Jerry co-owns the record for most spaceflights in human history, with seven to his credit. Officially, Jerry recorded an incredible 58 hours, 18 minutes of spacewalking time over the course of nine EVAs ... that are on the record.
More importantly, however, Jerry is a good and decent a person. He's become a good friend over the years, and I'm quite thankful that he agreed to sit down for this interview.
SHOW NOTES:
*Jerry and his wife Karen missed damage to their home during Hurricane Harvey, but many of their neighbors weren't so fortunate.
*A veteran of several mission trips with his church, Jerry pitched in to help with recovery from Harvey before going on an extended trip in Europe.
*The outpouring of assistance in Texas and Florida in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma reminded Jerry of the help NASA received following the loss of the Space Shuttle Columbia.
*Jerry remembers the very tentative start between the American and Russian space programs, and how both parties put aside their differences.
*Jerry talks about why he entered the astronaut program as a mission specialist and not as a pilot.
*Although he hasn't made use of it in quite some time, Jerry does hold a private pilot's license. Time and money kept him from flying privately during his time as an astronaut.
*Jerry discusses Tinker Toys in Space -- the EASE/ACCESS experiment -- on STS-61B. It's a precursor to construction methods on the International Space Station.
*At one point, STS-61B was slated to fly in the ill-fated Challenger slot.
*The flight is also Jerry's first, and as he exited the airlock to begin his first spacewalk, he forced himself not to let out a yell of excitement.
*Jerry grew up with the space race between the United States
and Soviet Union, and he kept extensive scrapbooks along the way. That led him
to learn about Purdue University in his homestate of Indiana, and in the fourth
grade, he decided that he was going to attend the school and become an
engineer. The goal of becoming an astronaut evolved over time.
*Which spacewalk was his most fulfilling? EVERY spacewalk
was fulfilling!
*When you go outside at night and see the International
Space Station pass by overhead, just remember … Jerry Ross was a part of its
very first assembly mission.
*Jerry gives some advice to Ham radio operators hoping to
get in touch with the ISS.
*Jerry discusses his time in the air force, and the work he
did as an engineer in flight tests of everything from the T-33 to B-1 bomber.
*Houston’s mission control team was always in charge during
Jerry’s classified Department of Defense STS-27 flight. There were, however, a
team of air force flight controllers being trained for launches that were
scheduled to take place out of Vandenburg.
*For years, rumors have persisted that Jerry did an EVA
during the flight of STS-27 to repair the military satellite that had been
deployed, yet the information remains classified. He filed a Freedom of
Information Act request when working on his book, which was denied.
*During the launch of STS-27, Atlantis sustained damage to more than 700 tiles ... and the crew knew about at least some of it. Hear Jerry give his harrowing account of his return to Earth ... and what might have been.
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