William Surles "Bill" McArthur Jr. (born July 26, 1951) is a retired American Army colonel and [[NASA]] [[astronaut]]. A veteran of four space missions, he has served as a mission specialist on three [[Space Shuttle]] flights and as commander of [[International Space Station]] (ISS) [[Expedition 12]].
Early Life and Education
William S. McArthur Jr. was born in Laurinburg, North Carolina. He graduated from Red Springs High School in Red Springs, North Carolina, in 1969. He then attended the [[United States Military Academy]] at [[West Point]], New York, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering in 1973. He later received a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from [[Georgia Institute of Technology]] in 1983.Military Career
Upon graduation from West Point, McArthur was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the [[United States Army]]. He served with the 82nd Airborne Division at [[Fort Bragg]], North Carolina, as a platoon leader and later as a company executive officer. In 1976, he entered the U.S. Army Aviation School and became a qualified aviator. He served in various capacities, including as a flight instructor, unit commander, and operations officer. McArthur attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1987 and served as an experimental test pilot at the [[Army Aviation Engineering Flight Activity]]. He also served as an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at West Point. McArthur retired from the U.S. Army in 2001 with the rank of colonel.NASA Career
McArthur was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1990. After completing a year of training and evaluation, he became an astronaut in July 1991, qualified for assignment as a mission specialist on Space Shuttle flight crews. His technical assignments at NASA included working in the Astronaut Office, serving as the Astronaut Office representative to the Space Station Program, and chief of the Flight Safety Branch.Spaceflights
McArthur has flown on four space missions:- STS-58 (October 18 – November 1, 1993): McArthur served as a mission specialist on [[Space Shuttle Columbia]] during this 14-day Spacelab Life Sciences-2 mission. The crew performed medical experiments to understand how humans and animals adapt to the weightless environment of space and recovered from the effects of return to Earth.
- STS-74 (November 12 – November 20, 1995): As a mission specialist aboard [[Space Shuttle Atlantis]], McArthur participated in the second Shuttle-[[Mir]] docking mission. The crew delivered a Russian-built docking module and two solar arrays to the Mir space station.
- STS-92 (October 11 – October 24, 2000): McArthur again served as a mission specialist on [[Space Shuttle Discovery]]. This mission was an assembly flight for the International Space Station, delivering the Z1 Truss and Pressurized Mating Adapter-3. During the mission, McArthur performed a [[spacewalk]] (Extravehicular Activity, EVA) to connect power and data cables to the new components.
- Expedition 12 (October 1, 2005 – April 8, 2006): McArthur served as commander of the International Space Station Expedition 12 crew, launching aboard [[Soyuz TMA-7]] from [[Baikonur Cosmodrome]] in Kazakhstan. During his six-month stay on the ISS, he and his crewmate, Russian cosmonaut Valery Tokarev, performed maintenance, scientific research, and two spacewalks to configure station components and conduct repairs.
He has logged a total of 224 days, 22 hours, 21 minutes in space and has conducted four spacewalks totaling 24 hours and 21 minutes.
Post-NASA Career
McArthur retired from NASA in 2007. He subsequently served as the Director of Safety and Mission Assurance at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, and has continued to contribute to the aerospace community in various capacities.Awards and Honors
McArthur has received numerous awards and commendations, including:- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medals (4)
- Defense Superior Service Medal
- Legion of Merit
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Army Commendation Medal (3)
- National Defense Service Medal
- Order of the Friendship (Russia)
- Medal "For Merit in Space Exploration" (Russia)
- Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Army Aviation School
- Distinguished Graduate, U.S. Naval Test Pilot School