View source for Christopher Ferguson

{{Short description|American astronaut (born 1961)}}
{{About|the astronaut|the poker player|Chris Ferguson|the American psychologist|Christopher Ferguson (psychologist)}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name          = Christopher Ferguson
|image         = Christopher Ferguson in 2018 (cropped) 2.jpg
|caption       = Ferguson's Commercial Crew program portrait, photographed in 2018
|birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1961|9|1}}
|birth_place   = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], U.S.
|death_date    = 
|death_place   = 
|other_names   = Fergy
|education     = [[Drexel University]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[Naval Postgraduate School]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])
|type          = [[NASA astronaut]]
|rank          = [[Captain (United States O-6)|Captain]], [[United States Navy|USN]]
|time          = 40d 10h 3m
|selection     = [[NASA Astronaut Group 17|NASA Group 17 (1998)]]
|missions      = [[STS-115]]<br>[[STS-126]]<br>[[STS-135]]
|insignia      = [[File:STS-115 patch.png|x45px]] [[File:STS-126 patch.png|x45px]] [[File:STS-135 patch.png|40px]]
}}
'''Christopher J. "Fergy" Ferguson''' (born September 1, 1961) is a [[Boeing Defense, Space & Security|Boeing]] [[commercial astronaut]] and a retired [[United States Navy]] [[Captain (naval)|captain]] and [[NASA]] [[astronaut]]. He was the pilot of [[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'']] on his first mission to space, [[STS-115]], which launched on September 9, 2006, and returned to Earth on September 21, 2006. He then commanded [[STS-126]] aboard {{OV|105}}. In 2011, he was assigned as commander of [[STS-135]], which was the final mission of the [[Space Shuttle program|space shuttle program]].

On December 9, 2011, he retired from NASA and became director of Crew and Mission Operations for [[Boeing]]'s Commercial Crew Program. In August 2018, Ferguson was assigned to the first test flight of the [[Boeing CST-100 Starliner]],<ref name=nasacc_crew>{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-assigns-crews-to-first-test-flights-missions-on-commercial-spacecraft |title=NASA Assigns Crews to First Test Flights, Missions on Commercial Spacecraft |date=August 3, 2018 |access-date=August 4, 2018 |website=NASA}}</ref> although he stepped down from the mission in October 2020.

==Education==
Ferguson was born September 1, 1961, in [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]]. He attended Archbishop Ryan High School, from which he graduated in 1979. He received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[mechanical engineering]] from [[Drexel University]] in 1984, and earned his [[Master of Science]] degree in [[aeronautical engineering]] from the U.S. [[Naval Postgraduate School]] in 1991.

==Military career==
Ferguson was commissioned from the [[Navy ROTC]] program at the [[University of Pennsylvania]]. He received his [[Naval Aviator]] wings in [[NAS Kingsville]], [[Texas]], in 1986 and was ordered to the [[F-14 Tomcat]] training squadron in [[Virginia Beach, Virginia]]. After a brief period of instruction, he joined the 'Red Rippers' of [[VFA-11|VF-11]] deploying to the North Atlantic, Mediterranean and Indian Ocean on board the [[aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Forrestal|CV-59|6}}. While with VF-11, he also attended the [[Navy Fighter Weapons School]] ([[TOPGUN]]). He was selected for the [[United States Naval Test Pilot School]] program in 1989 and graduated in 1992.

Through June 1994 he was assigned to the Weapons Branch of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate at the [[Naval Air Station Patuxent River]], [[Maryland]], where he served as the project officer for the F-14D weapon separation program, becoming the first pilot to release several types of air-to-ground weapons from the Tomcat. He served one year as an instructor at the Naval Test Pilot School before joining the 'Checkmates' of [[VF-211]] in 1995 and completing a deployment to the [[Western Pacific Ocean|Western Pacific]] and [[Persian Gulf]] in defense of the [[Iraqi no-fly zones|Iraqi no-fly zone]] on board {{USS|Nimitz|CVN-68|6}}. He briefly served as an F-14 logistics officer for the [[United States Fleet Forces Command|Atlantic Fleet]] prior to his selection to the space program.

==NASA career==
Ferguson was selected for astronaut training in 1998 and completed training as a pilot. Ferguson was the deputy chief of the astronaut office prior to his selection to the STS-135 crew and served as [[Capsule communicator|CAPCOM]] for the [[STS-118]], [[STS-128]], and [[STS-129]] missions.
[[File:STS129 Chris Ferguson CAPCOM.jpg|thumb|right|Ferguson as CAPCOM for STS-129]]

===STS-115===
Ferguson made his first space flight as pilot of [[STS-115]] in 2006. The mission delivered the second port-side truss segment (ITS P3/P4), a pair of solar arrays (2A and 4A), and batteries to the International Space Station. A total of three spacewalks were performed, during which the crew connected the systems on the installed trusses, prepared them for deployment, and did other maintenance work on the station. He returned to Earth after over 11 days on orbit.

