NASA Dryden research pilot Gordon Fullerton is greeted by his wife Marie on the Dryden ramp after his final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007.

NASA Dryden Flight Research Center's chief pilot Gordon Fullerton in the cockpit of the center's T-38 Talon mission support aircraft.

Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. Fullerton began his flying career with the U.S. Air Force in 1958 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Initially trained as a fighter pilot, he later transitioned to multi-engine bombers and became a bomber operations test pilot after attending the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He then was assigned to the flight crew for the planned Air Force Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of that program, the Air Force assigned Fullerton to NASA's astronaut corps in 1969. He served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 lunar missions, and was later assigned to one of the two flight crews that piloted the space shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test program at Dryden. He then logged some 382 hours in space when he flew on two early space shuttle missions, STS-3 on Columbia in 1982 and STS-51F on Challenger in 1985. He joined the flight crew branch at NASA Dryden after leaving the astronaut corps in 1986. During his 21 years at Dryden, Fullerton was project pilot on a number of high-profile research efforts, including the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft, the high-speed landing tests of sp

Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. Fullerton began his flying career with the U.S. Air Force in 1958 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Initially trained as a fighter pilot, he later transitioned to multi-engine bombers and became a bomber operations test pilot after attending the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He then was assigned to the flight crew for the planned Air Force Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of that program, the Air Force assigned Fullerton to NASA's astronaut corps in 1969. He served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 lunar missions, and was later assigned to one of the two flight crews that piloted the space shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test program at Dryden. He then logged some 382 hours in space when he flew on two early space shuttle missions, STS-3 on Columbia in 1982 and STS-51F on Challenger in 1985. He joined the flight crew branch at NASA Dryden after leaving the astronaut corps in 1986. During his 21 years at Dryden, Fullerton was project pilot on a number of high-profile research efforts, including the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft, the high-speed landing tests of

NASA research pilot Gordon Fullerton checked out how the PCA software worked in the multi-engine simulator at NASA Ames before fight-testing PCA in an MD-11.

Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. Fullerton began his flying career with the U.S. Air Force in 1958 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Initially trained as a fighter pilot, he later transitioned to multi-engine bombers and became a bomber operations test pilot after attending the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He then was assigned to the flight crew for the planned Air Force Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of that program, the Air Force assigned Fullerton to NASA's astronaut corps in 1969. He served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 lunar missions, and was later assigned to one of the two flight crews that piloted the space shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test program at Dryden. He then logged some 382 hours in space when he flew on two early space shuttle missions, STS-3 on Columbia in 1982 and STS-51F on Challenger in 1985. He joined the flight crew branch at NASA Dryden after leaving the astronaut corps in 1986. During his 21 years at Dryden, Fullerton was project pilot on a number of high-profile research efforts, including the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft, the high-speed landing tests of

Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. Fullerton began his flying career with the U.S. Air Force in 1958 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Initially trained as a fighter pilot, he later transitioned to multi-engine bombers and became a bomber operations test pilot after attending the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He then was assigned to the flight crew for the planned Air Force Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of that program, the Air Force assigned Fullerton to NASA's astronaut corps in 1969. He served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 lunar missions, and was later assigned to one of the two flight crews that piloted the space shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test program at Dryden. He then logged some 382 hours in space when he flew on two early space shuttle missions, STS-3 on Columbia in 1982 and STS-51F on Challenger in 1985. He joined the flight crew branch at NASA Dryden after leaving the astronaut corps in 1986. During his 21 years at Dryden, Fullerton was project pilot on a number of high-profile research efforts, including the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft, the high-speed landing tests of

Pilot Gordon Fullerton taxies NASA Dryden's "newest" mission support aircraft, a T-38 Talon, into position on the ramp upon its arrival on February 24, 2005.

Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. Fullerton began his flying career with the U.S. Air Force in 1958 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Initially trained as a fighter pilot, he later transitioned to multi-engine bombers and became a bomber operations test pilot after attending the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He then was assigned to the flight crew for the planned Air Force Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of that program, the Air Force assigned Fullerton to NASA's astronaut corps in 1969. He served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 lunar missions, and was later assigned to one of the two flight crews that piloted the space shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test program at Dryden. He then logged some 382 hours in space when he flew on two early space shuttle missions, STS-3 on Columbia in 1982 and STS-51F on Challenger in 1985. He joined the flight crew branch at NASA Dryden after leaving the astronaut corps in 1986. During his 21 years at Dryden, Fullerton was project pilot on a number of high-profile research efforts, including the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft, the high-speed landing tests of

2004 NASA Dryden Research Pilots. Left to Right: Edwin W. Lewis, Jr., David A. Wright (Director of Flight Operations), William Frederick Brockett, Frank Batteas, Craig R. Bomben, Richard G. Ewers, James W. Smolka, Douglas H. Baker, C. Gordon Fullerton (Chief Pilot), James Barrilleaux, Martin J. Trout, and Mark Pestana. (not pictured: Dana Purifoy)

S78-34917 (31 Aug. 1978) --- Just about to don his helmet and enter JSC?s shuttle engineering mock-up/trainer is astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, one of eight NASA astronauts recently named to man the space shuttle Columbia on a series of orbital flight tests in the early 1980s. Photo credit: NASA NOTE: Since this photograph was made, astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton was named pilot for STS-3, scheduled for launch in early spring of 1982.

Long-time NASA Dryden research pilot and former astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton capped an almost 50-year flying career, including more than 38 years with NASA, with a final flight in a NASA F/A-18 on Dec. 21, 2007. Fullerton and Dryden research pilot Jim Smolka flew a 90-minute pilot proficiency formation aerobatics flight with another Dryden F/A-18 and a Dryden T-38 before concluding with two low-level formation flyovers of Dryden before landing. Fullerton was honored with a water-cannon spray arch provided by two fire trucks from the Edwards Air Force Base fire department as he taxied the F/A-18 up to the Dryden ramp, and was then greeted by his wife Marie and several hundred Dryden staff after his final flight. Fullerton began his flying career with the U.S. Air Force in 1958 after earning bachelor's and master's degrees in mechanical engineering from the California Institute of Technology. Initially trained as a fighter pilot, he later transitioned to multi-engine bombers and became a bomber operations test pilot after attending the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. He then was assigned to the flight crew for the planned Air Force Manned Orbital Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of that program, the Air Force assigned Fullerton to NASA's astronaut corps in 1969. He served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16 and 17 lunar missions, and was later assigned to one of the two flight crews that piloted the space shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test program at Dryden. He then logged some 382 hours in space when he flew on two early space shuttle missions, STS-3 on Columbia in 1982 and STS-51F on Challenger in 1985. He joined the flight crew branch at NASA Dryden after leaving the astronaut corps in 1986. During his 21 years at Dryden, Fullerton was project pilot on a number of high-profile research efforts, including the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft, the high-speed landing tests of

STS003-26-253 (30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communications kit assembly (assy) mini-headset (HDST), prepares meal on middeck. Fullerton clips corner of rehydratable food (cereal) package with scissors. The opening will allow Fullerton to insert JSC water dispenser kit water gun in order to heat contents with hot water. Meal tray assembly is secured to forward middeck locker and holds additional food packages and beverage containers. Photo credit: NASA

S78-34927 (31 Aug. 1978) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, one of a group of eight astronauts named to fly the first few orbital flight tests of the space transportation system, gets ready to participate in a training session for emergency egress from a space shuttle vehicle at the launch pad. He is wearing a USAF modified high altitude pressure garment like those to be worn by shuttle crew members at takeoff and landing. Photo credit: NASA NOTE: Since this photograph was made, astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton was named pilot of STS-3, scheduled for launch in early spring of 1982.

STS003-26-254 (30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communications kit assembly (ASSY) mini-headset (HDST), inserts the JSC water dispenser kit water gun in rehydratable plastic food (cereal) package to fill it with hot water. Photo credit: NASA

2004 NASA Dryden DC-8 flight crew. Left to Right: Edwin W. Lewis, Jr., Martin J. Trout, Richard G. Ewers, Craig R. Bomben, C. Gordon Fullerton (Chief Pilot), Mark Pestana, Douglas H. Baker, William Frederick Brockett, and Frank Batteas.

