Alvin Drew

Benjamin Alvin Drew Jr. (born November 5, 1962) is a United States Air Force officer, the director of space sustainability and acting director of Cross-Directorate Technical Integration for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, and a former NASA astronaut. He has been on two spaceflights; the first was the Space Shuttle mission STS-118 to the International Space Station, in August 2007. Drew's second spaceflight took place in March 2011 on STS-133, another mission to the International Space Station. STS-133 was Space Shuttle Discovery's final mission. Drew took part in two spacewalks while docked to the station. Drew was the final African-American to fly on board a Space Shuttle, as the final two Space Shuttle missions, STS-134 and STS-135, had no African-American crew members.

Drew was selected to be an astronaut in NASA's Astronaut Group 18 in July 2000. Following his rookie spaceflight, Drew spent almost a year at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Star City, Russia, overseeing NASA's training operations there as director of operations.

On February 28, 2011, Drew became the 200th person to walk in space, when he conducted the first spacewalk of the STS-133 mission with fellow astronaut Steve Bowen.

Early life and education Drew was born in 1962 in Washington, D.C., and spent his early years in Lanham, Maryland. He moved to Brookland, Washington, D.C., when he was four years old. Drew recalls having a desire to be a pilot from as early as four years old.

Military career Drew received his commission as a second lieutenant from the United States Air Force Academy in May 1984. He completed Undergraduate Helicopter Pilot Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, in 1985. His initial assignment was to the HH-3E, flying combat rescue missions. He later transitioned to the MH-60G and was assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command. There, he flew combat missions in operations Just Cause, Desert Shield, Desert Storm and Provide Comfort. He completed USAF Fixed-Wing Qualification in 1993, and the United States Naval Test Pilot School in June 1994. He has commanded two flight test units and served on Air Combat Command staff.

Drew is a command pilot with over 4000 hours of flying time across 30 types of aircraft. He retired from the air force in September 2010, after more than 25 years of service.

Drew worked as a liaison between NASA and the United States Department of Defense between 2016 and 2024. Upon the establishment of the division of space sustainability in late 2024, Drew became NASA's first ever director for space sustainability. He is also the acting director of Cross-Directorate Technical Integration for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate.

STS-118

When Clayton Anderson was moved to STS-117, Drew was selected for the available position on STS-118. His selection for STS-118 made him the first representative of the astronaut class of 2000 to go into space.

STS-133

Drew served as a mission specialist on STS-133, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery. This mission launched on February 24, 2011, and docked with the space station two days later. Landing occurred on March 9. Drew's role on this crew was that of a mission specialist, and he conducted two spacewalks. On February 28, Drew became the 200th person to walk in space.

White House career Drew worked in the Obama Administration's Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2015 to 2016 as the assistant director for Aviation and Space Security. In 2016, he was appointed to the U.S. Air Force Academy Board of Visitors by President Barack Obama, a post he held until 2020.

Personal life Drew is Catholic.

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