Science & invention / Sports
Leland Melvin
born 1964 · astronaut, engineer, former football player
NASA astronaut who flew two Space Shuttle missions after an NFL career that ended in the Detroit Lions' 1986 training camp.
- Born
Lynchburg, Virginia
age 62- Birth name
- Leland Devon Melvin
- Also known as
- Leland D. Melvin
- Detroit years
- 1986
- Field
- Science & invention, Sports
01 / The Detroit story
The Detroit story
Melvin grew up in Lynchburg, Virginia, and was a record-setting wide receiver at the University of Richmond, where he studied chemistry. The Detroit Lions chose him in the eleventh round of the 1986 NFL draft, but he pulled a hamstring in training camp and was released before the season, and a later attempt with the Dallas Cowboys also ended in injury. He turned to science instead, earning a master's degree in materials science engineering at the University of Virginia and working as a research engineer at NASA's Langley Research Center. NASA selected him as an astronaut in 1998. He flew aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-122 in 2008 and STS-129 in 2009, helping to assemble the International Space Station, and later served as NASA's associate administrator for education. His official portrait with his two dogs became widely shared.
Highlights
- Drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 11th round, 1986
- Mission specialist on Atlantis, STS-122 (2008) and STS-129 (2009)
- NASA Associate Administrator for Education from 2010
- University of Richmond career leader in receptions (198)