View source for Rex J. Walheim

{{Short description|American astronaut, engineer and USAF colonel (born 1962)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2015}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name          = Rex Walheim
|image         = Rex J. Walheim (cropped).jpg
|caption       = Walheim in 2011
|birth_name    = Rex Joseph Walheim
|birth_date    = {{birth date and age|1962|10|10}}
|birth_place   = [[Redwood City, California]], U.S.
|death_date    = 
|death_place   = 
|education     = [[University of California, Berkeley]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[University of Houston]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])
|type          = [[NASA astronaut]]
|rank          = [[Colonel (United States)|Colonel]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]]
|time          = 36d 8h 31m<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.spacefacts.de/english/e_tis.htm |title=Astronauts and Cosmonauts (Sorted by "Time in Space")}}</ref>
|selection     = [[NASA Astronaut Group 16|NASA Group 16 (1996)]]
|missions      = [[STS-110]]<br>[[STS-122]]<br>[[STS-135]]
|insignia      = [[File:STS-110 patch.svg|40px]] [[File:STS-122 patch.png|50px]] [[File:STS-135 patch.png|45px]]
}}
'''Rex Joseph Walheim''' (born October 10, 1962) is a retired [[United States Air Force]] officer, [[engineer]] and [[NASA]] [[astronaut]]. He flew three [[Space Shuttle]] missions, [[STS-110]], [[STS-122]], and [[STS-135]]. Walheim logged over 566 hours in space, including 36 hours and 23 minutes of spacewalk (EVA) time. He was assigned as [[mission specialist]] and [[flight engineer]] on [[STS-135]], the final Space Shuttle mission.

==Biography==
Walheim was born in [[Redwood City, California]], but considers [[San Carlos, California|San Carlos]], California, his hometown.<ref name="bionasa"/>

===Education===
Walheim graduated from [[San Carlos High School]] in 1980 and received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[mechanical engineering]] from the [[University of California, Berkeley]] in 1984. He then received a [[Master of Science]] degree in [[industrial engineering]] from the [[University of Houston]] in 1989.<ref name="bionasa"/>

===Military career===
Walheim was commissioned as a [[second lieutenant]] in the [[United States Air Force|Air Force]] in May 1984. In April 1985 he was assigned to [[Cavalier Air Force Station]] in [[Cavalier, North Dakota]], where he worked as a missile warning operations crew commander. In October 1986, he was reassigned to the [[Johnson Space Center]], in [[Houston, Texas]], where he worked as a mechanical systems [[flight controller]] and was the lead operations engineer for the [[Space Shuttle]] landing gear, brakes, and emergency runway barrier.<ref name="bionasa"/>

Walheim was transferred to Headquarters [[Air Force Space Command]] in [[Colorado Springs, Colorado]], in August 1989, where he was manager of a program upgrading missile warning radars. He was selected for [[USAF Test Pilot School]] in 1991, and attended the course at [[Edwards AFB]] in California in 1992. Following graduation, he was assigned to the [[F-16]] Combined Test Force at Edwards where he was a project manager, and then commander of the avionics and armament flight. In January 1996, Walheim became an instructor at USAF Test Pilot School, where he served until he began astronaut training.<ref name="bionasa"/>

[[File:Astronaut Rex Walheim at 2009 Presidential inauguration parade.jpg|thumb|left|Walheim represented space exploration in an astronaut suit as he passed the Obama and Biden families in the reviewing stand for their 2009 inaugural parade.]]

===NASA career===
Walheim served as a flight controller and operations engineer at the Johnson Space Center from October 1986 to January 1989. He was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate in March 1996 and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1996. Having completed two years of training and evaluation, he was qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. Initially, Walheim was assigned technical duties in the Astronaut Office Space Station Operations Branch. Walheim flew three flights, [[STS-110]], [[STS-122]] and [[STS-135]], the final flight of the shuttle, logging over 566 hours in space, including over 36 hours and 23 minutes of EVA time. After his first flight, he was assigned to the EVA branch, where he served as the astronaut office representative for the Extra Vehicular Mobility Unit (the EVA [[spacesuit]]).

