George Driver “Pinky” Nelson

George Driver “Pinky” Nelson, Ph.D. (born July 13, 1950) is an American physicist, astronomer, science educator, and a former NASA astronaut.

A veteran of three space flights, Nelson served aboard STS-41-C in 1984, STS-61C in 1986 and STS-26 in 1988. He has logged a total of 411 hours in space, including 10 hours of EVA flight time. STS-26 Discovery was the first flown after the Challenger accident.

During the four-day flight, the crew successfully deployed the Tracking and Data Relay Satellite (TDRS-C) and operated eleven mid-deck science experiments.