As a NASA astronaut, Dr. Jeffrey Hoffman made five space flights, becoming the first astronaut to log 1,000 hours of flight time aboard the Space Shuttle. He is now Professor of Aerospace Engineering in the Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
Dr. Hoffman was Payload Commander of STS-46, the first flight of the US-Italian Tethered Satellite System, and played a key role in coordinating the scientific and operational teams working on this project. He has performed four spacewalks, including the first unplanned, contingency spacewalk in NASA’s history (STS 51D; April, 1985) and the initial repair/rescue mission for the Hubble Space Telescope (STS 61; December, 1993). He worked for several years as the Astronaut Office representative for EVA (extravehicular activity = spacewalks) and helped develop and carry out tests of advanced high-pressure space suit designs and of new tools and procedures needed for the assembly of the International Space Station.
In August 2001, Dr. Hoffman joined the MIT faculty, where he teaches courses on space operations and design and space policy. He is director of the Massachusetts Space Grant Alliance, responsible for statewide space-related educational activities designed to increase public understanding of space and to attract students into aerospace careers.