Astronaut Bill McArthur to Speak on "International Space Station Expedition 12 Highlights"

Astronaut William S. McArthur, Jr. will speak on “International Space Station Expedition 12 Highlights” on November 13 at 7:00 p.m. in the OSU Student Union Little Theater. There will be an autograph session after the lecture in the OSU Student Union Centennial Lounge.

McArthur is an American astronaut and a veteran of three space shuttle missions and one mission to the International Space Station via the Russian Soyuz capsule.

He  has logged over 4500 flight hours in 39 different aircraft and spacecraft. He is a recipient of the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster), the NASA Space Flight Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

McArthur was onboard the International Space Station from October 3, 2005 until April 8, 2006. He was the Commander and International Space Station  Science Officer on the Expedition-12 crew which launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan on September 30, 2005 aboard a Soyuz TMA spacecraft and docked with the space station on October 3, 2005.

During a six month tour of duty aboard the International Space Station, the crew conducted two spacewalks and relocated their Soyuz spacecraft twice, becoming the first ISS crew to dock to every Russian docking port on the complex. They also became the first two-person crew to conduct a spacewalk in both Russian and U.S. spacesuits.

In March 2006, Bill conducted an International Space Station downlink with OSU’s NASA Professional Development Conference.

His wife, Cindy McArthur, is a recent OSU NASA Teaching from Space Project Education Specialist. She now serves as Program Manager for the OSU Teaching From Space Project at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.

The lecture is presented by the OSU College of Education and the NASA Aerospace Education Services Program.

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Last Updated Friday, October 27, 2006