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1. NASA Astronaut Hank Hartsfield, Led First Flight of Space Shuttle Discovery, Dies at 80

Date: Fri, 18 Jul 2014 14:51:41 -0500 From: info@JSC NASA GOV Subject: NASA Astronaut Hank Hartsfield, Led First Flight of Space Shuttle Discovery, Dies at 80

July 18, 2014

Nicole Cloutier-Lemasters Johnson Space Center, Houston 281-483-5111

Report #J14-005

NASA Astronaut Hank Hartsfield, Led First Flight of Space Shuttle Discovery, Dies at 80

Former NASA astronaut Henry W (Hank) Hartsfield Jr , who served as commander of space shuttle Discovery�s maiden mission and flew on three shuttle flights, died on July 17 after an illness He was 80 years old

After his final shuttle flight, Hartsfield served in a number of NASA administrative posts, including deputy chief of the astronaut office, deputy director for flight crew operations and director of the Technical Integration and Analysis Division at NASA Headquarters

Next he became deputy manager for operations in the Space Station Operations Office at NASA�s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama Back at the Johnson Space Center in Houston he worked in the Space Station Freedom Program and later as manager of the International Space Station Independence Assessment Team He later became NASA�s director of independent assurance for Human Exploration and Development of Space

Hartsfield was born Nov 21, 1933, in Birmingham, Alabama He graduated from West End High School in Birmingham and in 1954 earned a bachelor�s degree in physics from Auburn University Hartsfield did his graduate work in physics at Duke University and studied astronautics at the Air Force Institute of Technology He earned a master�s degree in engineering science from the University of Tennessee in 1971

He received his commission through Auburn�s Reserve Officer Training Program before entering the Air Force in 1955 His assignments included a tour with the 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bitburg, Germany He graduated from the Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif , and later became an instructor there He has more than 7,400 hours flying time Of those more than 6,150 hours are jets They include the F-86, F-100, F-104, F-105, F-106, T-33 and T-38

In 1966 he was assigned to the Air Force Manned Orbiting Laboratory Program as an astronaut After that program was cancelled in 1969, he joined NASA, where he was part of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 16 and the Skylab 2, 3 and 4 missions Hartsfield retired from the Air Force in 1977 as a colonel with more than 22 years of active service He remained at NASA as a civilian astronaut He helped develop the shuttle entry flight control system and its interfaces

Hartsfield then served as backup pilot for STS-2 in 1981 and STS-3 in 1982, space shuttle Columbia's second and third orbital flight tests

He was the pilot of Columbia on STS-4 in 1982, the final flight test of the shuttle program He and mission commander Thomas K Mattingly completed their weeklong mission on July 4 at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif , where they were welcomed by President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan among a crowd estimated at one million people that gathered in the Mojave Desert

Hartsfield then commanded STS-41D, Discovery�s first flight on Aug 30, 1984 The mission of just more than six days included the deployment of three communications satellites and a number of scientific experiments

Hartsfield later commanded STS-61A, a flight aboard the shuttle Challenger that launched on Oct 30, 1985 The mission featured the European-built Spacelab science module and the largest crew ever to fly on a shuttle mission --- eight people On his three flights, Hartsfield logged 483 hours in space

Hartsfield�s numerous decorations and awards include the Air Force Meritorious Service Medal and the General Thomas D White Space Trophy He was inducted into the Alabama Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983 He received the Defense Department�s Distinguished Civilian Service Award in 1982 He received NASA�s Distinguished Service Medals in 1982 and 1988, NASA Space Flight Medals in 1982, 1984 and 1985 and NASA�s Exceptional Service Medal He received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Auburn University in 1986 and attained the Presidential Rank of Meritorious Executive in the Senior Executive Service in 1996

He was inducted into the U S Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006

After his series of management jobs, Hartsfield retired from NASA and joined Raytheon Corp in Houston He retired from Raytheon in April 2005

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End of HSFNEWS Digest - 17 Jul 2014 to 19 Jul 2014 (#2014-55)