27 Facts About Henry Hartsfield

Henry Hartsfield was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.

Henry Hartsfield was born in Birmingham, Alabama on November 21,1933.

Henry Hartsfield was married to the former Judy Frances Massey of Princeton, North Carolina, and had two daughters.

Henry Hartsfield later earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physics from Auburn University in 1954, where he was a member of the Delta Chi fraternity.

Henry Hartsfield was awarded a Master of Science degree in Engineering Science from the University of Tennessee in 1971.

Henry Hartsfield received his commission through the Reserve Officer Training Corps at Auburn University.

Henry Hartsfield entered the US Air Force in 1955, and his assignments included a tour with the 53rd Tactical Fighter Squadron in Bitburg, West Germany.

Henry Hartsfield is a graduate of the US Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and was an instructor there prior to his assignment in 1966 to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory program as an astronaut.

Henry Hartsfield became part of NASA Astronaut Group 7 in September 1969.

Henry Hartsfield was a member of the astronaut support crew for Apollo 16 and served as a member of the astronaut support crew for the Skylab-2, -3, and -4 missions.

Henry Hartsfield retired in August 1977 from the United States Air Force with more than 22 years of active service but continued his assignment as a NASA astronaut in a civilian capacity.

Henry Hartsfield was a member of the orbital flight test missions group of the Astronaut Office and was responsible for supporting the development of the Space Shuttle's entry flight control system and its associated interfaces.

Henry Hartsfield served as backup pilot for STS-2 and STS-3, