With Elon Musk’s SpaceX, there has been a renewed interest in the nation’s space program. Missions to Mars seemed like science fiction since Neil Armstrong first stepped on the Moon in 1969 and even before that. Now, it seems that may happen within the next five years. Phi Sig brothers have made their mark on the space program, by way of the military, and eventually NASA. Read about three brothers who have been to space.
Daniel Charles Brandenstein (Wisconsin/River Falls ‘65) is a former naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, who flew on four Space Shuttle missions. He also served as Chief of the Astronaut Office from 1987 to 1992 and is the former Executive Vice President and COO of the now defunct United Space Alliance. After graduating with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and physics, Brother Brandenstein entered active duty with the U.S. Navy in September of 1965 and was attached to the Naval Air Training Command for flight training. He was designated a naval aviator in May of 1967. From 1968 to 1970, he participated in two combat deployments on board the aircraft carriers USS Constellation and USS Ranger to Southeast Asia, where he flew 192 combat missions. In subsequent assignments, he conducted operational tests of weapons systems and tactics. Upon graduation from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, he conducted tests of electronic warfare systems in various Navy aircraft. Brother Brandenstein carried out a nine-month deployment to the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean on board USS Ranger from March of 1975 until September of 1977. Before reporting to the Johnson Space Center in Houston as an astronaut candidate, he served as a flight instructor. Selected by NASA in January of 1978, Brother Brandenstein became an astronaut in August of 1979. A veteran of four space flights—Challenger (August 30-September 3, 1983), Discovery (June 17–24, 1985), Columbia (January 9–20, 1990), and Endeavour (May 7–16, 1992)—Brother Brandenstein has logged more than 789 hours in space. He was the pilot on the Challenger flight and commander for the other three missions. THE CREW OF CHALLENGER IN JUNE OF 1983
Following his second space flight, he served as the Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations. Between April of 1987 and September of 1992, he served as Chief of the Astronaut Office. The Challenger flight was notable because it was the first mission with
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SPRING 2021
THE SIGNET
