High Quality Content by WIKIPEDIA articles! Vance DeVoe Brand (born May 9, 1931) is an engineer and former test pilot and NASA astronaut. He served as command module pilot during the first U.S.-Soviet joint space flight in 1975, and as commander of three space shuttle missions. His flight experience includes 9,669 flying hours, which includes 8,089 hours in jets, 391 hours in helicopters, 746 hours in spacecraft, and checkout in more than 30 types of military aircraft. Brand was born in Longmont, Colorado, May 9, 1931, and is the son of Rudolph William and Donna Mae Brand. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America in Longmont, where he achieved Life Scout. He was active in the International Order of DeMolay. He married the former Beverly Ann Whitnel, and had two daughters and four sons; Susan Nancy, Stephanie Brand Lowery, Patrick Richard, Kevin Stephen, Erik Ryan, and Dane Vance.