Benjamin Alvin Drew

November 5, 1962 Benjamin Alvin Drew, NASA astronaut, was born in Washington, D. C.

Drew earned a dual Bachelor of Science degree in physics and astronautical engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1984 and his Master of Science degree in aerospace science from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. In 2006, he earned another master’s degree in political science from the Air War College.

Drew received his commission as a second lieutenant from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1984 and flew 60 combat missions over Panama, the Persian Gulf, and Iraq. He has over 3,500 hours of flying time. He retired from the air force in 2010. He was selected by NASA as a mission specialist in 2000 and has been on two space flights, STS-118 in 2007 and STS-133 in 2011.

He has logged 612 hours in space. In 2009, Drew served as director of U. S. operations at Yuri Gagarin Cosmonauts Training Center in Russia.