# Kenneth D. Cameron > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kenneth_D._Cameron > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Kenneth_D._Cameron.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_D._Cameron > Source revision: 1334741972 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|American astronaut, aviator and engineer (born 1949)}} {{Use American English|date=January 2014}} {{BLP sources|date=July 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2022}} {{Infobox astronaut |name = Kenneth Cameron |image = Kenneth Cameron.jpg |caption = Official portrait, 1985 |birth_name = Kenneth Donald Cameron |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|11|29}} |birth_place = [Cleveland](/source/Cleveland), [Ohio](/source/Ohio), U.S. |death_date = |death_place = |education = [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology) ([BS](/source/Bachelor_of_Science), [MS](/source/Master_of_Science))
[Michigan State University](/source/Michigan_State_University) ([MBA](/source/Master_of_Business_Administration)) |awards = [Legion of Merit](/source/Legion_of_Merit)
[Defense Superior Service Medal](/source/Defense_Superior_Service_Medal)
[Distinguished Flying Cross](/source/Distinguished_Flying_Cross_(United_States)) |type = [NASA astronaut](/source/NASA_astronaut) |rank = [Colonel](/source/Colonel_(United_States)), [USMC](/source/United_States_Marine_Corps) |space_time = 23d 10h 11m |selection = [NASA Group 10 (1984)](/source/NASA_Astronaut_Group_10) |missions = [STS-37](/source/STS-37)
[STS-56](/source/STS-56)
[STS-74](/source/STS-74) |insignia = 50px 50px 50px |retirement = December 2008 }} '''Kenneth Donald Cameron''' (born November 29, 1949), ([Col](/source/Colonel_(United_States)), [USMC](/source/United_States_Marine_Corps), Ret.), is an American retired [naval aviator](/source/United_States_naval_aviator), [test pilot](/source/test_pilot), [engineer](/source/engineer), [U.S. Marine Corps officer](/source/United_States_Marine_Corps), and [NASA](/source/NASA) [astronaut](/source/astronaut). ==Background== Cameron was born November 29, 1949, in [Cleveland, Ohio](/source/Cleveland%2C_Ohio). He graduated from [Rocky River High School](/source/Rocky_River_High_School_(Ohio)), [Rocky River, Ohio](/source/Rocky_River%2C_Ohio), in 1967. He attended the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology), receiving a [Bachelor of Science](/source/Bachelor_of_Science) degree in [aeronautics](/source/aeronautics) and [astronautics](/source/astronautics) in 1978, and a [Master of Science](/source/Master_of_Science) degree in aeronautics and astronautics in 1979.[http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/cameron_kenneth.htm Spacefacts Biography of Kenneth Cameron]. ''Spacefacts''. Retrieved July 18, 2011. He completed numerous courses in [Russian language](/source/Russian_language) and [Russian](/source/Russians) [space systems](/source/space_technology) at MIT, the [Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center](/source/Lyndon_B._Johnson_Space_Center), and at the [Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center](/source/Gagarin_Cosmonaut_Training_Center), [Moscow, Russia](/source/Moscow%2C_Russia). He later earned a [Master of Business Administration](/source/Master_of_Business_Administration) from [Michigan State University](/source/Michigan_State_University) in 2002. He enjoys [flying](/source/Aviation), [athletics](/source/Athletics_(physical_culture)), [woodworking](/source/woodworking), [reading](/source/Reading_(process)), [shooting](/source/shooting), motorcycle riding, and [amateur radio](/source/amateur_radio). He was a [Boy Scout](/source/Scouts_BSA_(Boy_Scouts_of_America)) and earned the rank of [Star Scout](/source/Star_(Boy_Scouts_of_America)).{{Cite web |url=http://www.scouting.org/filestore/pdf/02-558.pdf |title=Kenneth D. Cameron at scouting.org |access-date=May 1, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110622104220/http://www.scouting.org/FILESTORE/pdf/02-558.pdf |archive-date=June 22, 2011 |url-status=dead }} At MIT, Cameron was a member of the [Beta Theta Pi](/source/Beta_Theta_Pi) fraternity.{{Cite web|date=1991|title=The Back Bay Beta: Beta Honors Astronaut Brother|url=http://beta-mit.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1991-11.pdf|website=Beta-MIT.org|access-date=December 21, 2021|archive-date=December 21, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221020701/http://beta-mit.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/1991-11.pdf|url-status=dead}} ==Military and flight experience== Cameron was commissioned in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1970 at [Officer Candidate School](/source/Officer_Candidate_School_(U.S._Marine_Corps)) at [Marine Corps Base Quantico](/source/Marine_Corps_Base_Quantico), [Virginia](/source/Virginia). After graduating from [The Basic School](/source/The_Basic_School) and [Vietnamese language](/source/Vietnamese_language) school, he was assigned to the [Republic of Vietnam](/source/South_Vietnam) for a one-year [tour of duty](/source/tour_of_duty) as an [infantry platoon commander](/source/Platoon_Commander) with the [1st Battalion, 5th Marines](/source/1st_Battalion%2C_5th_Marines) and later with the [Marine Security