James D. Halsell

Halsell was born to Don and Jean Halsell. He was raised in West Monroe, Louisiana, and graduated West Monroe High School in 1974. He then graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1978. Halsell earned a Master of Science in Management from Troy University in 1983, and a Master's degree in Space Operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1985.

Halsell graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978, and from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, in 1979. An F-4 pilot qualified in conventional and nuclear weapons deliveries, he served at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1980–1981, and Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, Georgia, from 1982–1984. In 1984–1985, he was a graduate student at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. He then attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and during the next four years he performed test flights in the F-4, F-16 and SR-71 aircraft. Halsell retired from the Air Force in July 2004.[1]

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Halsell became an astronaut in July 1991. A five flight veteran, Halsell has logged over 1,250 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-65 (July 8–23, 1994) and STS-74 (November 12–20, 1995), and commanded STS-83 (Apr 4–8, 1997), STS-94 (July 1–17, 1997) and STS-101 (May 19–29, 2000). From February to August 1998, he served as NASA Director of Operations at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia. Halsell also served as manager of Shuttle Launch Integration at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, from July 2000 to January 2003.[1] Halsell was responsible for Space Shuttle preparation, launch, and return on 13 missions. After the Columbia accident, he led the NASA Return to Flight Planning Team, responsible for implementing the recommendations of the accident investigation board into the Shuttle Program, and resulted in the resumption of missions in 2005. He then served as the Assistant Director for Aircraft Operations Division of the Flight Operations Directorate. Halsell retired from NASA in November 2006 to accept a position with ATK Launch Systems, where he served as Vice President of Space Exploration Systems, and was the ATK site manager at Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL. On October 10, 2011, Halsell joined Dynetics, as a technical director in their Space Division.

In 2014, Halsell had a blood alcohol level of 0.12 after causing a crash in Palmdale, California, north of Los Angeles, and pleaded no contest to a charge of drunken driving.[2] In December 2014, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sentenced him to 60 months of probation, with the conditions that he not drive with alcohol or drugs in his system, and mandatory submission to any drug, alcohol or chemical test.[3]

On June 6, 2016, while on his probation, Halsell was involved in an alleged driving under the influence crash in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. In the crash, 11- and 13-year-old half-sisters Niomi James and Jayla Parler were killed, and James' father and his girlfriend were injured. Halsell was subsequently charged with reckless murder and first-degree assault. He refused to provide a voluntary blood sample voluntarily immediately after the crash.[3] He was allegedly intoxicated, and investigators found an empty wine bottle and a packet of sleeping pills in a motel room Halsell where was staying.[3] He tried to steal and make a getaway in the truck of another motorist who had stopped to help.[3] After being booked, he was released on a $150,000 bond.

On September 1, 2016, Halsell was indicted for the traffic deaths.[4] An initial hearing scheduled in June 2017 was delayed when Halsell's lawyers and those from the state were working toward a settlement.[3] Several years later, the trial was set for March 9, 2020,[5] and in January 2020, a judge ruled that prosecutors would not be permitted to tell the jury about Halsell's prior DUI conviction.[6] This trial was postponed due to a death in the lawyer's family[7] and rescheduled to August 3, 2020.[8]

He is married to Kathy D. Spooner and they have a son and a daughter.[9]

In 1989, Halsell was awarded the Liethen-Title awards for having the best overall flying and academic performance at Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He received two Defense Meritorious Service Medals in 1995 and 1996. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1998, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2001, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2002. He was also the recipient of four NASA Space Flight Medals in 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2000.[10]

• Biographical Data of James D. Halsell at Nasa.gov
• Biography of James D. Halsell at Spacefacts.de
• Former Astronaut Charged with Murder