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Iowa State’s own astronaut-in-residence, who made a name for himself orbiting the Earth, is now launching a new chapter on the terra firma of his native Nebraska.

Clayton Anderson, professor of practice in ISU’s Department of Aerospace Engineering, has become the President and CEO of the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum in Ashland, Nebraska. The aviation and space history center, a popular tourist attraction, made the official announcement of Anderson’s new position . With the move, Anderson returns to his hometown after spending many years in the Houston, Texas area.

Anderson came to Iowa State’s Department of Aerospace Engineering to pursue a master’s degree and achieved that honor in 1983 before embarking on a long career with NASA, which included supervising the Flight Design Engineering Office of the Flight Design and Dynamics Division and manager of the Emergency Operations Center, NASA Johnson Space Center.

He was accepted as a NASA mission specialist in 1998. As an astronaut, he led the development of the Enhanced Caution and Warning System to aid astronauts in diagnosing and correcting problems that occur during space flight. A veteran of two space flights, Anderson logged 167 days in space and 38 hours and 28 minutes of Extravehicular Activity in six spacewalks. He completed five months aboard the space station in 2007 and served aboard the STS-131 crew in 2010 (see his NASA biographical data).

As a Department of Aerospace Engineering faculty member, he teaches courses involving freshman students covering topics such as the space environment, the history and future of space, spacecraft environmental control systems, ethics, and teamwork. He also leads the department’s Spaceflight Operations Workshop^TM, an annual program for college

undergraduate students that immerses them in activities such as SCUBA, skydiving, virtual reality, flight simulation, classroom activity and more, all based on astronaut training techniques that promote “operational thinking,” teamwork, and personal development.

He was named an Iowa State University Outstanding Alumnus in 2008 and is part of the Department of Aerospace Engineering Hall of Distinguished Alumni.

Anderson has also authored five books, including three written for children on the subject of space.

“The opportunity to come back home to Ashland, Nebraska, to lead the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum is the culmination of a career dedicated to space exploration and education,” Anderson said in the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum news release. “As we head toward the Museum’s 25th anniversary in 2023, I look forward to collaborating with communities throughout the region to tell the powerful

story of Nebraska and America’s role in military command and its relationship with our nation’s aerospace exploration.”