13 Facts About Michael Coats

Michael Lloyd Coats was born on January 16,1946 and is a former NASA astronaut, raised in Riverside, California.

Michael Coats was raised in Riverside, California, and graduated from Ramona High School in 1964.

Michael Coats received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1968, a Master of Science degree in Administration of Science and Technology from George Washington University in 1977, and a Master of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the US Naval Postgraduate School in 1979.

Michael Coats graduated from the US Naval Academy in 1968 and was designated a Naval Aviator in September 1969.

Michael Coats served as a flight instructor with the A-7E Readiness Training Squadron at Naval Air Station Lemoore, California, from September 1972 to December 1973, and was then selected to attend the US Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland.

Michael Coats served as a flight instructor at the US Naval Test Pilot School from April 1976 until May 1977.

Michael Coats then attended the US Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, from June 1977 until his selection for the astronaut candidate program.

Michael Coats has logged over 5,000 hours flying time in 28 different types of aircraft, and 400 carrier landings.

Michael Coats was a member of the STS-4 astronaut support crew, and was a capsule communicator for STS-4 and STS-5.

On his first mission, Michael Coats was pilot on the crew of STS-41-D, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30,1984.

In February 1985, Michael Coats was selected as the commander of STS-61-H, which was canceled after the Challenger accident.

Michael Coats commanded a seven-man crew on STS-39, an unclassified eight-day Department of Defense mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida on April 28,1991.

In November 2005, Michael Coats was hired as the 10th director of the Johnson Space Center.