STS003-22-113 (24 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communication kit assembly mini-headset (HDST), sleeps on aft flight deck resting his back against the floor and his feet against commander's ejection seat (S1) back. On-orbit station control panel A8 and payload station panel L15 appear above Fullerton. Special clips for holding notebooks open and beverage containers are velcroed on various panels. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-21-086 (22-30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communications kit assembly mini-headset, watches a free-floating pen during checklist procedures at the aft flight deck on-orbit station. Taken from the aft flight deck starboard side, Fullerton is seen in front of panels A7 and A8 with W8 and a "United States Air Force - a Great Way of Life" decal overhead. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-23-161 (24 March 1982) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, dons an olive drab inner garment which complements the space shuttle Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) spacesuit. Since there are no plans for an extravehicular activity (EVA) on the flight, Fullerton is just getting some practice time ?in the field? as he is aboard the Earth-orbiting Columbia. He is in the middeck area of the vehicle. The photograph was taken with a 35mm camera by astronaut Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander. Photo credit: NASA

S82-25900 (21 Jan. 1982) --- Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, right, and C. Gordon Fullerton greet the press during a pre-STS-3 press conference in JSC?s Public Affairs Building. Lousma, commander and Fullerton, pilot, are scheduled to man the Columbia when it is launched in early spring from Kennedy Space Center launch pad 39A. Photo credit: NASA

S82-25905 (21 Jan. 1982) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton uses an electronic pointer to localize an area on a projected visual of the OSS payload package to be carried in the cargo bay of the Columbia on STS-3. Fullerton is pilot for the flight and Jack R. Lousma, center, is mission commander. The two were holding one of a series of pre-STS-3 press briefings. They were introduced by Dr. John Lawrence, far right, a public information specialist for JSC?s Office of Public Affairs. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-23-165 (22-30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, dons ejection escape suit (EES) (high altitude pressure garment) life preserver unit (LPU) on forward port side of middeck above potable water tank. Fullerton also adjusts lapbelt fitting and helmet holddown strap. Photo credit: NASA

S82-25504 (20 Jan. 1982) --- These two veteran astronauts were named as prime crew members for STS-3 in the space shuttle Columbia. Wearing modified USAF-type altitude pressure garments in their Earth-bound shuttle trainer are astronauts Jack R. Lousma (left), commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot. Lousma was pilot on the second of three NASA astronaut crews to visit the Earth-orbiting Skylab space station in 1973. Fullerton was pilot for three free flights in the space shuttle Enterprise during approach and landing tests (ALT) in 1977. Photo credit: NASA

S81-34432 (July 1981) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, takes part in a suit donning and doffing exercise aboard a KC-135 "zero-gravity" aircraft. Mission specialist/astronaut William F. Fisher holds a mirror to assist Fullerton with hose and cable linkups to his suit. A special parabolic pattern flown by the KC-135 provides short durations of weightlessness. Fullerton's suit is an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), used by astronauts when leaving the shirt-sleeve environment of their shuttle orbiter to go outside and perform tasks in the vacuum of space. There are no such EVA plans on STS-3, but the crewmen are trained in this area in the event of a contingency. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-26-260 (26 March 1982) --- From mid-air, astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, grabs a bite of cereal which he had just spooned from a plastic food container on the space shuttle Columbia's middeck. Fullerton, pilot for three Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) with the space shuttle Enterprise, was making his first true spaceflight and had never before experienced microgravity. Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, mission commander, exposed this frame with a 35mm camera. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-23-180 (22-30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communications kit assembly (ASSY) mini-headset (HDST), reviews flight data file (FDF) checklist and text and graphics system (TAGS) printout (ticker tape) while in pilots ejection seat (S2). Pilot station control panels F4, F7, F8, O3, window shade, and portable oxygen system (POS) assy appear in view. Photo credit: NASA

Former NASA astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, seated in the cockpit of an F/A-18, is a research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif. Since transferring to Dryden in 1986, his assignments have included a variety of flight research and support activities piloting NASA's B-52 launch aircraft, the 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), and other multi-engine and high performance aircraft. He flew a series of development air launches of the X-38 prototype Crew Return Vehicle and in the launches for the X-43A Hyper-X project. Fullerton also flies Dryden's DC-8 Airborne Science aircraft in support a variety of atmospheric physics, ground mapping and meteorology studies. Fullerton also was project pilot on the Propulsion Controlled Aircraft program, during which he successfully landed both a modified F-15 and an MD-11 transport with all control surfaces neutralized, using only engine thrust modulation for control. Fullerton also evaluated the flying qualities of the Russian Tu-144 supersonic transport during two flights in 1998, one of only two non-Russian pilots to fly that aircraft. With more than 15,000 hours of flying time, Fullerton has piloted 135 different types of aircraft in his career. As an astronaut, Fullerton served on the support crews for the Apollo 14, 15, 16, and 17 lunar missions. In 1977, Fullerton was on one of the two flight crews that piloted the Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise during the Approach and Landing Test Program at Dryden. Fullerton was the pilot on the STS-3 Space Shuttle orbital flight test mission in 1982, and commanded the STS-51F Spacelab 2 mission in 1985. He has logged 382 hours in space flight. In July 1988, he completed a 30-year career with the U.S. Air Force and retired as a colonel.