Guards](/source/Marine_Security_Guards) at the [U.S. Embassy in Saigon](/source/United_States_Embassy%2C_Saigon). Upon his return to the United States, he served as [executive officer](/source/executive_officer) with India Company, [3rd Battalion, 2nd Marines](/source/3rd_Battalion%2C_2nd_Marines), at [Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune](/source/Marine_Corps_Base_Camp_Lejeune), [North Carolina](/source/North_Carolina). He reported to [Naval Air Station Pensacola](/source/Naval_Air_Station_Pensacola), [Florida](/source/Florida), in 1972 for flight training, receiving his [Naval Aviator](/source/Naval_Aviator) [wings](/source/United_States_Aviator_Badge) in 1973. He was then assigned to [VMA-223](/source/VMA-223) at [Marine Corps Air Station Yuma](/source/Marine_Corps_Air_Station_Yuma), [Arizona](/source/Arizona), flying [A-4M Skyhawks](/source/A-4_Skyhawk). In 1976, Cameron was reassigned to the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](/source/Massachusetts_Institute_of_Technology), where he participated in the Marine College Degree and Advanced Degree Programs. Upon graduation, he was assigned to flying duty for one year with [Marine Aircraft Group 12](/source/Marine_Aircraft_Group_12) at [Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni](/source/Marine_Corps_Air_Station_Iwakuni), Japan. He was subsequently assigned to the [Pacific Missile Test Center](/source/Pacific_Missile_Test_Center) in 1980, and in 1982 to the [U.S. Naval Test Pilot School](/source/U.S._Naval_Test_Pilot_School) at [Naval Air Station Patuxent River](/source/Naval_Air_Station_Patuxent_River), [Maryland](/source/Maryland). Following graduation in 1983, he was assigned as project officer and [test pilot](/source/test_pilot) in the [F/A-18 Hornet](/source/F%2FA-18_Hornet), A-4, and [OV-10 Bronco](/source/OV-10_Bronco) [airplane](/source/airplane)s with the Systems Engineering Test Directorate at the [Naval Air Test Center](/source/Naval_Air_Test_Center). He has logged over 4,000 hours flying time in 48 different types of aircraft. ==NASA career== Selected by NASA in May 1984, Cameron became an astronaut in June 1985. His technical assignments have included work on [Tethered Satellite](/source/Space_tether) Payload, flight [software](/source/software) testing in the [Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory](/source/Shuttle_Avionics_Integration_Laboratory) (SAIL), launch support activities at [Kennedy Space Center](/source/Kennedy_Space_Center), and spacecraft communicator ([CAPCOM](/source/CAPCOM)) in [Mission Control](/source/Mission_Control) for five [Space Shuttle](/source/Space_Shuttle) missions ([STS-29](/source/STS-29), [30](/source/STS-30), [28](/source/STS-28), [34](/source/STS-34) and [33](/source/STS-33)). Cameron's management assignments in NASA include Section Chief for astronaut software testing in SAIL, astronaut launch support activities, and Operations Assistant to the [Hubble](/source/Hubble_Space_Telescope) Repair Mission Director. In 1994, Cameron served as the first NASA Director of Operations in [Star City, Russia](/source/Star_City%2C_Russia), where he worked with the [Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center](/source/Gagarin_Cosmonaut_Training_Center) staff to set up a support system for astronaut operations and training in Star City, and received Russian training in [Soyuz](/source/Soyuz_spacecraft) and [Mir](/source/Mir) spacecraft systems, and flight training in Russian [L-39](/source/Aero_L-39) aircraft. He was absent from NASA between 1996 and 2003. However, following the [loss of the Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' and her crew](/source/Space_Shuttle_Columbia_disaster), Cameron returned to the space program in October 2003, taking a founding position as a Principal Engineer in the NASA Engineering & Safety Center, based at the NASA [Langley Research Center](/source/Langley_Research_Center), in [Hampton, Virginia](/source/Hampton%2C_Virginia). In June 2005, Cameron was selected as Deputy Director for Safety of the NESC, and in June 2007 he was relocated to the NESC office at the Johnson Space Center in Houston. A veteran of three space flights, Cameron has logged over 561 hours in [space](/source/Outer_space). He served as pilot on [STS-37](/source/STS-37) (April 5–11, 1991), and was the spacecraft commander on [STS-56](/source/STS-56) (April 9–17, 1993) and [STS-74](/source/STS-74) (November 12–20, 1995). ===Spaceflight experience=== Cameron flew his first mission as pilot on [STS-37](/source/STS-37). This mission was launched on April 5, 1991, and featured the deployment of the [Gamma Ray](/source/Gamma_Ray) Observatory for the purpose of exploring gamma ray sources throughout the [universe](/source/universe). [Space Shuttle ''Atlantis''](/source/Space_Shuttle_Atlantis) landed on April 11, 1991. On his second mission, he was spacecraft commander on [STS-56](/source/STS-56), carrying ATLAS-2. During this nine-day mission, the crew of Space Shuttle ''[Discovery](/source/Space_Shuttle_Discovery)'' conducted [atmospheric](/source/Earth's_atmosphere) and [solar](/source/Sun) studies in order to better understand the effect of solar activity on the [Earth](/source/Earth)'s [climate](/source/climate) and [environment](/source/natural_environment), and