'91 grad to pilot STS-131 mission

  • Published
  • By Capt. Corinna Jones
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  A 1991 graduate of the Air Force Academy will pilot the STS-131 mission to the International Space Station aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, with liftoff currently scheduled for Monday from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Fla.

Col. James Dutton said the Air Force Academy played a significant role in preparing him for his career as a fighter pilot, test pilot and astronaut.

Colonel Dutton graduated from the Academy as the top graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree in astronautical engineering. As a cadet, he was also a member of the intercollegiate Cadet Competition Flying Team. The STS-131 mission will be his first trip to space.

The colonel, a native of Eugene, Ore., was a distinguished graduate from Euro-NATO Joint Jet Pilot Training in 1992. From there, he went on to earn top graduate from F-15C Eagle student training in 1995 and completed Air Force Test Pilot School in 2000.

Colonel Dutton flew F-15s at RAF Lakenheath, England, from October 1995 to May 1998, flying over 100 combat hours providing air superiority in support of Operations Provide Comfort and Northern Watch over Northern Iraq. In May 1998, he was reassigned to the 422nd Test and Evaluation Squadron at Nellis AFB, Nev., where he flew operational test missions in the F-15C. After Test Pilot School, he flight tested the F-16 Fighting Falcon as a member of the 416th Flight Test Squadron until June 2002, when he joined the F-22 Raptor Combined Test Force.

He has logged more than 3,300 flight hours in more than 30 aircraft. Selected as a pilot by NASA in July 2003, Colonel Dutton was initially assigned to the Exploration Branch, working on the development of the Crew Exploration Vehicle cockpit and to the Capsule Communications Branch as a shuttle capsule communicator. He was the Ascent and Entry Capcom for STS-122 in February 2008 and STS-123 in March 2008.

STS-131 is the 33rd shuttle mission to the station. Navy Capt. Alan G. Poindexter will command the STS-131 mission. Mission specialists are Clayton Anderson, Rick Mastracchio, Dorothy Metcalf-Lindenburger, Stephanie Wilson and Naoko Yamazaki.

Discovery will deliver a multi-purpose logistics module called "Leonardo" built by the Italian Space Agency. The module is filled with science racks that will be transferred to laboratories on the ISS. The 14-day mission will include three spacewalks.