Payload

Filecard Info

Code Name: Payload

Defiant Pilot

File Name: Morgan, Mark Jr.

SN: N/A

Primary Military Speciality: Astronaut

Secondary Military Speciality: Fixed Wing Pilot

Birthplace: Cape Canaveral, Florida

Grade: O-6 (Colonel)

Payload grew up watching the early space shots blasting off through the Florida sky. He stared through the hurricane fence and rode that flaming booster in his dreams. But unlike others, he worked on making that dream a reality by joining the Air Force. He flew F-4 Phantoms over southeast Asia for three tours “just paying his dues” and upon his return stateside, signed up for the astronaut training program.

“Here´s a guy who spent most of his waking hours for his entire life working on getting himself into space. Sometimes, as he´s executing a complicated maneuver in free-fall or when he´s cutting in his boosters, he seems to be chanting softly under his breath. If you turn up the volume on the ship-to-ship channel and listen very carefully, you can hear him quite clearly; “Vroom! Vroom!”