Background

Jerry Michael Linenger was born on January 16, 1955 in Eastpointe, Michigan. He is the son of Donald W. Linenger and Frances J. Linenger.

Education

Linenger graduated from East Detroit High School in 1973. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in bioscience from the United States Naval Academy in 1977, a doctorate in medicine from Wayne State University School of Medicine in 1981, a Master of Science degree in systems management from the University of Southern California in 1988, a Master of Public Health degree in health policy from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1989 and a Doctor of Philosophy degree in epidemiology from the University of North Carolina in 1989.

Career

After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Linenger proceeded directly to medical school. Then he served as a naval flight surgeon at Naval Air Station Cubi Point in the Philippines. He also was assigned as medical advisor to the Commander, Naval Air Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet, San Diego. After completing doctorate-level training, Jerry returned to San Diego as a research principal investigator at the Naval Health Research Center.

In 1992, Jerry Linenger was part of the group of astronauts selected by NASA in Space Lyndon B. Johnson Center in Houston, Texas. His first space mission was in September 1994 on the STS-64 Discovery, a ten-day scientific purpose mission that first included the use of laser in non-gravity environment research.

After this mission, Linenger went to Zvyozdny gorodok, Russia, to conduct training for a long-term space mission aboard the Mir orbital station, part of the Shuttle-Mir program jointly carried out by the space agencies of the two countries. The All-Russian course consisted of learning all Mir station operating systems, simulator training, launch and re-entry operations on the Soyuz spacecraft, and spacewalks in water tanks wearing the Russian Orlan spacesuit.

Linenger completed his second and longest space mission on January 12, 1997, at the ship Atlantis STS-81, which docked in orbit with the Mir. He stayed there with two Russian by 132 days, then it was the longest stay in space for a male US astronaut. During his stay in space, Linenger and his Russian colleague first tested the Russian-made Orlan spacesuit for five-hour extravehicular activities.

During the mission, Linenger and the Russian crew encountered several difficulties aboard, the worst of which was a fire that started in an oxygen generator, carbon dioxide scrubbing, communication antenna problems, loss of power at the station - which caused a loss of altitude in Mir's orbit - and a near collision with resupply cargo ship. However, despite the challenges and malfunctions, the crew completed all objectives.

By completing his nearly five-month stay, Linenger logged about 50 million miles in space (75 million kilometers, 110 round trips to the moon) and made over 2,000 orbits around Earth. In 1998 Jerry retired from NASA.

Nowadays he serves as a faculty member at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine in the Division of Sports Medicine.

Achievements

• Jerry Michael Linenger has been listed as a noteworthy astronaut by Marquis Who's Who. He is a recipient of such honorary awards as Navy Commendation Medal with gold star, NASA Space Flight Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Navy Battle Effectiveness Award and Order of Friendship.

Works

More photos

• book

  • Letters from Mir: An Astronautís Letters to His Son 2002
  • Off the Planet: Surviving Five Perilous Months Aboard the Space Station Mir 1999

Membership

Linenger is a member of the Alumni Associations of the U.S. Naval Academy, University of Southern California, Wayne State University School of Medicine, and University of North Carolina, the Association of Naval Aviation, the U.S. Navy Flight Surgeons Association, the Aerospace Medicine Association, the American Medical Association, the American College of Preventive Medicine, the Society of U.S. Navy Preventive Medicine Officers, and the American College of Sports Medicine.

Interests

• competitive triathlons, ocean swim racing, marathons, downhill and crosscountry skiing, scuba diving, backpacking, camping

• Sport & Clubs

  Michigan Wolverines

Connections

Jerry Linenger married Kathryn Marie Bartmann on March 21, 1991. They have four children - John, Jeffrey, Henry and Grace.

Father:

Donald W. Linenger

Mother:

Frances J. Linenger

Spouse:

Kathryn Marie Bartmann

child:

Grace Linenger

child:

John Linenger

child:

Henry Linenger

child:

Jeffrey Linenger

colleague:

Carlos I. Noriega

Carlos I. Noriega is a NASA employee, a former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel.

colleague:

Yelena Kondakova

Yelena Kondakova was a Russian female cosmonaut and the first woman to make a long-duration spaceflight.

colleague:

Edward T. Lu

Edward T. Lu is a physicist and former NASA astronaut.

colleague:

Charles Joseph Precourt

Charles Joseph Precourt is a retired NASA astronaut.

colleague:

Eileen Collins

Eileen Collins is a retired NASA astronaut and the United States Air Force colonel.

colleague:

Jean-François Clervoy

Jean-François Clervoy is a French engineer and a CNES and ESA astronaut.

colleague:

Michael Foale

Michael Foale is a British-American astrophysicist and former NASA astronaut.

References

• Dragonfly: NASA And The Crisis Aboard Mir Dragonfly: NASA And The Crisis Aboard Mir presents a behind-the-scenes account of NASA's ambitious and sometimes tumultuous involvement with Russia's problem-plagued MIR space station over three years.
  1998
• Leaving Earth: Space Stations, Rival Superpowers, and the Quest for Interplanetary Travel
  2003