L. Blaine Hammond

Lloyd Blaine Hammond Jr. (born January 16, 1952) is a Gulfstream test pilot, a former United States Air Force officer, and a former NASA astronaut. He flew on two Space Shuttle missions.

Education Hammond was born on January 16, 1952, in Savannah, Georgia, but considers St. Louis, Missouri his hometown. He graduated from Kirkwood High School in 1969 and received a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering, science, and mechanics from the United States Air Force Academy in 1973 and a Master of Science degree in engineering science and mechanics from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1974. He is a member of the Air Force Academy Association of Graduates, the Air Force Association, and the Order of Daedalians.

Awards and honors Distinguished Graduate, USAF Academy Commander's Trophy Flying Training Award in Undergraduate Pilot Training Defense Superior Service Medal NASA Space Flight Medal (2) Air Force Commendation Medal (2) Gulstream Long Beach, Ca. Upstairs North West Conference Room named in his honor

Military career Hammond received his pilot wings at Reese Air Force Base, Texas, in 1975. He was assigned to the 50th Tactical Fighter Wing 496th Tactical Fighter Squadron, Hahn Air Base, Germany, flying the F4E from 1976 to 1979. In 1979–1980, he was an Instructor Pilot in the F-5B/E/F at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, training foreign national students. He attended the Empire Test Pilots' School (ETPS) at Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment (A&AEE) Boscombe Down, United Kingdom, in 1981. Hammond returned to Edwards Air Force Base, California, in 1982, where he managed projects in the 6512 Test Squadron until being assigned as an instructor at the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards. As a test pilot school instructor, he flew the F-4, A-7 Corsair II, and A-37, and was the High Angle of Attack program monitor, teaching stall/spin theory and flight training.

He logged over 4,500 hours in 15 American and 10 RAF aircraft.

He was the pilot on STS-64 aboard the Discovery. Mission highlights included: first use of lasers for environmental research; deployment and retrieval of a solar science satellite; robotic processing of semiconductors; use of RMS boom for jet thruster research; first untethered spacewalk in 10 years to test a self-rescue jetpack. Mission duration was 10 days, 22 hours, 51 minutes.

Aviation career Hammond is a test pilot for Gulfstream Aerospace, in Las Vegas, Nevada with wife Kathy. He has a son, Michael Blaine Hammond, who lives in Houston.