William “Bill” McArthur, a seasoned U.S. Army aviator and NASA astronaut with over 9,000 flight hours and four spaceflights, made significant contributions to the space program as a commander aboard the International Space Station and in various leadership roles within NASA.

McArthur, a retired U.S. Army aviator, joined NASA in 1987 as a space shuttle vehicle integration test engineer before being selected as an astronaut in 1990.

Throughout his space career, McArthur completed four spaceflights, logging 224 days, 22 hours, and 28 minutes in space. He performed 24 hours of spacewalk time during missions, including STS-58 Columbia, which expanded understanding of human physiology, and STS-74 Atlantis, which saw NASA’s second docking with the Russian Space Station Mir. McArthur also played a pivotal role on STS-92 Discovery, contributing to the International Space Station’s (ISS) assembly with four spacewalks.

As commander of Expedition 12 aboard the ISS in 2005, McArthur made history by becoming part of the first crew to dock with every Russian port on the station. His crew also completed two spacewalks and relocated their Soyuz spacecraft. In his post-flight career, McArthur managed safety and mission assurance at the Johnson Space Center.