NASA Administrator Charlie Bolden and Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum President Susan Marenoff-Zausner cut a ribbon at the museum marking the opening of the new Space Shuttle Pavilion which exhibits the space shuttle Enterprise while NASA Astronaut and Enterprise Commander Fred Haise, left, NASA Astronaut and Enterprise Commander Joe Engle, background, and Marie Fullerton, wife of NASA Astronaut and Enterprise Pilot Gordon Fullerton, right, look on, Thursday, July 19, 2012 in New York City. Photo Credit: (NASA/Bill Ingalls)

S82-28535 (16 March 1982) --- One of the more pleasant surprises of what are usually routine training sessions today was Mrs. Marie Fullerton, seated in the foreground in a special chair. Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left background, and C. Gordon Fullerton, center, take a brief break in their simulation session to look back toward their visitor, wife of the pilot for NASA?s next flight. They are in the shuttle mission simulator (SMS) in the LBJ Space Center?s mission simulation and training facility. The crew is in training for its scheduled March 22 launch aboard the space shuttle Columbia for a week?s stay in Earth orbit. Photo credit: NASA

S82-27684 (26 Feb. 1982) --- Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left, commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, enjoy a light moment following their final STS-3 press conference before the scheduled launch of the space shuttle Columbia. Fullerton holds a fly swatter in his hand. During the conference, the crew had joked about insects onboard the craft and suggested the swatter as a means to control the ?critters.? A student experiment entitled ?Insects in Fight Motion Study? will fly with the crew on NASA?s third orbital flight test (STS-3). Photo credit: NASA

S82-27685 (26 Feb. 1982) --- Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, enjoy a light moment following their final STS-3 press conference before the scheduled launch of the space shuttle Columbia. Fullerton holds a fly swatter in his hand. During the conference, the crew had joked about insects onboard the craft and suggested the swatter as a means to control the ?critters.? A student experiment entitled ?Insects in Flight Motion Study? will fly with the crew on NASA?s third orbital fight test (STS-3). Photo credit: NASA

S82-28456 (19 Feb. 1982) --- Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left, STS-3 commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, are briefed on emergency procedures at Launch Pad 39A by Buck Tomlinson, a safety instructor with Wackenhut Services, Inc. Also pictured is astronaut Daniel C. Brandenstein, STS-8 pilot. The men were at Kennedy Space Center (KSC) for participation in a countdown demonstration test (CDDT). Photo credit: NASA

STS003-31-290 (30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communications kit assembly (ASSY) mini-headset (HDST) and ejection escape suit (EES), holds flexible hose attached to his EES vent hose fitting and second hose for commander's EES while behind pilots ejection seat (S2) seat back on the aft flight deck. Forward flight deck control panels are visible in the background. Photo credit: NASA

S78-27531 (22 March 1978) --- These eight men have been named on four two-man crews who will fly the space shuttle orbiter vehicle during orbital flight tests (OFT) scheduled to begin in 1979. Pictured during their press conference, right to left, astronauts John W. Young, Robert L. Crippen, Joe H. Engle, Richard H. Truly, Fred W. Haise Jr., Jack R. Lousma, Vance D. Brand and C. Gordon Fullerton. Young and Crippen are commander and pilot, respectively, for the first OFT mission. Other crews are comprised of Engle, commander, and Truly, pilot; Haise, commander, and Lousma, pilot; Brand, commander, and Fullerton, pilot. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28906 (27 March 1982) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, mans the right hand aft station of the flight deck on the Earth-orbiting Columbia. The photograph was taken with a 35mm camera by astronaut Jack R. Lousma, crew commander. The "Go Blue" sticker is a University of Michigan memento of Lousma, and the Air Force sign was put up by Fullerton, a USAF colonel. Lousma, a USMC colonel, received his BS degree in aeronautical engineering in 1959 from UM. One of two aft windows for cargo bay viewing and one of two ceiling windows are visible in the photo. Fullerton and Lousma watched the activity of the remote manipulator system (RMS) arm out the lower window and they took a number of photos of Earth from the upper window. Photo credit: NASA

