2011 Distinguished Nebraskan Award Recipient Clayton Anderson Clayton Anderson was born February 23, 1959, in Omaha, Nebraska.  He considers Ashland, Nebraska to be his hometown.  He is married to the former Susan Jane Harreld of Elkhart, Indiana.  They have two children; a son, Clayton “Cole” and a daughter, Sutton Marie.  Anderson graduated from Ashland-Greenwood High School, Ashland, Nebraska in 1977, and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Hastings College, Nebraska in 1981, and a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from Iowa State University in 1983.   Anderson joined the Johnson Space Center in 1983, in the Mission Planning and Analysis Division where he performed rendezvous and proximity operations trajectory designs for early Space Shuttle and Space Station missions.  In 1988, he moved to the Mission Operations Directorate (MOD) as a Flight Design Manager leading the trajectory design team for the Galileo planetary mission (STS-34) while serving as the backup for the Magellan planetary mission (STS-31).  In 1989, Anderson was chosen supervisor of the MOD Ascent Flight Design Section and following reorganization, the Flight Design Engineering Office of the Flight Design and Dynamics Division.  In 1993, he was named the Chief of the Flight Design Branch.  From 1996 until his selection, Anderson held the post of Manager, Emergency Operations Center, NASA Johnson Space Center.   Selected as a mission specialist by NASA in June 1998, he reported for training in August of that year. Training included orientation briefings and tours, numerous scientific and technical briefings, intensive instruction in Shuttle and International Space Station (ISS) systems, physiological training, ground school to prepare for T-38 flight training, as well as learning water and wilderness survival techniques.   Prior to being assigned to a space flight, Anderson served as the lead for the Enhanced Caution and Warning (ECW) System development effort within the Space Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade (CAU) Project.  Previously, he was the Crew Support Astronaut for ISS Expedition 4, providing ground support on technical issues in addition to supporting the crew families.  Anderson also served as an ISS Capsule Communicator (CAPCOM) and as the Astronaut Office crew representative for the Station's electrical power system.  In November of 2002, Anderson completed training in the Extravehicular Activity (EVA) Skills program.  He also served as back-up Flight Engineer for Expeditions 12, 13 and 14 to the Station.  A veteran of two space flights, Anderson has logged 167 days in space, and 38 hours and 28 minutes of EVA in 6 spacewalks.  He completed 5 months aboard the International Space Station in 2007, and served aboard the STS-131 crew in 2010.   In 2007, Clay Anderson spent a five month tour of duty working aboard the International Space Station.  He launched to the Station on June 8, 2007, aboard Shuttle Atlantis with the crew of STS-117.  Docking with the Station on flight day 3, he replaced Suni Williams as the Expedition 15 Flight Engineer and also assumed the role of Science Officer for the Expedition.  During his 152 day tour of duty aboard the ISS, Anderson performed 3 spacewalks, two with crewmembers of STS-118, totaling 18 hours, 01 minutes.  During his ‘stage’ EVA, Anderson jettisoned (disposed of) two pieces of space hardware, including the Early Ammonia Servicer (EAS) weighing in at over 1400 lbs. and a piece of “onboard support equipment” creating space satellites “Nebraska 1 and Nebraska 2.”  In addition, Anderson operated the Robotic Manipulator Canadarm2 to move the Station’s Pressurized Mating Adapter (PMA) 3 to the Node 1 nadir (earth pointing) docking port in preparation for the arrival of Node 2 “Harmony” delivered by the crew of STS-120.  Anderson returned home aboard Shuttle Discovery as a member of the STS-120 crew, landing at KSC on November 7, 2007.   STS-131 on the Space Shuttle Discovery (April 5-20, 2010) executed a resupply mission to the International Space Station, launching at night from the Kennedy Space Center.  On arrival at the station, Discovery’s crew dropped off more than 27,000 pounds of hardware, supplies and equipment, including a tank full of ammonia coolant, new crew sleeping quarters, and three experiment racks.  Anderson performed 3 EVAs during this mission and logged 20 hours and 17 minutes of extravehicular activity.  On the return journey the MPLM (Multi-Purpose Logistics Module, Leonardo) inside Discovery’s payload bay was packed with over 6,000 pounds of hardware, science results, and trash.  The STS-131 mission was accomplished in 15 days, 02 hours, 47 minutes, 10 seconds, and traveled 6,232,235 statute miles over 238 orbits. Back to list

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