James W. Wood

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James Wood
USAF Astronaut
Nationality	American
Born	August 9, 1924, Paragould, Arkansas
Died	January 1, 1990
Other occupation	Test Pilot
Rank	Colonel, U.S. Air Force
Selection	1960 Dyna-Soar Group 1
Missions	None

James Wayne Wood was an astronaut in the X-20 Dyna-Soar program. He was born in Paragould, Arkansas on August 9, 1924. He was married and had three children. He died on January 1, 1990 of natural causes.

Wood earned a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1956. He was serving as an experimental test pilot at the Air Force Flight Test Center, Edwards AFB, California when selected for the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.

Wood was the senior test pilot on the Dyna-Soar project and was slated to be the pilot on its first sub-orbital mission. If the program had not been cancelled, the first flight was scheduled for July 1966.

After the Dyna-Soar program was cancelled in December 1963, he remained with the U.S. Air Force and served as Commander of Test Operations at Edwards Air Force Base. He retired from the U.S. Air Force with the rank of colonel.