By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
HOUSTON, Texas – Tennessee Tech Hall of Famer Barry "Butch" Wilmore has plenty of experience leading space missions. So when astronaut Chris Ferguson stepped down from the first crewed mission of the Boeing CST-100 Starliner, Wilmore was an easy choice to lead the way.
Wilmore gives the new vessel a complete roster of NASA veterans. The CST-100 Starliner was developed under NASA's Commercial Crew program with the goal to develop and construct privately-owned spacecraft that NASA could use to transport astronauts to the International Space Station following the retirement of the space shuttle program in 2011.
As Wilmore now undergoes training for this new craft, the program will prepare for its first manned flight by June 2021. Plans for a new test flight are set for December or January.
Wilmore, the 2018 recipient of the NCAA's highest honor – the Theodore Roosevelt Award – served as the shuttle pilot for mission STS-129 aboard Atlantis and was the commander aboard the ISS for Expedition 42. His crew profile cites 2,848 Earth orbits, 178 days in space and four spacewalks.
A walk-on in the 1982 season, Wilmore started the final three games of the campaign, then was sidelined in 1983 with a knee injury. He returned as a strong safety in the 1984 season. Wilmore earned his degree in mechanical engineering in May 1985 and became one of Tech's first graduate student-athletes as he completed the 1985 year as an outside linebacker.
He prospered that season, recording 143 tackles – standing as the third-highest single-season total in Tech history. Against Austin Peay, Wilmore recorded 21 stops, the second-highest single-game mark. He was selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District Team and earned a Scholar-Athlete Award from the National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame.
Wilmore earned his master's degree in electrical engineering from Tech and aviation systems from the University of Tennessee.
After his Tech career, Wilmore became a naval officer and pilot, logging 6,200 hours of flight time and 663 aircraft carrier landings across four deployments. He flew support missions during Operations Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Southern Watch, while flying 21 combat missions during Operation Desert Storm.
Wilmore was selected by NASA to enter its astronaut program in 2000.
He was inducted into the Tech Sports Hall of Fame in 2003, was named an Engineer of Distinction by the Tech College of Engineering in 2010 and was conferred an honorary doctorate in 2012. Wilmore is currently a member of the Tech Board of Trustees.
Photo | Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