Los Angeles Police Department personnel and former NASA astronaut and NASA Armstrong Flight Research Center (then Dryden) test pilot Gordon Fullerton, seated, join the crew of the NASA 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft. Standing is, from left, Larry LaRose, J.J. Johnston, Jeff Moultrie, Frank Batteas, Bill Brockett, Henry Taylor, Troy Asher, Jim Less, Bill Rieke, officer Kevin Standage, Sgt. Stephen Roussell, and Glenn Grossman.

S82-28757 (22 March 1982) --- This close-up view featuring the space shuttle Columbia?s main engines and solid rocket boosters (SRB) was captured on video during the launch sequence for the STS-3 mission from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Onboard were astronauts Jack R. Lousma, commander; and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28951 (1 April 1982) --- A light moment takes charge of a debriefing session for STS-3 and brings a smile to the face of its commander, astronaut Jack R. Lousma, right. Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, left was one of eight other participants in the debriefing session. The two spent eight full days orbiting the Earth and conducting experiments for NASA?s third space transportation system mission aboard the Columbia. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28454 (19 Feb. 1982) --- Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, right, STS-3 commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, carry portable spacesuit air controllers as they walk from a transport van to Launch Pad 39A to participate in a simulated countdown and launch. This countdown demonstration test (CDDT) is part of the preparations for NASA?s third orbital flight test in the space shuttle Columbia. The two are scheduled to spend a week orbiting Earth in Columbia this spring. Photo credit: NASA

S82-27835 (26 Feb. 1982) --- The astronaut crew members for NASA?s third space transportation system (STS-3) flight meet with Todd E. Nelson, who devised a scientific experiment to fly on their mission. Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left, commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, along with the 18-year-old high school senior, discussed the experiment, entitled ?Insects in Flight Motion Study,? during a press briefing in JSC?s public affairs facility. Photo credit: NASA

S82-27604 (26 Feb. 1982) --- The astronaut crew members for NASA?s third space transportation system (STS-3) flight meet with Todd E. Nelson, who devised a scientific experiment to fly on their mission. Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left, commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, along with the 18-year-old high school senior, discussed the experiment, entitled ?Insects in Flight Motion Study,? during a press briefing in JSC?s public affairs facility. Photo credit: NASA

S81-36714 (14 Nov. 1981) --- These two veteran astronauts were named today as the official prime crew members of STS-3 in the space shuttle Columbia. Commander for NASA?s third space shuttle orbital flight test is astronaut Jack R. Lousma, left, seated in a Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) at NASA's Johnson Space Center (JSC). Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, right, will serve as pilot. Lousma was pilot on the second of three NASA crews to visit the Earth orbiting Skylab space station in 1973. Fullerton, though never having been in space, is a veteran of three free flights of the shuttle during approach and landing tests (ALT) with space shuttle Enterprise in 1977. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-22-119 (30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communications kit assembly (ASSY) mini-headset (HDST), uses hygiene kit hair brush on aft middeck. He makes light of his lack of hair during a freshening up session. He makes a token effort with a hair brush. Side hatch and panel ML31C appear behind him. Photo credit: NASA

S82-27686 (26 Feb. 1982) --- Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left, commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, answer questions from the press corps during their final pre-STS-3 press conference on Feb. 26, 1982. The two will man the space shuttle Columbia when it launches on March 22, 1982, from the Kennedy Space Center's Launch Pad 39A. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-23-178 (22-30 March 1982) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, examines Student Experiment 81-8 (SE-81-8) Insect Flight Motion Study taped to the airlock on aft middeck. Todd Nelson, a high school senior from Minnesota, won a national contest to fly his experiment on this particular flight. Moths, flies, and bees were studied in the near weightless environment. Photo credit: NASA

STS003-25-228 (22-30 March 1982) --- Astronaut Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, wearing communication kit assembly (ASSY) mini-headset (HDST) and using a screwdriver and flashlight (penlight), replaces acknowledge (ACK) key on aft flight deck mission station control panel R12L keyboard. Photo credit: NASA

S77-28542 (23 Sept 1977) --- The shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" separates from the NASA 747 carrier aircraft during the third free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted on September 23, 1977, at the Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) in Southern California. The vehicle, with astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, remained in unpowered flight for five-minutes and 34-seconds before landing on the desert land of Edwards Air Force Base.

