Mt. Juliet Man to Make First Earth Orbit

Astronaut and Mt. Juliet-native Barry Wilmore will make his first Earth orbit in November.

A Mt. Juliet man will make his first journey into orbit November 12th on space shuttle Atlantis. It will be NASA’s final mission to or from the International Space Station.

Barry Wilmore will serve as pilot on the 11-day flight to deliver spare parts, including a gyroscope.

The mission includes three space walks. Platforms will be installed on the space station’s exterior to sustain operations after the space shuttle is retired.

Wilmore graduated from Tennessee Tech and the University of Tennessee, then went on to be a Navy pilot. His parents still reside in Mt. Juliet, and he has a brother who lives in Franklin.

Wilmore is one of just six current and former astronauts from Tennessee.