Portrait of James Halsell Courtesy of NASA

James Halsell is an American astronaut who was born on September 29, 1956 in Louisiana. Before he became an astronaut, Halsell was a test pilot for the Air Force.

Halsell became an astronaut in 1991. He has made three spaceflights spending over 645 hours in space.

In 1994, Halsell flew aboard STS-65. The crew performed over 80 experiments during this mission. Halsell made his second spaceflight aboard STS-74 in 1995. The crew docked with the Mir Space Station.

In 1997, Halsell commanded STS-83. This mission was cut short due to a problem with a fuel cell.