In September 2002, Walheim served as an [[aquanaut]] on the joint NASA-[[NOAA]] [[NEEMO#NEEMO 4: September 23–27, 2002|NEEMO 4]] expedition (NASA Extreme Environment Mission Operations), an exploration research mission held in [[Aquarius (laboratory)|Aquarius]], the world's only [[Underwater habitat|undersea research laboratory]], four miles off shore from [[Key Largo]].  Walheim and his crewmates spent five days [[saturation diving]] from the Aquarius habitat as a [[Human analog missions|space analogue]] for working and training under extreme environmental conditions.  The mission was delayed due to [[Hurricane Isadore]], forcing [[National Undersea Research Center]] managers to shorten it to an underwater duration of five days.  Then, three days into their underwater mission, the crew members were told that [[Hurricane Lili|Tropical Storm Lili]] was headed in their direction and to prepare for an early departure from Aquarius.  However, Lili degenerated to the point where it was no longer a threat, so the crew was able to remain the full five days.<ref name="history">{{Cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/history.html |title=NEEMO History |access-date=February 6, 2012 |publisher=[[NASA]] |date=March 21, 2006 |author=NASA |archive-date=October 8, 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008171834/http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/NEEMO/history.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

During the [[First inauguration of Barack Obama|inauguration of Barack Obama]] on January 20, 2009, in [[Washington, D.C.]], Walheim marched in the parade carrying an American flag and wearing a prototype of NASA's next generation spacesuit.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/imagegallery/image_feature_1267.html |title=NASA – The Reviewing Stand |author=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |author-link=National Aeronautics and Space Administration |date=February 9, 2009 |publisher=NASA |access-date=February 6, 2012}}</ref>

====STS-110====
Walheim served as mission specialist 1 on [[STS-110]]. STS-110 delivered the [[Integrated Truss Structure|S0 truss segment]] to the [[International Space Station]] (ISS). Walheim conducted two spacewalks to install the S0 truss and reconfigure [[Canadarm2]] for use on S0, spending 14 hours and 15 minutes outside the ISS. STS-110 lasted 10 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes and 38 seconds.<ref>{{citation |title=STS-110 Atlantis|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-110.htm|publisher=Spacefacts.de|access-date=January 15, 2023}}</ref>

====STS-122====
Walheim served as mission specialist 2 and was the flight engineer for [[STS-122]]. STS-122, which was a 12-day, 18-hour flight, delivered the European-built [[Columbus (ISS module)|''Columbus'']] module to the ISS the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA). Walheim conducted three spacewalks, totaling 22 hours and 8 minutes.<ref>{{citation |title=STS-122 Atlantis|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-122.htm|publisher=Spacefacts.de|access-date=January 15, 2023}}</ref>

[[File:STS-135 Rex Walheim on the flight deck.jpg|thumb|right|Walheim on the [[Space Shuttle orbiter#Pressurized cabin|flight deck]] of [[Space Shuttle Atlantis|Space Shuttle ''Atlantis'']] during the STS-135 mission.]]

====STS-135====
Walheim served as mission specialist 2 on the final flight of the Space Shuttle, [[STS-135]], a thirteen-day mission to the International Space Station. The mission launched on July 8, 2011, and landed on July 21.<ref>{{citation |title=STS-135 Atlantis|url=http://www.spacefacts.de/mission/english/sts-135.htm|publisher=Spacefacts.de|access-date=January 15, 2023}}</ref>

Rex Walheim retired from NASA August 2020.<ref>{{cite news|title=Veteran Astronaut Rex Walheim Retires from NASA|url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/veteran-astronaut-rex-walheim-retires-from-nasa|date=July 27, 2020|publisher=NASA|access-date=January 15, 2023}}</ref>

===Personal===
Walheim is married to Margie Dotson, formerly of [[Villa Park, California|Villa Park]], California. They have two children. He enjoys snow skiing, hiking, softball and football. His father, Lawrence M. Walheim, Jr., resides in [[Visalia, California|Visalia]], California. His mother, Avis L. Walheim, is deceased.<ref name="bionasa">{{cite web|title=Rex J. Walheim (Colonel, U.S. Air Force, Ret.) NASA Astronaut|url=https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/rex-j-walheim/biography|date=August 3, 2017|publisher=NASA|access-date=January 15, 2023|archive-date=January 31, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220131203003/https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/rex-j-walheim/biography/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==Awards and honors==
* Distinguished Graduate, Reserve Officers Training Corps, University of California, Berkeley
* Distinguished Graduate and top flight test engineer in USAF Test Pilot School Class 92A
* [[Meritorious Service Medal (United States)|Meritorious Service Medal]]
* [[Air Force Commendation Medal]]s (2)
* [[Aerial Achievement Medal]]
* 20th member of the "Rex Streak" on the [[Jim Rome]] radio show. Rome dubbed him "King of the Rexes"

==References==
{{Include-NASA}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/walheim_rex.htm Spacefacts biography of Rex J. Walheim]

{{NASA Astronaut Group 16|state=autocollapse}}
{{Underwater diving|unddiv}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walheim, Rex J.}}
[[Category:1962 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Aquanauts]]
[[Category:People from San Carlos, California]]
[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
[[Category:University of Houston alumni]]
[[Category:U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni]]
[[Category:United States Air Force astronauts]]
[[Category:NASA civilian astronauts]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Spacewalkers]]
[[Category:Military personnel from San Mateo County, California]]
[[Category:People from Redwood City, California]]