S82-28923 (March 1982) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, uses both hands to retrieve part of a meal from an orbital flight test food warmer in the middeck area of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia. The food warmer is a versatile briefcase-like device developed by life sciences personnel at the Johnson Space Center (JSC). Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander, took this photograph with a 35mm camera. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28455 (19 Feb. 1982) --- The prime crew members for STS-3 take a break in their training schedule at KSC to pose for a few pictures. Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, left, is crew commander; and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, for STS-3 scheduled to launch this spring. Launch Pad 39A is in the background. Photo credit: NASA

S81-34448 (July 1981) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, fully suited, gets a preview of what it might be like in space during a flight aboard NASA's KC-135 "zero-gravity" aircraft. A special parabolic pattern flown the aircraft provides short periods of weightlessness. Fullerton's suit is an Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU), used by astronauts when leaving the shirt-sleeve environment of their shuttle orbiter to go outside perform tasks in space. There are no such EVA plans on STS-3, but crew members are trained in this area in the event of the necessity to perform chores in space that for some reason or other can't be done remotely. The astronaut has just donned his suit during a parabola and now takes the opportunity to float around in the absence of gravity. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28912 (March 1982) --- This picture, photographed with a 35mm camera operated by astronaut Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander, shows astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, crew pilot, busy with mealtime preparations aboard the Earth-orbiting Columbia. The astronaut has positioned himself in the corner of the middeck area. Fullerton holds a beverage in his right hand in an accordion-like squeeze dispenser. Many packages of pre-packaged dehydrated foods and other meal items can be seen in the photo. Many are fastened to the locker doors and to trays in the locker doors by velcro. Reminiscent of STS-2 days, a portrait of George W. S. Abbey, director of flight operations at JSC, is at left edge. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28534 (16 March 1982) --- Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, left, and C. Gordon Fullerton are at the commander and pilot?s station, respectively, in the shuttle mission simulator at the LBJ Space Centers mission simulation and training facility. They have less than a week of training left in preparation for NASA?s third space transportation system (STS-3) flight. Scheduled to launch on March 22, STS-3 in expected to give space shuttle Columbia its longest stay (seven days) thus far. Photo credit: NASA

S77-27945 (12 Aug 1977) --- The space shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" soars above the NASA 747 carrier aircraft after separating during the first free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALTs) conducted on Aug. 12, 1977 at Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California. Astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., and C. Gordon Fullerton were the crew of the "Enterprise." The ALT free flights are designed to verify Orbiter subsonic airworthiness, integrated systems operations and pilot-guided approach and landing capability and satisfying prerequisites to automatic flight control and navigation mode. Photo credit: NASA

S77-28649 (23 Sept 1977) --- The shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" sits atop the NASA 747 carrier aircraft in a piggy-back configuration prior to separation for the third free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted on September 23, 1977, at the Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC) in Southern California. The crew of the "enterprise" consisted of astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot. This photo was shot from one of the T-38 chase planes accompanying the ALT craft. Three other T-38 chase planes are pictured.

S82-28704 (20 March 1982) --- Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander, seems to be saying, "?see you guys down there," prior to boarding a T-38 jet trainer and heading for KSC in Florida. Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, left, STS-3 pilot, will man the front seat of another T-38, with astronaut Brewster H. Shaw, center, as rear sat passenger. The STS-3 crew has just bade farewell to news media representatives and members of the general public on hand for the departure. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28746 (22 March 1982) --- The space shuttle Columbia, with its third crew aboard, two solid rocket boosters (SRB) and external fuel tank (ET) are photographed as they clear the launch pad at Kennedy Space Center?s Launch Complex 39. Astronauts Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, were in Earth orbit some ten minutes later looking ahead to seven days of work in space. The external tank is unpainted for the first time, appearing a dark orange in the color photos and dark gray in black and white. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28950 (1 April 1982) --- During a break from a debriefing session, the STS-3 crew members look over some of the photography of their launch from the Kennedy Space Center along with other participants of the meeting. Astronaut Jack R. Lousma is second from left; astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton is at left. They are commander and pilot, respectively, of STS-3. George W. S. Abbey, director of flight operations at JSC, is second from right, and astronaut Joe H. Engle, STS-2 commander, is at right. Photo credit: NASA

