Francis G. Neubeck | |
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Born | April 11, 1932 |
Place of birth | Washington, D.C. |
Francis Gregory Neubeck (born April 11, 1932) is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former USAF astronaut. Although he trained for the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL), the program was cancelled before any of the MOL crews reached space.[1]
Neubeck was born in Washington, D.C. and graduated in 1955 from the United States Naval Academy. Although a USNA graduate, he chose to begin his career in the United States Air Force. In 1972, he earned a master's degree in business administration from Auburn University in Alabama.[2]
At the start of his USAF career, Neubeck worked on the development of weapons systems and as a flight instructor.[3] He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in class 60C, Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) Class III, and MOL.[4] In 1965, he was selected as one of the first astronauts to the Air Force's classified Manned Orbital Laboratory.[5] The goal of the MOL program, canceled in 1969 before sending any astronauts into space, was to man a space station with military astronauts using a modified Gemini spacecraft.[6] The history of the MOL program was presented in the Public Television series NOVA episode called Astrospies which aired February 12, 2008.[7]
After the MOL program cancellation, Neubeck continued his USAF career including a combat tour in south-east Asia.[3] He also served as vice commander at the Tactical Air Warfare Center at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida before retiring from the Air Force in 1986.[2] Neubeck worked in the aerospace industry, became an author, and ran for public office.[3] In 1986, he became the Republican nominee for the U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's first congressional district but was not elected. As of 2007, Neubeck resides in Florida.[2]
References[]
- ↑ "Space and Missile Systems Center History" (PDF). USAF. 2006-09-12. pp. 60–62. http://www.losangeles.af.mil/shared/media/document/AFD-060912-028.pdf. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 "Astrospies Neubeck biography". NOVA. PBS. December 2007. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/prof-05.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Shayler, David J. (2001). Gemini: Steps to the Moon. Springer Press. p. 418. ISBN 9781852334055. http://books.google.com/books?id=c8PpO58QwowC. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ↑ USAF Test Pilot School 50 Years and Beyond. Privately Published. 1994. p. 247.
- ↑ "Secret Astronauts". NOVA. PBS. December 2007. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/profiles.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- ↑ Nutter, Ashley (2008-06-02). "Suits for Space Spies". NASA. http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/found_mol_spacesuits.html. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ↑ "Astrospies". NOVA. PBS. December 2007. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/astrospies/. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
External links[]
- "Francis Neubeck biography". Spacefacts. http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/neubeck_francis.htm. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
- "Florida: U.S. Representatives, 1980s". The Political Graveyard. http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/FL/ofc/usrep1980s.html. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
The original article can be found at Francis G. Neubeck and the edit history here.