28 Facts About Alvin Drew

Alvin Drew has been on two spaceflights; the first was the Space Shuttle mission STS-118 to the International Space Station, in August 2007.

Alvin Drew took part in two spacewalks while docked to the station.

Alvin Drew was the final African-American to fly on board a Space Shuttle, as the final two Space Shuttle missions, STS-134 and STS-135, had no African-American crew members.

Alvin Drew was selected to be an astronaut in NASA's Astronaut Group 18 in July 2000.

On February 28,2011, Alvin Drew became the 200th person to walk in space, when he conducted the first spacewalk of the STS-133 mission with fellow astronaut Steve Bowen.

Alvin Drew was born in 1962 in Washington, DC, and spent his early years in Lanham, Maryland.

Alvin Drew moved to Brookland, Washington, DC, when he was four years old.

Alvin Drew recalls having a desire to be a pilot from as early as four years old.

In October 1968, at the age of five, Alvin Drew saw the Apollo 7 launch on television, and thereafter reputedly wished to become an astronaut.

Alvin Drew then earned a Master's degree in political science from the Air War College of Air University.

Alvin Drew is a member of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the American Helicopter Society.

Alvin Drew was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Abertay University in 2011.

Alvin Drew received his commission as a second lieutenant from the United States Air Force Academy in May 1984.

Alvin Drew completed Undergraduate Helicopter Pilot Training at Fort Rucker, Alabama, in 1985.

Alvin Drew later transitioned to the MH-60G and was assigned to the Air Force Special Operations Command.

Alvin Drew completed USAF Fixed-Wing Qualification in 1993, and the United States Naval Test Pilot School in June 1994.

Alvin Drew has commanded two flight test units and served on Air Combat Command staff.

Alvin Drew is a command pilot with over 4000 hours of flying time across 30 types of aircraft.

Alvin Drew retired from the air force in September 2010, after more than 25 years of service.

Alvin Drew served in technical assignments until he took a sabbatical to the US Air Force's Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama, attending a master's degree program at their Air War College.

Alvin Drew then spent almost a year in Russia as the director of operations overseeing the US operations at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Star City.

Between STS-118 and STS-133, Alvin Drew has logged more than 612 hours in space.

Alvin Drew worked as a liaison between NASA and the United States Department of Defense between 2016 and 2024.

Alvin Drew is the acting director of Cross-Directorate Technical Integration for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate.

When Clayton Anderson was moved to STS-117, Alvin Drew was selected for the available position on STS-118.

Alvin Drew served as a mission specialist on STS-133, the final flight of the Space Shuttle Discovery.

Alvin Drew worked in the Obama Administration's Office of Science and Technology Policy from 2015 to 2016 as the assistant director for Aviation and Space Security.

In October 2020, Alvin Drew co-founded the Patti Grace Smith Fellowship, an official spin-off of the Brooke Owens Fellowship intended to provide resources for Black undergraduate students pursuing careers in aerospace.