Sidney M. Gutierrez

Sidney M. Gutierrez was the first U.S.-born Hispanic astronaut. He logged over 488 hours in space and overall logged over 4,500 hours flying time in approximately 30 different types of airplanes, sailplanes, balloons, and rockets. He received several awards including the National Defense Service Medal, the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal, two NASA Space Flight Medals, and the 1990 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Award.

During his time at the United States Air Force Academy, he was a member of the National Collegiate Championship Air Force Academy Parachute Team and had a Master Parachutist rating.

He was selected by NASA in 1984 and became an astronaut in 1985. On his first assignment he served as commander for the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory. After completing that assignment, he served as an action officer for the Associate Administrator for Space Flighty at NASA Headquarters. He contributed to the recertification of the Space Shuttle Main Engines, Main Propulsion System, and External Tank in 1986 and 1987. In 1988 he became the Astronaut Office lead for Shuttle software development, verification, and future requirements definition. He supported the launches of STS-28, 20, 32, 33, and 34 at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in1989. He was the pilot on STS-40 in 1991 and was the spacecraft commander on STS-59 in 1994. In 1992 he became the Astronaut Office Branch Chief for Operations Development. Gutierrez retired from the U.S. Air Force and NASA in 1994.

Gutierrez currently lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Texas-New Mexico Power Company and Goodwill Industries of New Mexico. He’s a member of the New Mexico Space Center’s Governor’s Commission, the Society of Experimental Test Pilots, the Air Force Association, the U.S. Air Force Academy Association of Graduates, and the Society of Space Explorers.