Lachlan Macleay
| Lachlan Macleay | |
|---|---|
 | |
| USAF Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Retired |
| Born |
June 13, 1931 Saint Louis, Missouri |
Other occupation | Test pilot |
| Selection | 1965 USAF MOL Group 1 |
| Missions | None |
Lachlan "Mac" Macleay (born June 13, 1931) is a retired colonel in the United States Air Force and a former USAF astronaut. Although he trained for the USAF Manned Orbital Laboratory (MOL), the program was cancelled before any of the MOL crews reached space.[1]
Macleay was born in Saint Louis, Missouri and graduated in 1954 from the United States Naval Academy with a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering. Although a USNA graduate, he chose to begin his career in the United States Air Force. In 1970, he earned a Master of Business Administration degree from the University of Southern California.[2]
Macleay was a flight instructor in the F-86D at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia.[2] He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School in class 60A, Aerospace Research Pilot School (ARPS) Class IV, and MOL.[3] In 1965, Macleay was selected as one of the first astronauts to the Air Force's classified Manned Orbital Laboratory.[2] The MOL program, canceled in 1969 before sending any astronauts into space, was to man a military space station with Air Force astronauts using a modified Gemini spacecraft.[4]
Macleay continued flying for the Air Force and served a combat tour as commander of the 23d Tactical Air Support Squadron (TASS) at Nakhon Phanom, Thailand. The 23d TASS, flying the OV-10 Bronco under the callsign Nail, served as forward air controllers directing air strikes against enemy troops.[5]
Macleay retired from the Air Force on May 1, 1978 and joined Hughes Aircraft in Tucson, Arizona where he worked on a series of missile systems. He currently lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.[2]
The history of the MOL program was presented in the Public Television series NOVA episode called Astrospies which aired February 12, 2008.[6] Several of the MOL astronauts, including Lachlan Macleay, were interviewed for this documentary.[7]
References
- ↑ "Space and Missile Systems Center History" (PDF). USAF. 2006-09-12. pp. 60–62. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- 1 2 3 4 "Astrospies Macleay biography". NOVA. PBS. December 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ↑ USAF Test Pilot School 50 Years and Beyond. Privately Published. 1994. p. 246.
- ↑ Nutter, Ashley (2008-06-02). "Suits for Space Spies". NASA. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ↑ Whitcomb, Darrel D. (1998). The Rescue of Bat 21. Naval Institute Press. p. 11. ISBN 1557509468. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ↑ "Astrospies". NOVA. PBS. December 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-10.
- ↑ "Astrospies transcripts". NOVA. PBS. December 2007. Retrieved 2008-10-10.