NAME:Michael L. Coats (Captain, USN)
NASA Astronaut
 
BIRTHPLACE AND DATE:  Born January 16, 1946, in Sacramento, California, but
considers Riverside, California, as his hometown.  His father, Col. Loyd A.
Coats (USAF Ret.), resides in Dunbar, Wisconsin.  His mother, Mrs. Jan Coats,
resides in Ft. Collins, Colorado.
 
PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:  Brown hair; blue eyes; height: 6 feet; weight: 190
pounds.
 
EDUCATION:  Graduated from Ramona High School, Riverside, California, in 1964;
received a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy in
1968, a master of science in Administration of Science and Technology from
George Washington University in 1977, and master of science in Aeronautical
Engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1979.
 
MARITAL STATUS:  Married to the former Diane Eileen Carson of Oklahoma City,
Oklahoma.  Her parents, Dr. and Mrs. James W. Carson, reside in O'Fallon,
Illinois.
 
CHILDREN:  Laura M., August 29, 1973; Paul M., November 2, 1978.
 
RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:  He enjoys reading, racquetball, and jogging.
 
ORGANIZATIONS:  Member, Society of Experimental Test Pilots; Associate Fellow,
American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
 
SPECIAL HONORS:  Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, 2 Navy
Distinguished Flying Crosses, 32 Strike Flight Air Medals, 3 Individual Action
Air Medals, 9 Navy Commendation Medals with Combat V, and the NASA Space Flight
Medal.
 
EXPERIENCE:  Coats graduated from Annapolis in 1968 and was designated a naval
aviator in September 1969.  After training as an A-7E pilot, he was assigned to
Attack Squadron 192 (VA-192) from August 1970 to September 1972 aboard the USS
KITTYHAWK and, during this time, flew 315 combat missions in Southeast Asia.
He served as a flight instructor with the A-7E Readiness Training Squadron
(VA-122) at Naval Air Station, Lemoore, California, from September 1972 to
December 1973 and was then selected to attend the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School,
Patuxent River, Maryland.  Following test pilot training in 1974, he was
project officer and test pilot for the A-7 and A-4 aircraft at the Strike
Aircraft Test Directorate.  He served as a flight instructor at the U.S. Naval
Test Pilot School from April 1976 until May 1977.  He then attended the U.S.
Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California, from June 1977 until his
selection for the astronaut candidate program.
 
He has logged over 5,000 hours flying time in 28 different types of aircraft,
and 400 carrier landings.
 
NASA EXPERIENCE:  Selected as an astronaut candidate in 1978, Coats became a
NASA Astronaut in August 1979.  He was a member of the STS-4 astronaut support
crew, and was a capsule communicator for STS-4 and STS-5.  A veteran of three
space flights, Coats flew on STS-41D in 1984, STS-29 in 1989, and STS-39 in
1991.  From May1989 to March 1990, he served as Acting Chief of the Astronaut
Office.
 
On his first mission, Coats was pilot on the crew of STS-41D, which launched
from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30, 1984.  This was the maiden
flight of the Orbiter Discovery.  During this 6-day mission the crew
successfully activated the OAST-1 solar cell wing experiment, deployed three
satellites (SBS-D, SYNCOM IV-2, and TELSTAR 3-C), operated the CFES-III
experiment, the student crystal growth experiment, and photography experiments
using the IMAX motion picture camera.  The crew earned the name "Icebusters" in
successfully removing hazardous ice particles from the orbiter using the Remote
Manipulator System.  STS-41D completed 96 orbits of the earth before landing at
Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 5, 1984.
 
In February 1985, Coats was selected as spacecraft commander of STS-61H, which
was subsequently canceled after the Challenger accident.
 
As spacecraft commander of STS-29, Coats and his crew launched from Kennedy
Space Center, Florida, aboard the Orbiter Discovery, on March 13, 1989.  During
this highly successful five day mission, the crew deployed a Tracking and Data
Relay Satellite, and performed numerous secondary experiments, including a
Space Station "heat pipe" radiator experiment, two student experiments, a
protein crystal growth experiment, and a chromosome and plant cell division
experiment.  In addition, the crew took over 3,000 photographs of the earth
using several types of cameras, including the IMAX 70 mm movie camera.  Mission
duration was 80 orbits and concluded with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base,
California, on March 18, 1989.
 
With the completion of his second mission, Coats has logged a total of 264
hours in space.
 
More recently, Coats commanded a seven man crew on STS-39.  This unclassified
eight day Department of Defense mission launched from the Kennedy Space Center,
Florida on April 28, 1991.  Crew members worked around-the-clock in two-shift
operations during which they deployed, operated and retrieved the SPAS-II
spacecraft, in addition to conducting various science experiments including
research of both natural and induced phenomena in the Earth's atmosphere.
After completing 134 orbits of the Earth, Discovery and her crew landed at the
Kennedy Space Center, Florida on May 6, 1991.
 
With the completion of his third mission, Coats has logged over 463 hours in
space.
 
JUNE 1991