space shuttle missions. He also served as Assistant Director (technical) and as Deputy Director (acting) of NASA Johnson Space Center.
A veteran of four space flights, he has logged a total of 40 days, 17 hours, 34 minutes and 59 seconds in space. Duffy was the pilot on STS-45 Atlantis (March 24 to April 2, 1992). He also was the pilot on STS-57 Endeavour (June 21 to July 1, 1993). Duffy next commanded a six-man crew on STS-72 Endeavour (Jan. 11-20, 1996). Duffy also commanded a crew of seven on STS-92 Discovery (Oct. 11-24, 2000). Duffy retired from the Air Force and NASA in 2001.
Train like an astronaut
Military campout activities cover an array of difficulty levels to excite visitors of all ages. Construct a robotic hand and program and operate a rover in our Robotics Challenge Arena. Build your own rocket and then see how high you can launch it. Train like an astronaut and learn about spacewalks, solving problems and crew assembly. Tour Starship Gallery, home to multiple flown spacecraft, astronaut training models, one-of-a-kind artifacts and more.
