Photo: NASA / Public domain (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
George Zamka is, for me, the standout of this group and frankly an object of awe. A United States Marine Corps pilot with over 3,500 flight hours across more than thirty aircraft, he went on to pilot Space Shuttle Discovery in 2007 and command mission STS-130 in 2010. The Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal and even an Order of Merit from Poland speak to a life lived at the absolute edge of human capability. What moves me is the trajectory itself: from Jersey City to low Earth orbit. Whenever I look at the night sky, people like Zamka remind me that such journeys are not fantasy but lived reality.
Overview
George David "Zambo" Zamka (born June 29, 1962) is a former NASA astronaut and United States Marine Corps pilot with over 3500 flight hours in more than 30 different aircraft. Zamka piloted the Space Shuttle Discovery in its October 2007 mission to the International Space Station and served as the commander of mission STS-130 in February 2010.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- George D. Zamka
- Name (Japanese)
- ジョージ・ザムカ
- Reading
- じょーじ・ざむか
- Born
- June 29, 1962 (age 63)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Cancer / Tiger
- Origin
- Jersey City, New Jersey, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- Private
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- military officer / astronaut
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Rochester Adams High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- Distinguished Flying Cross
- Legionnaire of Legion of Merit
- Air Medal
- Officer's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
6. Links
Military officer — see all → · Astronaut — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-02
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.