NASA Career
Robinson began applying to become an astronaut in 1983, and was selected to join NASA's astronaut corps in 1995. He has flown on four Space Shuttle missions: STS-85, STS-95, STS-114 and STS-130. Robinson served as backup flight engineer for the International Space Station Expedition 4.
On August 3, 2005, as a Mission Specialist (and Flight Engineer) on STS-114, the first Return to Flight mission following the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, Robinson became the first human to perform an in-flight repair to the Shuttle's exterior. Robinson was sent to remove two protruding gap fillers on Discovery's heat shield, after engineers determined they might pose a danger upon re-entry. Robinson successfully removed the loose material while the Discovery was docked to the International Space Station. Robinson performed another "first" on STS-114 when he made the first podcast from space (transcript & audio) on 7 August 2005.
Robinson served as a Mission Specialist and Flight Engineer on STS-130, which launched on 8 February 2010 and rendezvoused with the International Space Station on 10 February. As Intravehicular Officer, he choreographed the three EVAs involved with the installation and activation of the Node 3 module and Cupola.
Robinson also served as CAPCOM for various Space Shuttle missions.
He retired from the Astronaut Corps in July 2012 to take a teaching position at University of California at Davis. "Steve will be sorely missed by the Astronaut Office," said Janet Kavandi, director of Flight Crew Operations. "He was a fellow classmate, and I will personally miss his ever-positive attitude and smiling face. We wish him the best in his future endeavors, and we are confident that he will be a positive influence and wonderful mentor to inquisitive minds at the University of California at Davis."
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