S77-28541 (23 Sept 1977) --- The NASA 747 carrier aircraft and six T-38 jets fly over the shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" soon after completion of a five-minute, 34-second unpowered mission during the third of a series of Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) free-flights. Crew for the September 23, 1977, flight were astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot. Touchdown was 786 feet beyond aim point in the desert land of Edwards Air Force Base in Southern California.

S77-27512 (12 Aug 1977) --- The Shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" soars above the NASA 747 carrier aircraft only seconds after separating during the first free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALTs) conducted on August 12, 1977 at Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California. Astronauts Fred W. Haise Jr., and C. Gordon Fullerton were the crew of the "Enterprise." The ALT free flights are designed to verify Orbiter subsonic airworthiness, integrated systems operations and pilot-guided approach and landing capability and satisfying prerequisites to automatic flight control and navigation mode.

S82-28922 (30 March 1982) --- Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot, floats upside down in the zero-gravity environment of the middeck area of the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia as he dons a modified USAF high altitude pressure garment. The brownish ejection/escape suit is used by the astronauts at launch and entry. Most of the remainder of their mission time, they are attired in a blue constant-wear garment. Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, crew commander, took this picture with a 35mm camera. The crew spent eight full days in the reusable spacecraft, a shuttle record. Photo credit: NASA

S82-28952 (1 April 1982) --- Crew members from STS-2 and STS-4 meet with the recently returned STS-3 astronauts for a debriefing session at the Johnson Space Center. Taking notes at bottom left foreground is astronaut John W. Young, STS-1 commander and chief of the Astronaut Office at JSC. Clockwise around the table, beginning with Young, are George W. S. Abbey, JSC Director of Flight Operations; and astronauts Joe E. Engle, STS-2 commander; Henry W. Hartsfield Jr., STS-4 pilot; C. Gordon Fullerton, STS-3 pilot; Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander; Thomas K. (Ken) Mattingly, STS-4 commander; and Richard H. Truly, STS-2 pilot. Photo credit: NASA

S77-28138 (13 Sept 1977) --- The shuttle Orbiter 101 "Enterprise" makes a slight turn and bank maneuver during the second free flight of the Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) conducted on September 13, 1977, at the Dryden Flight Research Center in Southern California. The "Enterprise" separated from the NASA 747 carrier aircraft and landed following a five-minute, 28-second unpowered flight. The Orbiter 101 crew was astronauts Joe H. Engle, commander, and Richard H. Truly, pilot. The ALT free flights are designed to verify orbiter subsonic airworthiness, integrated systems operations and pilot-guided approach and landing capability and satisfy prerequisites to automatic flight control and navigation mode. The orbiter soars above the dry California desert in this post-separation view. Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton took this picture while riding in T-38 chase plane number one. He used a 35mm Nikon camera with a 50mm lens.

Former astronaut Gordon Fullerton (left), currently chief research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, is congratulated by former astronaut Fred Haise (right) upon Fullerton's induction into the Astronaut Hall of Fame at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida on April 30, 2005. Fullerton and Haise were one of two flight crews who flew the Approach and Landing Tests of the prototype Space Shuttle orbiter Enterprise at Dryden in 1977. Fullerton, who had served on the support crews for four Apollo moon landing missions in the early 1970s, went on to fly two Shuttle missions, STS-3 in 1982 and STS-51F in 1985. STS-3 became the only Shuttle mission to date to land at White Sands, N.M., and STS-51F was completed successfully despite the failure of one of the Shuttle's main engines during ascent to orbit. Haise, a member of the crew on the ill-fated Apollo 13 mission, was also a research pilot at NASA Dryden during his pre-astronaut career. Former astronauts Joseph Allen and Bruce McCandless were also inducted during the 2005 ceremonies at the KSC Visitor Center. In addition to honoring former members of NASA's astronaut corps who have made significant contributions to the advancement of space flight, the annual induction ceremonies serve as a fund-raiser for the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. The foundation funded 17 $10,000 scholarships to college students studying science and engineering in 2004.

