Col. (Ret.) Frederick Gregory, retired astronaut and former NASA deputy administrator, will visit Syracuse University on Tuesday, Feb. 28.
Col. (Ret.) Frederick Gregory
Gregory will tour campus and meet with student groups, then give a talk in which he will share his experiences in space flight and discuss the future of space exploration. He will also recognize Alexander Metcalf ’22, G’23 and Matt Cufari ’23, two recent University recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship.
The event, sponsored by the Center for Fellowship and Scholarship Advising (CFSA), will be held from 4-5 p.m. in the K.G. Tan Auditorium in the National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building. The event is free and open to the University community and the public. For questions or to request accommodations, email cfsa@syr.edu.
A native of Washington, D.C., Gregory attended the U.S. Air Force Academy, where he received a bachelor’s degree in military engineering. He earned his wings after helicopter school, flew in Vietnam, transitioned to fighter aircraft, attended the Navy Test Pilot School, and then conducted testing as an engineering test pilot for both the Air Force and NASA. He received a master’s degree in information systems from George Washington University.
During his time in the Air Force, Gregory logged approximately 7,000 hours in more than 50 types of aircraft as a helicopter, fighter and test pilot. He flew 550 combat rescue missions in Vietnam.
In 1978, Gregory was chosen by NASA as a member of the first class of Space Shuttle astronauts. He became the first American with African lineage to pilot a spacecraft, the orbiter Challenger, on mission STS-51B. This flight was the second flight for the laboratory developed by the European Space Agency for scientific experiments on the space shuttle.
Gregory was also the first person of African lineage to command any space mission with the launch of STS-33 in 1989 on the orbiter Discovery. He then commanded STS-44 on Atlantis, which in addition to deploying a Department of Defense satellite, DPS 15, also conducted extensive studies to evaluate medical countermeasures to long-duration space flight.
Gregory also assumed the roles of associate administrator for safety and mission assurance and associate administrator for space flight before becoming NASA’s deputy administrator. As the leader of the agency’s human space flight program and as deputy administrator, one of his central goals was to have humans leave low Earth orbit on a journey in which Mars was the first step.
Alexander Metcalf ’22, G’23
During his visit, Gregory will recognize the most recent Syracuse University recipients of the Astronaut Scholarship awarded by the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation (ASF).
Founded by the Mercury 7 astronauts, the foundation awards scholarships to students in their junior or senior year who are pursuing studies in science, technology, engineering or mathematics and who plan to pursue research or advance their field upon completion of their final degree. Nominees are selected based on their exemplary academic performance, ingenuity and unique aptitude for research. Syracuse is a university partner of the ASF.
Matt Cufari ’23
In addition to funding for educational expenses of up to $15,000, the scholarship includes the opportunity for scholars to represent their institutions and present their research at the Scholar Technical Conference; professional mentoring for one year by scholarship alumni, a C-suite executive or an astronaut; the opportunity to participate in a professional development program and foundation events; and membership in the Astronaut Scholar Honor Society.
The honorees are:
