Captain Kent Rominger, CSU's Highest Flying Graduate
Civil Engineering alumnus receives University’s highest honor
CSU proudly claims Kent Rominger as one of our own. Since graduating from Colorado State with a B.S. in civil engineering in 1978, he has been commander and pilot on five NASA shuttle missions and has served in a variety of technical assignments in support of NASA's successful Space Shuttle and Space Station Programs.
Ever since he was a young boy, Kent has had the desire to fly, and he set his educational and career paths to achieve that goal. After graduating with honors from CSU, he was designated a Naval Aviator in 1980 and attended the Navy Fighter Weapons School. As a “Top Gun” test pilot, Kent logged more than 5,000 flying hours in over 35 types of aircraft, and completed 685 carrier landings.
While a test pilot, Kent realized that his dreams of becoming a NASA astronaut could be achieved with an advanced degree. He enrolled in the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, earning his M.S. degree in aeronautical engineering in 1987. His hard work and foresight paid off, and he was selected for the NASA Astronaut Training Program in 1992. NASA recognized his potential, and Kent was one of the first in his class of astronaut candidates to be given a space flight assignment.
Kent Rominger has distinguished himself as one of NASA’s most experienced and capable pilots and commanders. He has flown as mission pilot on STS-73 in 1995, STS-80 in 1996 and STS-85 in 1997. Promoted to Captain by the U.S. Navy, he was selected for his first command on STS-96 in 1999, which was a critical mission to outfit the new International Space Station complex preparatory to the arrival of the first Expedition crew later in the year. Capt. Rominger was called upon once again last year to command STS-100, a challenging mission during which the international crew installed the Canadian-built Robotic Arm and the Rafaello Logistics Module to the International Space Station. To date he has logged over 1,600 hours in space.
As an astronaut, pilot and shuttle commander, Capt. Rominger has received numerous awards including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Defense Superior Service Medal. A proven leader and team-builder, Capt. Rominger was recently promoted to the position of Deputy Director of Flight Crew Operations at NASA.
In honor of his outstanding contributions to the University and the engineering profession, Capt. Rominger was awarded the University’s highest honor, the William E. Morgan Alumni Achievement Award. Earlier in his career, he received the Colorado State University Distinguished Service Award from the College of Engineering.
During his April 26, 2002, visit to Fort Collins to accept the William E. Morgan Alumni Achievement Award, the CSU and Front Range communities were privileged to get a very special inside look at space travel. Capt. Rominger’s multimedia presentation on “NASA Today” is available on-line at the College of Engineering website.
On May 11, Capt. Rominger returned to campus as the College of Engineering’s keynote speaker for Spring Commencement. His commencement address inspired graduating seniors and their families to follow their dreams and reach their goals through teamwork, open communication, and a positive attitude.