Frederick Sturckow, born August 11, 1961 in La Mesa, California, flew on four space shuttle missions.
His first mission into space was aboard Endeavour (STS-88) as pilot in December 1998. It was the first space shuttle mission to the International Space Station.
His second mission was aboard Discovery (STS-105) as pilot in August 2001. It carried Expedition 3 to the ISS and returned with Expedition 2.
His third trip was aboard Atlantis (STS-117) as commander in June 2007. He performed the Rendezvous Pitch Maneuver (RPM), which is a "back flip" to allow the crew of the ISS to photograph the heat shields of the shuttle's belly.
Sturckow's fourth and final space shuttle mission was on Discovery (STS-128) as commander in August-September 2008. It was the final mission to land at Edwards Air Force Base.
Sturckow retired from the Marine Corps as colonel in 2009.
Sturckow is currently test flying Virgin Galactic's SpaceShipTwo spacecraft as they prepare for commercial operations in outer space.
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