Captain, Commander, & Col. Shane Kimbrough Ends Service with NASA

NASA has announced the retirement of 22-year space program veteran Shane Kimbrough, announcing his end of service with the agency at the end of the month. 

The retired Army colonel has spent a total of 388 days in space, enough time to net him 5th place among all NASA astronauts for time spent above. His tenure as an astronaut allowed him to fly on all 3 of the spacefaring mainstays of the industry, the Soyuz, SpaceX Crew Dragon, and the Space Shuttle itself before its retirement from service. Throughout his career he was able to complete 9 spacewalks across his trio of missions. Kimbrough’s last duty came as the commander of the Crew-2 mission to the ISS overseeing the 2nd long-duration mission using the Crew Dragon spacecraft. The Expedition 65 crew completed more than 250 scientific tasks along the way, tackling topics from orbital survival to martian exploration. Throughout his career, he saw tremendous changes to the space station, like the addition of new crew habitats, water recycling systems, and working quarters brought up by some of the final flights of the Endeavour.

“Shane’s expertise and leadership has been a huge asset to me personally and the astronaut office for many years. He has been a mentor to many astronauts, and it has been an absolute pleasure and honor to serve with him,” said Chief Astronaut Reid Wiseman at NASA’s Johnson Space Center.

“I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as a NASA astronaut for the past 18 years,” Kimbrough said. “I am honored to have been able to fly on three different spacecraft and to spend time at the International Space Station. I’ve worked with the best of the best in orbit and on the ground and am grateful for those that have supported me and my family. I’ve wanted to be an astronaut since I was a little kid watching NASA astronauts go to the Moon. To accomplish three spaceflights and nearly 400 days in space in my career is truly a dream come true.”

FMI: www.nasa.gov