Jett was designated a Naval Aviator in March 1983, and reported to VF-101 at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia for initial F-14 Tomcat training. Upon completion of this training, he was assigned to VF-74 and made overseas deployments to the Mediterranean Sea and Indian Ocean aboard the aircraft carrier. While assigned to VF-74, he was designated as an airwing qualified Landing Signal Officer and also attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School. Jett was selected for the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School – Test Pilot School Cooperative Education Program in July 1986, and completed 15 months of graduate work at Monterey, California, before attending the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in June 1989. After graduation in June 1990, he worked as a project test pilot at the Carrier Suitability Department of the Strike Aircraft Test Directorate, Naval Air Test Center, flying the F-14A/B/D, T-45A, and A-7E. Jett returned to the operational Navy in September 1991 and was again assigned to VF-74, flying the F-14B aboard USS Saratoga. He has logged over 5,000 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft and has over 450 carrier landings.
NASA career
Selected by NASA in March 1992, Jett reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. After two years of various technical assignments in the Astronaut Office, Jett was assigned to his first mission as the pilot of STS-72. A year later he again served as Pilot on STS-81. From June 1997 to February 1998, he served as NASA Director of Operations at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center, Star City, Russia. Two years later he was the Commander on STS-97. Finally, he served as the Commander of Space ShuttleAtlantis on STS-115. A veteran of four space missions, he has traveled over 12.1 million miles, and logged a total of 41 days, 18 hours, and 1 minute in space. Jett retired from the U.S. Navy in July 2007, but remained with NASA. In November 2007, he was appointed as Director of Flight Crew Operations. From November 2007 to February 2011, he was Director of Flight Crew Operations at JSC. From March 2010 to January 2013, Jett was the Deputy Manager for the NASA Commercial Crew Program. He retired from NASA in January 2013.
Spaceflight experience
STS-81: Atlantis was the fifth in a series of joint missions between the U.S. Space Shuttle and the Russian Space Station Mir and the second one involving an exchange of U.S. astronauts. In five days of docked operations more than three tons of food, water, experiment equipment and samples were moved back and forth between the two spacecraft. STS-97: Endeavour was the fifth American mission to build and enhance the capabilities of the International Space Station. STS-97 delivered the first set of U.S.-provided solar arrays and batteries as well as radiators to provide cooling. Three spacewalks were conducted to complete assembly operations while the arrays were attached and unfurled. A communications system for voice and telemetry was also installed. STS-115: Atlantis was the first assembly mission to the International Space Station after the Columbia disaster. STS-115 delivered a new truss segment, including solar panels, to the station.
