Steve Nagel flew F-100’s and later joined the astronaut corps in 1978 with NASA’s first group of trainees selected for the space shuttle program. Although he was chosen to pilot the orbiter, his first flight was as a mission specialist, a position generally assigned to scientists and engineers.
Colonel Nagel flew four times in space on the Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Columbia Shuttle Crafts, and it should be noted from a Mr. R. Clark that on two missions Steve & Linda Nagel are Licensed Amateur Radio Operators with their own call signs, and they communicated with school children around the world, and with the Cosmonauts on the MIR Space Station.
Steve logged 9400 hours of flying time in F-4s, F-100s & A-7Ds, and 723 hours in Space, and retired from the Air Force on February 28, 1995.
After his last shuttle flight, Steve became deputy director for operations development in the Reliability and Quality Assurance Office at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. He subsequently served as a research pilot, chief of aviation safety and deputy chief of JSC’s Aircraft Operations Division.
Steven R. Nagel, Col USAF, Ret., “Headed West” on August 21, 2014.
Colonel U.S. Air Force Veteran, NASA Pilot, Vietnam War
Col. Nagel, ” Astronaut Pilot for the Ages”, has died of Stage 4 Melanoma Cancer on 8-21-2014.
He is the son of the late Mr. Ivan R. & Mrs. Helene {Quade} Nagel of Canton, Illinois, and the husband of Mrs. Linda {Godwin} Nagel of Columbia, Missouri, and the father of Two children, Miss Whitney Nagel & Miss Lauren Nagel, and he was member of the Wesley United Methodist Church.
He was preceded in death by his older sister, Mrs. Janice Lynn {Nagel} Churchill on 12-4-2011.
Mr. Nagel is a 1964 graduate of Canton Senior H.S., and a 1969 graduate of the University of Illinois, and it’s ROTC Program as a young 2nd Lt., and he completed undergraduate pilot training at Laredo AFB, Texas, and trained with F-100s at Luke AFB, Arizona, and later a F-100 Pilot at the 68th Tactical Fighter Squadron at England AFB, Louisiana.
Colonel Nagel served God & Country during the Vietnam War while serving as a T-28 Instructor for the Laotian Air Force at Udon Royal Thai AFB, Ubon Thani, Thailand.
Steve became a NASA Astronaut Pilot in August of 1979, and was with the Support Crews, Chase pilot on a T-38, and backup entry space Communicator, and with the Flight Simulation Laboratory.
Colonel Nagel flew four times in space on the Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Columbia Shuttle Crafts, and it should be noted from a Mr. R. Clark that on two missions Steve & Linda Nagel are Licensed Amateur Radio Operators with their own call signs, and they communicated with school children around the world, and with the Cosmonauts on the MIR Space Station.
Steve logged 9400 hours of flying time in F-4s, F-100s & A-7Ds, and 723 hours in Space, and retired from the Air Force on February 28, 1995.
Awards: Distinguish Flying Cross, Air Medal with Seven Oak Leaf Clusters, Vietnam Service Medal with Two Service Stars, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Pilot Wings, Air Force Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Air Force Good Conduct Medal.
Footnote: Steve was a good classmate & all around Good Guy.
