Astronaut, USAF Fighter Pilot and Test Pilot, Senior NASA and Aerospace/Defense Executive, Informative and Educational Speaker, Business Leadership Mentor and Coach
– United States Astronaut, Retired – Veteran of 4 Space Shuttle flights spanning a 16 year career, Served as Pilot on STS-45 and STS-57 and Commander on STS-72 and STS-92; Earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and numerous other awards; Logged 40 days 17 hours and 37 minutes in space
– US Air Force Pilot (Fighter & Test) with 5,000+ hours in 25+ types of aircraft. Led the flight testing of a fleet of highly modified F-15 aircraft.
– Served in positions of increasing authority in NASA including as the Deputy Director (Acting) of the Johnson Space Center overseeing a workforce of 17,000 and a budget of $8B. Has over 15 years of senior executive leadership experience in large aerospace/defense companies.
– Sought-after speaker sharing the lessons of building and leading successful space crews and missions in demanding and life-threatening environments.
– Mentors and coaches young high-potential professionals at large international financial companies.
– Selected to be inducted in the US Astronaut Hall of Fame in May 2016.
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Biography
Brian Duffy (Colonel, USAF, Retired) is a pilot and a former NASA Astronaut. He flew on four space shuttle missions: STS-45, STS-57, STS-72 and STS-92.
After graduation from the US Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Duffy attended USAF Pilot Training, earned his wings and logged more than 5,000 hours of flight time in at least 25 different aircraft as a fighter and test pilot. Duffy also earned a Master’s of Science Degree in Systems Management from the University of Southern California.
Duffy’s first spaceflight came as the Pilot for STS-45 aboard Atlantis. This flight carried the first Atmospheric Laboratory for Applications & Science (ATLAS-1) experiments to study the sun, Earth’s atmosphere, and their interaction.
In 1993, Duffy served as the Pilot aboard Endeavour for STS-57. This flight was the first to carry the SPACEHAB laboratory module. In addition to the science and other experiments, including testing of maintenance equipment designed for use on a space station, STS-57 also retrieved a European Satellite.
Duffy’s first spaceflight command came with STS-72 aboard Endeavour. In addition to evaluating spacewalk techniques that would later be used for the assembly of the International Space Station, STS-72 retrieved the Space Flyer Unit, a Japanese microgravity research spacecraft and flew the Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology Flyer (OAST-Flyer). The PBS documentary, narrated by Bill Nye, “Astronauts” resulted from this flight.
Duffy’s final spaceflight was STS-92 aboard Discovery. This flight marked the 100th Space Shuttle mission and it was a flight to the International Space Station. STS-92 brought the Z1 truss to the ISS as well as Pressurized Mating Adapter-3 (PMA-3). During seven days of docked operations, four EVAs (spacewalks) were conducted to install the new hardware.
During his time at NASA, Duffy also served as Assistant Director (Technical) and Deputy Director (Acting) of the Johnson Space Center.
Post-NASA, Duffy served as the Vice President of Mission Operations and Support Services for the Lockheed Martin Corporation. He is currently working with Orbital ATK in Exploration Systems.
Organizational Involvements Include:
- United States Air Force Academy Association of Graduates
- Air Force Association
- Association of Space Explorers
Awards & Honors Include:
- NASA Space Flight Medal (4)
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Defense Meritorious Service Medal
- Defense Superior Service Medal
- Air Force Meritorious Service Medal
- Air Force Commendation Medal
Speaking Topics Include
- Our Earth from Space
- The Future of Space Exploration
- To Space and Back
- Managing Risk in a High-Performing Organization
- Life in Space
- Teamwork and Leadership?
- Video
