Ronald John Garan Jr. (born October 30, 1961) is a NASA astronaut. After graduating from State University of New York College at Oneonta in 1982, he joined the Air Force, becoming a Second Lieutenant in 1984. He became an F-16 pilot, and flew combat missions in Desert Shield and Desert Storm. Before becoming an astronaut he was the Operations Officer of the 40th Flight Test Squadron (FTS). He first flew in space as a Mission Specialist on the STS-124 mission to the International Space Station (ISS). He returned to ISS on April 4, 2011, for a six-month stay as a member of Expedition 27.\n', '

Born on October 30, 1961, in Yonkers, New York, Ron Garan is of Russian descent. He is married to the former Carmel Courtney of Brooklyn, New York, and Scranton, Pennsylvania. They have three sons. His father, Ronald Garan Sr., resides in Yonkers. His mother, Linda Lichtblau, resides in Port St. Lucie, Florida, with her husband, Peter Lichtblau. His recreational interests include running, football, coaching and teaching Sunday School classes to children. Garan is a devout Roman Catholic.\n', '

His description of coming back to earth in a Soyuz capsule was "like going over Niagara Falls in a barrel (that\'s on fire) followed by a high speed crash".\n', '

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