Bill Shepherd

William “Bill” Shepherd (Capt. USN, Ret.), is an American former Navy SEAL, aerospace, ocean and mechanical engineer, and NASA astronaut, who served as Commander of Expedition 1, the first crew on the International Space Station. Shepherd is a recipient of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor.

Shepherd was a Cub Scout. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1971. After successful completion of Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL training (BUD/S) in 1972, he joined the elite community of Naval Special Warfare and qualified as a Navy SEAL. He served with the Navy’s Underwater Demolition Team ELEVEN, SEAL Teams ONE and TWO, and Special Boat Unit TWENTY.

In 1978, he obtained an Engineer’s degree in Ocean Engineering, and a Master of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Shepherd was selected for the NASA Astronaut Corps in 1984, as the first-ever-military non- aviator for astronaut training. In 1986, his Navy SEAL training proved unexpectedly useful to NASA as he participated in salvage operations of the Space Shuttle Challenger after its destruction. Shepherd then served as a Mission Specialist on three Space Shuttle flights: mission STS-27 in 1988, mission STS-41 in 1990, and mission STS-52 in 1992.

From March 1993 to January 1996, he was assigned to the International Space Station program, serving as Program Manager and Deputy Program Manager. In November 1995 he was selected to command the first crew of the International Space Station (ISS). He is married to Beth Stringham of Houston, Texas. He enjoys sailing, swimming, and working in his garage.