James Donald Halsell Jr. (born September 29, 1956) is a retired United States Air Force officer and former NASA astronaut. The veteran of five Space Shuttle missions pled guilty in 2021 to two counts of manslaughter and two counts of assault as a result of a motor vehicle accident in 2016. He is the second American astronaut to spend time in jail after Lisa Nowak.

Early life and education

James was born to Don and Jean Halsell in 1956. He was raised in West Monroe, Louisiana, and graduated West Monroe High School in 1974. He then graduated from the United States Air Force Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1978. Halsell earned a Master of Science in Management from Troy University in 1983, and a Master's degree in Space Operations from the Air Force Institute of Technology of Air University in 1985.

Military career

Halsell graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978, and from Undergraduate Pilot Training at Columbus Air Force Base, Mississippi, in 1979. An F-4 pilot qualified in conventional and nuclear weapons deliveries, he served at Nellis Air Force Base, Las Vegas, Nevada, from 1980 to 1981, and Moody Air Force Base, Valdosta, Georgia, from 1982 to 1984. In 1984–1985, he was a graduate student at the Air Force Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. He then attended the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and during the next four years he performed test flights in the F-4, F-16 and SR-71 aircraft. Halsell retired from the Air Force in July 2004.

NASA career

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Halsell became an astronaut in July 1991. A five flight veteran, Halsell has logged over 1,250 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-65 (July 8–23, 1994) and STS-74 (November 12–20, 1995), and commanded STS-83 (Apr 4–8, 1997), STS-94 (July 1–17, 1997) and STS-101 (May 19–29, 2000). From February to August 1998, he served as NASA Director of Operations at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia. Halsell also served as manager of Shuttle Launch Integration at Kennedy Space Center, Florida, from July 2000 to January 2003. In December 2014, a Los Angeles County Superior Court judge sentenced him to 60 months of probation, with the conditions that he not drive with alcohol or drugs in his system, and mandatory submission to any drug, alcohol or chemical test. He was allegedly intoxicated, and investigators found an empty wine bottle and a packet of sleeping pills in a motel room where he was staying. An initial hearing scheduled in June 2017 was delayed when Halsell's lawyers and those from the state were working toward a settlement. and in January 2020, a judge ruled that prosecutors would not be permitted to tell the jury about Halsell's prior DUI conviction. This trial was postponed due to a death in the lawyer's family and rescheduled to August 3, 2020.

On May 27, 2021, Halsell pleaded guilty to two counts of manslaughter for the deaths of James and Parler, and pleaded guilty to two counts of assault for the injuries to James' father and his girlfriend. The guilty plea was given before a judge in Tuscaloosa, with Halsell immediately taken into custody.

Personal life

He is married to Kathy D. Spooner and they have a son and a daughter.

Awards

In 1989, Halsell was awarded the Liethen-Title awards for having the best overall flying and academic performance at Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He received two Defense Meritorious Service Medals in 1995 and 1996. He received the Distinguished Flying Cross in 1998, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2001, and the NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal in 2002. He was also the recipient of four NASA Space Flight Medals in 1994, 1995, 1997 and 2000.

References

  • Biographical Data of James D. Halsell at Nasa.gov
  • Biography of James D. Halsell at Spacefacts.de
  • Former Astronaut Charged with Murder