BURSCH-DANIEL

Source:  Biographical date published by NASA in June 2015

Daniel W. Bursch, Captain, USN (Ret), is a former NASA Astronaut.  He was born on July 25, 1957, in Bristol, Pennsylvania.  He graduated from Vestal Senior High School, Vestal, New York, in 1975, received a Bachelor of Science in Physics from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979, and a Master of Science in Engineering Science from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1991.

Bursch graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1979, and was designated a naval flight officer in April 1980.  After initial training as an A-6E Intruder bombardier/navigator (B/N), he reported to Attack Squadron 34 in January 1981, and deployed to the Mediterranean aboard the USS John F. Kennedy, and to the North Atlantic and Indian Oceans aboard the USS America.  He attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in January 1984.  Upon graduation in December he worked as a project test flight officer flying the A-6 Intruder until August 1984, when he returned to the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School as a flight instructor.  In April 1987, Bursch was assigned to the Commander, Cruiser Destroyer Group 1, as Strike Operations Officer, making deployments to the Indian Ocean aboard the USS Long Beach and the USS Midway.  Redesignated an Aeronautical Engineering Duty officer (AEDO), he attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, from July 1989 until his selection to the astronaut program.  He has accumulated over 3,430 flight hours in more than 35 different aircraft.

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Bursch became an astronaut in July 1991.  His technical assignments include: Astronaut Office Operations Development Branch, working on controls and displays for the Space Shuttle and Space Station; Chief of Astronaut Appearances; spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in mission control.  A veteran of four space flights, Bursch has logged over 227 days in space. He was a mission specialist on STS-51 (1993; 9 days 29 hours), STS-68 (1994; 11 days 5 hours) and STS-77 (1996; 10 days 1 hour), and served as flight engineer on ISS Expedition-Four (2001-2002; 196 days).  Bursch and fellow astronaut Carl Walz held the U.S. space flight endurance record of 196 days in space.  In January 2003, Bursch reported to the Naval Postgraduate School for a two year assignment as an instructor in the Space Systems Academic Group.  He left NASA in May 2005 and retired from active duty in July 2005 after 26 years of Navy service.  Bursch joined The Aerospace Corporation in July 2005, serves as the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) Chair at the Naval Postgraduate School and continues to work with NASA as a consultant.