===STS-126===
[[File:Chris Ferguson (29237626931).jpg|thumb|left|Ferguson signing the STS-126 patch on the ISS]]
Ferguson returned to space for the second time, as commander of [[STS-126]] in 2008. The purpose of the mission, referred to as ULF2 by the ISS program, was to deliver equipment and supplies to the station, to service the Solar Alpha Rotary Joints (SARJ), and repair the problem in the starboard SARJ that had limited its use since STS-120. He returned to Earth after almost 16 days on orbit.

===STS-135===
[[File:STS-135 Chris Ferguson in the Raffaello MPLM.jpg|thumb|right| Ferguson pictured onboard the ISS during STS-135]]
Ferguson made his third and last flight as a NASA astronaut, Commanding [[STS-135]], the final mission of the Space Shuttle. The mission's primary cargo was the Multi-Purpose Logistics Module (MPLM) Raffaello and a Lightweight Multi-Purpose Carrier (LMC), which were delivered to the International Space Station (ISS). The flight of Raffaello marked the only time that Atlantis carried an MPLM. He returned to Earth after 12 days in space.

==Post-NASA career==
Ferguson retired from NASA in 2011 and Boeing in 2023. While at Boeing, he supported the development of the Starliner for Boeing's Commercial Crew Program.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mark Carreau |url=http://www.aviationweek.com/Article.aspx?id=/article-xml/asd_04_26_2012_p04-01-451887.xml |title=JSC To Support Training, Early Flight Ops For Boeing CST-100 on Aviation Week.com Retrieved on April 30, 2012 |publisher=Aviationweek.com |date=2012-04-26 |accessdate=2014-06-29}}</ref> Ferguson was elected to the Astronaut Hall of Fame in January 2022.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame Induction |url=https://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/launches-and-events/events-calendar/2022/june/event-us-astronaut-hall-of-fame |access-date=2022-03-29 |website=www.kennedyspacecenter.com}}</ref>

===Boe-CFT===
In July 2018, Boeing announced his assignment to the first human CST-100 orbital test known as [[Boe-CFT]]. He was slated to be the capsule commander with two other NASA astronauts. It was scheduled to launch in 2021. In October 2020, he announced on his personal Twitter that he was stepping down as the commander and didn’t fly on CFT for personal reasons.<ref>{{Cite web|title=I'm taking on a new mission|url=https://twitter.com/astro_ferg/status/1313856730908983296|access-date=2020-10-07|website=Twitter|language=en}}</ref><ref name=sfn-20201007>{{cite news |url=https://spaceflightnow.com/2020/10/07/commander-of-boeing-crew-ships-first-piloted-test-flight-steps-down-from-mission/ |title=Commander of first piloted Starliner test flight steps down from mission |last=Harwood |first=William |publisher=Spaceflight Now |date=7 October 2020 |access-date=8 October 2020}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Ferguson, who is of Scottish and Polish descent,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.poles.org/DB/F_names/Ferguson_C/Ferguson_C.html |title=Christopher J. Ferguson (CAPTAIN, USN) NASA Astronaut on Poles.org Retrieved on May 9, 2010 |publisher=Poles.org |date=1961-09-01 |accessdate=2014-06-29}}</ref> is married to Sandra and has three children. When he was in space for his wedding anniversary, NASA played the [[Frankie Valli]] song "[[Can't Take My Eyes Off You]]" as the [[STS-126#Wake-up calls|wake-up music that morning]], after which Ferguson wished his wife a happy anniversary.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090901211146/http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/gallery/audio/shuttle/sts-126/mp3/fd10.mp3 NASA.gov]</ref>

==See also==
* {{Portal-inline|Biography}}
* {{Portal-inline|Spaceflight}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* [https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/ferguson_christopher.pdf NASA biography]
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/ferguson_christopher.htm Spacefacts biography of Christopher Ferguson]

{{NASA Astronaut Group 17}}
{{U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ferguson, Christopher}}
[[Category:1961 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:United States Navy astronauts]]
[[Category:NASA civilian astronauts]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Philadelphia]]
[[Category:Drexel University alumni]]
[[Category:Naval Postgraduate School alumni]]
[[Category:United States Naval Test Pilot School alumni]]
[[Category:United States Navy officers]]
[[Category:United States Naval Aviators]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Legion of Merit]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Air Medal]]
[[Category:American people of Polish descent]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees]]