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Fmr. Astronaut Scott Altman Visits NASA Goddard

Scott Altman at GSFC
Former astronaut Scott Altman discussed his experiences with staff at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center on April 27.

“Every time you roll down the runway, and you lift off, and you’re in the air, it’s exhilarating,” said Scott Altman, former NASA astronaut. Altman spoke at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, on April 27, 2015, for Goddard’s Engineering Colloquium.

During his NASA career, Altman flew on four space shuttle missions. In his fourth assignment, Altman served as commander of the final Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission.

In the mid-’80s, filmmakers reached out to the Navy in search of a pilot to fly an F-14 in the movie “Top Gun.” Altman took the role, playing an extra in some scenes and flying the jet on behalf of Tom Cruise’s “Maverick” character in others.

During his talk, Altman shared his experiences flying stunts in “Top Gun,” and compared them to flying the F-14 and spacecraft on real missions. Altman underlined safety measures taken before, during and after flights, and his experiences working alongside Cruise.

Image/caption credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/Tashiana Osborne