Paul Lockhart

Who is Paul Lockhart?

Colonel Paul Scott "Paco" Lockhart is a former American astronaut and a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions.

Lockhart, born and reared in Amarillo, Texas, earned degrees in mathematics and aerospace engineering from Texas Tech University and the University of Texas at Austin before being commissioned in 1981 into the United States Air Force. A test pilot for the F-16 aircraft, Lockhart was selected as an astronaut candidate in 1996. Lockhart's two space missions, STS-111 and STS-113, both in 2002, were missions to the International Space Station. He was assigned to STS-113 as pilot after the resignation of Christopher Loria from the NASA Astronaut Corps due to an injury.

After his service with NASA, Lockhart was assigned to and graduated in 2004 from the Royal College of Defence Studies in London, United Kingdom. His last military assignment was with the headquarters Air Force, A9, where he was a directorate chief for both the force structures and the analyses and assessments branch. Lockhart retired from the U.S. Air Force in January 2007 and returned to NASA in an administrative position.