Lindsey was selected by NASA in March 1995.[3] He became an astronaut in May 1996, qualified for flight assignment as a pilot. Initially assigned to flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL), Lindsey also served as the Astronaut Office representative working on the Multifunction Electronic Display System (MEDS) program, a glass cockpit Space Shuttle upgrade program, as well as a number of other advanced upgrade projects. In between his first two flights, he worked as the Shuttle Landing and Rollout representative responsible for training flight crews and testing orbiter landing techniques and flying qualities. After his second flight, Lindsey served as Deputy for Shuttle Operations and Co-Chairman of the Space Shuttle Cockpit Council, responsible for designing, testing, and implementing crew interfaces and displays for the $400 million Shuttle Cockpit Avionics Upgrade. More recently, he served as the Chief of International Space Station Operations for the astronaut office, responsible for integrating astronaut, civil service, and contractor activities in providing support to all aspects of the development, testing, crew training and operations of the International Space Station. After the completion of STS-121, he became Chief of the Astronaut Office. In this position, Steven also flew weather reconnaissance in the Shuttle Training Aircraft during the launch or landing of a Space Shuttle. Lindsey ceded his position as Chief of the Astronaut Office to astronaut Peggy Whitson when he was selected for STS-133.
Lindsey has flown five missions in space for NASA. He served as pilot of STS-87 (1997) and STS-95 (1998) and commander of STS-104 (2001), STS-121 (2006) and STS-133 (2011).
STS-87 (Columbia) (November 19 to December 5, 1997) was the fourth U.S Microgravity Payload flight and focused on experiments designed to study how the weightless environment of space affects various physical processes, and on observations of the Sun’s outer atmospheric layers. Two members of the crew performed an EVA (spacewalk) that featured the manual capture of a Spartan satellite, and tested EVA tools and procedures for future Space Station assembly. During the EVA, Lindsey piloted the first flight of the AERCam Sprint, a free-flying robotic camera. The mission was accomplished in 252 orbits of the Earth, traveling 6.5 million miles in 376 hours and 34 minutes.
STS-95 (Discovery) (October 29 to November 7, 1998) was a 9-day mission during which the crew supported a variety of research payloads including deployment and retrieval of the Spartan solar-observing spacecraft, the Hubble Space Telescope Orbital Systems Test Platform, and investigations on space flight and the aging process. The mission was accomplished in 134 Earth orbits, traveling 3.6 million miles in 213 hours and 44 minutes.
STS-104 (Atlantis) (July 12 to July 24, 2001), designated assembly mission 7A, was the 10th mission to the International Space Station (ISS). During the 13-day flight the crew conducted joint operations with the Expedition 2 crew and performed three spacewalks to install the ISS Joint Airlock Quest and to outfit it with four high-pressure gas tanks. In addition to installing and activating the Joint Airlock, the crew also performed the first spacewalk from Quest. The mission was accomplished in 200 Earth orbits.
STS-121 (Discovery) (July 4 to July 17, 2006) was an ISS visit and space shuttle checkout mission. It was the second flight after the Columbia disaster (STS-107) and was considered one of the two Return to Flight test missions before resumption of normal shuttle operations. Lindsey served as mission commander on the flight.
