Graduated from Mission Viejo High School, Mission Viejo, California, in 1976; received a bachelor of science degree in systems engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1980; a master of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1988.

Member, Society of Experimental Test Pilots; Association of Naval Aviation.

Following flight training, Lopez-Alegria was designated a Naval Aviator on September 4, 1981. He then served as a flight instructor in Pensacola, Florida, until March 1983. His next assignment was to a fleet electronic reconnaissance squadron in Rota, Spain. There he served as a pilot and mission commander aboard EP-3E aircraft, flying missions in the Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic, Baltic Sea and Central America. In 1986 he was assigned to a two year cooperative program between the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, and the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, Maryland. His final tour before being assigned to NASA was at the Naval Air Test Center as an engineering test pilot and program manager. He has accumulated 4,000 pilot hours in over 30 different aircraft types.

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Dr. Wisoff became an astronaut in July 1991. He is qualified for flight assignment as a mission specialist. His technical assignments to date include: spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control; flight software verification in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); coordinating flight crew equipment; evaluating extravehicular activity (EVA) equipment and techniques for the construction of Space Station; lead for the Payloads and Habitability Branch of the Astronaut Office. A veteran of three space flights, STS-57 in 1993, STS-68 in 1994 and STS-81 in 1997, Dr. Wisoff has logged over 754 hours in space Station.