David Wolf

David Wolf, an astronaut, medical doctor, and electrical engineer, has a rich portfolio of experience that spans various domains. He has been to space four times, with three of these being short-duration Space Shuttle missions, the most recent one being STS-127 in 2009. Wolf's extensive spaceflight experience also includes a 128-day long-duration mission aboard the Russian space station Mir, which contributed to his total of over 4,040 hours spent in space. Further underlining his expertise, Wolf is a veteran of 7 spacewalks, totaling 41 hours and 17 minutes.

Notably, Wolf's experience took him beyond the confines of the United States. During his training for a Mir expedition, he lived and trained in Star City, Russia, and became fluent in Russian. His space missions included Mir Expedition 24, where he spent 128 days aboard the space station conducting various experiments, and STS-112, during which he executed 3 spacewalks to install the S1 truss segment and other EVA hardware. His last mission, STS-127, saw him executing 3 spacewalks, totaling 18 hours and 24 minutes, to deliver the Japanese Experiment Logistics Module – Exposed Section (ELM-ES) and new expedition member Timothy Kopra.

Wolf's academic background is equally impressive, with degrees in electrical engineering from Purdue University and a medical degree from Indiana University School of Medicine. He began his career at NASA in the Medical Sciences Division at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. His work extended to the design of the Space Station medical facility, and he became an expert in Extravehicular Activity (Spacewalk) and Spacesuit design. He has also authored over 40 technical papers and received numerous awards, including the NASA Exceptional Engineering Achievement Medal and NASA Inventor of the Year.