NASA pilots Dick Ewens and Gordon Fullerton sit at the controls in the cockpit of the Dryden Flight Research Center DC-8 that was on view at Patrick Air Force Base. The DC-8 is one of two aircraft being flown in a hurricane study through September to learn about the storms from top to bottom. Flying at 35,000 to 40,000 feet, the DC-8 is equipped with instruments to measure a hurricane’s structure, environment and changes in intensity and tracking. The other plane, a modified U2, and the DC-8 will fly in conjunction with scheduled storm flights of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) out of MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa and the U.S. Air Force 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron from Keesler Air Force Base, Miss. The study is part of NASA’s Earth Science enterprise to better understand the total Earth system and the effects of natural and human-induced changes on the global environment

S82-28914 (26 March 1982) --- Astronaut Jack R. Lousma, STS-3 commander, spins a package of colored liquid in zero-gravity aboard the Earth-orbiting space shuttle Columbia. He was actually creating a centrifuge to conduct a test involving the separation of bubbles from the liquid rehydrated strawberry powder for visible clarity. The gas from liquid experiment is a test devised by scientist-astronaut William E. Thornton. The gun-like device at center of left edge is a water-dispenser which the astronauts use in rehydrating food packets, many of which can be seen in the background of this middeck area of the Columbia. Astronaut C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, exposed this frame with a 35mm camera. Photo credit: NASA

The SOFIA flight crew, consisting of Co-pilot Gordon Fullerton; DFRC, Pilot Bill Brocket; DFRC, Test Conductor Marty Trout; DFRC, Test Engineer Don Stonebrook; L-3, and Flight Engineer Larry Larose; JSC, descend the stairs after ferrying the 747SP airborne observatory from Waco, Texas, to its new home at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center in California. NASA's Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy, or SOFIA, arrived at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. on May 31, 2007. The heavily modified Boeing 747SP was ferried to Dryden from Waco, Texas, where L-3 Communications Integrated Systems installed a German-built 2.5-meter infrared telescope and made other major modifications over the past several years. SOFIA is scheduled to undergo installation and integration of mission systems and a multi-phase flight test program at Dryden over the next three years that is expected to lead to a full operational capability to conduct astronomy missions in about 2010. During its expected 20-year lifetime, SOFIA will be capable of "Great Observatory" class astronomical science, providing astronomers with access to the visible, infrared and sub-millimeter spectrum with optimized performance in the mid-infrared to sub-millimeter range.

S82-26315 (4 Feb. 1982) --- This is the insignia for NASA's third flight (STS-3) of the Space Transportation System's (STS) Columbia, depicted in the middle of the blue sphere against the background of the sun. The Columbia's tail, nose, and top will each be pointed at the sun for long periods to test its thermal response to extremes of temperatures. The three prominent rays represent the third STS flight. The surnames of astronauts Jack R. Lousma, commander, and C. Gordon Fullerton, pilot, flank the vehicle, and the name Columbia appears at the bottom. The spacecraft's payload bay doors are open, and the Remote Manipulator System (RMS) arm with an experimental payload is extended as it will be on several occasions during the actual flight, scheduled for spring of this year. The artwork was accomplished by space artist Robert C. McCall of Paradise Valley, Arizona. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

S85-29498 (June 1985) --- The crew members of space shuttle mission STS-51F have chosen as their insignia this design by Houston artist Skip Bradley. The space shuttle Challenger is depicted ascending toward the heavens in search of new knowledge in the field of solar and stellar astronomy, with its Spacelab 2 payload. The constellations Leo and Orion are in the positions they will be in, relative to the sun during the flight. The nineteen stars signify that this will be the 19th STS flight. Crew members for the mission are astronauts C. Gordon Fullerton, commander; Roy D. Bridges, pilot; F. Story Musgrave, Anthony W. England and Karl J. Henize, mission specialist; and payload specialists Loren W. Acton and John David Bartoe. The NASA insignia design for space shuttle flights is reserved for use by the astronauts and for other official use as the NASA Administrator may authorize. Public availability has been approved only in the forms of illustrations by the various news media. When and if there is any change in this policy, which is not anticipated, the change will be publicly announced. Photo credit: NASA

Retired NASA Dryden research pilot Ed Schneider served as master of ceremonies at the retirement ceremony for NASA's B-52B, on Dec. 17, 2004.