Bill's 25-year military career included a combat tour in Korea, two years as aerobatic pilot with the Thunderbirds and a tour as an assistant professor of mathematics at the Air Force Academy. After attending the Empire Test Pilots' School in Britain he completed an exchange assignment as test pilot with the Royal Air Force. During his career he flew over fifty types and models of American, British and Czech aircraft.
He was selected in the 5th group of astronauts in 1966 and was on the support crews for Apollos 7, 11 and 14. Bill's 84-day space flight aboard the Skylab space station ('73-'74 with astronauts Jerry Carr and Ed Gibson) set eight records. He made two space walks, one for a record 7 hours, and conducted numerous experiments related to studies of the Earth, the sun and the long-term effects of zero gravity on crewmembers.
Bill left NASA in 1977 and, since, has worked as an independent technical contractor. He has published three books, served as director for a Boeing Films video production on space adaptation and has independently produced a general viewer video on the effects of zero-g.
From 1984 to 1998 Pogue provided contract technical support to the Boeing Company for the Space Station Freedom program which later evolved into the International Space Station project, currently being assembled in orbit.
Awards include: Distinguished Service Medals (NASA & USAF), the General Thomas D. White Space Trophy (National Geographic Society ) and the Collier Trophy (1975). In October 1997 Bill was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at Titusville, FL.
