About Leland Melvin

Leland Melvin is an engineer,
educator, former NASA astronaut and NFL wide receiver. He served on
board the Space Shuttle Atlantis as a mission specialist on mission
STS-122 (2008) and STS-129 (2009), helping to construct the
International Space Station.
Leland served co-chair of the White House’s Federal Coordination in
STEM Education Task Force and as NASA Associate Administrator for
Education.
“Houston, we have a problem.” Leland Melvin was 25 feet under water
in the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, a 6 million gallon pool, training to
perform spacewalks as a NASA astronaut when he called the test director
and asked him to turn the volume up in his headset. He never heard a
reply and was immediately hoisted out of the pool to learn that he was
deaf. Emergency surgery resulting in only partial recovery to his
hearing led him to being medically disqualified to fly in space by NASA
flight surgeons.
This is just one of the many career ending challenges Leland has
overcome in his life. Before becoming an astronaut Leland was drafted by
the Detroit Lions in the 1986 College Draft to play professional
football but a hamstring injury thwarted his NFL career with Detroit and
then later with the Dallas Cowboys. Through determination and
perseverance Leland ultimately traveled off-planet twice on Space
Shuttle Atlantis to help construct the International Space Station,
logging a over 565 hours in space. Leland is the only person drafted
into the National Football League to have flown in space. The Pro
Football Hall of Fame honored his athletic and academic accomplishments
by placing his Detroit Lions jersey under glass in Canton, Ohio. Through
these professional experiences working on high stakes teams he
developed a deep and nuanced understanding of effective team dynamics.
Leland has a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry and a master’s
degree in materials science engineering. He worked at NASA Langley
Research Center in the area of nondestructive testing creating optical
fiber sensors for measuring damage in aerospace vehicles resulting in
publications in numerous scientific journals. After hanging up his space
boots he was appointed head of NASA Education and served as the
co-chair on the White House’s Federal Coordination in Science,
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education Task Force
developing the nation’s 5-year STEM education plan. Leland was the
United States representative and chair of the International Space
Education Board (ISEB), a global collaboration in space. He uses his
life story as an athlete, astronaut, scientist, engineer, photographer,
and musician to help inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue
Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics (STEAM) careers.
Leland was also recently seen as the host of the Lifetime competition
series “Child Genius” and as a judge for ABC’s robot competition series
“BattleBots.” He was featured on National Geographic’s “One Strange
Rock”, hosted by Will Smith, where he explained how his brain
repaired itself after an injury that left him deaf and almost stopped
him from ever going to space. Leland was also a consultant for the
second season of National Geographic’s “Mars.”
Leland holds four honorary doctorates for his service in education,
the sciences, and philanthropy. He was chosen as an ICON MANN with
Quincy Jones, Forrest Whitaker, Steve Harvey and 24 other men selected
for their ability to inspire people of all ages through their vision and
commitment to creating positive change throughout the world. Leland has
been honored with the NFL Players Association “Award of Excellence” for
inspiring athletes to pursue excellence on and off the field.
He has written a chapter on the power of visualization in Venus
Williams’ book “Come to Win.” Leland has appeared on “Top Chef” as a
celebrity judge and “Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmerman,” while Cesar
Milan helped him with his unruly pooch Jake on an episode of “The Dog
Whisperer.” He was featured in a Sci Fi Channel program documenting the
making of the “Reach for the Stars” will.i.am song, which was
transmitted to Mars and back to inspire students to pursue STEAM. After
24 years with NASA as a researcher, astronaut, and Senior Executive
Service leader, Leland looks to share his stories of perseverance and
excellence to inspire communities for lasting positive change.
In May, Leland released his memoir, “Chasing Space: An Astronaut’s
Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances.” In “Chasing Space,” Leland
shares his personal journey from the gridiron to the stars, and examine
the intersecting roles of community, perseverance, and grace that align
to create the opportunities for success.