deployed and retrieved the [autonomous](/source/Wiktionary%3Aautonomy) observatory ''Spartan''. STS-56 launched on April 8, 1993, and landed at Kennedy Space Center on April 17, 1993. On his third mission, Cameron commanded ''Atlantis'' on [STS-74](/source/STS-74), NASA's second [Space Shuttle](/source/Space_Shuttle) mission to rendezvous and dock with the Russian [space station](/source/space_station) [Mir](/source/Mir), and the first mission to use the Shuttle to assemble a module and attach it to a space station. STS-74 launched on November 12, 1995, and landed at Kennedy Space Center on November 20, 1995. ==Post-NASA career== thumb|200px|right|Cameron in 2008 Following his first NASA retirement on August 5, 1996, he joined Hughes Training, Inc., a subsidiary of [General Motors](/source/General_Motors) Corporation, as [executive director](/source/executive_director) of Houston Operations. In September 1997, Cameron transferred to [Saab Automobile](/source/Saab_Automobile), AB, in [Sweden](/source/Sweden), as Vehicle Line Executive for the [Saab 9-3](/source/Saab_9-3) [automobile](/source/automobile). He was called "Kalle Comet" by his co workers at Saab. Upon his return to the United States, Cameron worked at the [General Motors Technical Center](/source/General_Motors_Technical_Center) in [Warren, Michigan](/source/Warren%2C_Michigan), near [Detroit](/source/Detroit), in positions in World Wide Purchasing, Supplier Technology Acquisition, [Research and Development](/source/Research_and_Development), and [Fuel Cell](/source/Fuel_Cell) Vehicle Development. Cameron retired from NASA for good in December 2008 to join [Northrop Grumman](/source/Northrop_Grumman) Corporation as the Director of Houston Operations for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. Cameron currently owns and flies a [Cozy MK IV](/source/Cozy_MK_IV), an experimental airplane of composite fiberglass construction with [canard design](/source/Canard_(aeronautics)) configuration and pusher propeller. He lives in [Houston, Texas](/source/Houston%2C_Texas). ==Awards and honors== * [Defense Superior Service Medal](/source/Defense_Superior_Service_Medal) * [Legion of Merit](/source/Legion_of_Merit) * [Distinguished Flying Cross](/source/Distinguished_Flying_Cross_(United_States)) (2) * [Navy Commendation Medal](/source/Navy_Commendation_Medal) with Combat "V" * [Combat Action Ribbon](/source/Combat_Action_Ribbon) * NASA Leadership Medal * [NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal](/source/NASA_Exceptional_Achievement_Medal) * [NASA Space Flight Medal](/source/NASA_Space_Flight_Medal)s (3) * [Vietnamese](/source/List_of_military_decorations) Meritorious Unit Citation * Admiral Louis de Flores Award (MIT) * [Charles Stark Draper Laboratory](/source/Charles_Stark_Draper_Laboratory) Fellowship * [Marine Corps Association](/source/Marine_Corps_Association) Leadership Sword ==References== {{Reflist|colwidth=80}} {{NASA|article=Astronaut Bio: K. Cameron|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/cameron.html}} ==External links== {{Commons category}} {{Portal|Biography|Spaceflight}} * {{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/cameron_kenneth_0.pdf |title=Biographical Data:KENNETH D. CAMERON (COLONEL, USMC, RET.) NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)| publisher=NASA |access-date=January 10, 2021|date=June 2010}} * [https://web.archive.org/web/20020309185800/http://www.astronautix.com/astros/cameron.htm Astronautix biography of Kenneth D. Cameron] * [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/cameron_kenneth.htm Spacefacts biography of Kenneth D. Cameron] * [http://www.spaceacts.com/STARSHIP/seh/cameron.html Cameron at Spaceacts] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303211821/http://www.spaceacts.com/STARSHIP/seh/cameron.html |date=March 3, 2016 }} {{NASA Astronaut Group 10}} {{US Marine Corps navbox}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cameron, Kenneth D.}} Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:1991 in spaceflight Category:1993 in spaceflight Category:1995 in spaceflight Category:United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War Category:American test pilots Category:Aviators from Ohio Category:MIT School of Engineering alumni Category:Engineers from Ohio Category:Michigan State University alumni Category:Military personnel from Cleveland Category:United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Category:Recipients of the Defense Superior Service Medal Category:Recipients of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal Category:United States Marine Corps astronauts Category:United States Marine Corps colonels Category:United States Naval Aviators Category:NASA engineers Category:Northrop Grumman people Category:American business executives Category:20th-century American businesspeople Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts Category:Amateur radio people Category:Rocky River High School (Ohio) alumni Category:Mir crew members --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Kenneth D. Cameron](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_D._Cameron) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenneth_D._Cameron?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.