Space travels bring astronaut to OSU
Friday, November 10, 2006
McArthur, whose visit is sponsored by the OSU College of Education and the NASA Aerospace
Education Services Program, will speak on “International Space Station Expedition
12 Highlights” at 7 p.m. in the Student Union Theater. His talk is free and open to
the public, and he will sign autographs.
A Master Army Aviator, McArthur has logged more than 4,500 flight hours in 39 different
aircraft and spacecraft. He was the commander and International Space Station science
officer with the Expedition 12 crew that launched from Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan
on Sept. 30, 2005, aboard a Soyuz TMA spacecraft and docked with the space station
Oct. 3. He was on board the space station until April 8, 2006.
During the six-month tour of duty, the crew conducted two spacewalks and relocated
their Soyuz spacecraft twice, becoming the first ISS crew to dock to every Russian
docking port on the complex. They also were the first two-person crew to conduct a
spacewalk in both Russian and U.S. spacesuits.
In March, McArthur conducted an ISS downlink with OSU’s NASA Professional Development
Conference.
McArthur has received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Defense Superior Service
Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal (First Oak Leaf Cluster), the NASA Space
Flight Medal and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
His wife, Cindy, is a former OSU NASA Teaching from Space Project education specialist.
She now serves as program manager for the OSU Teaching from Space Project at the Johnson
Space Center in Houston.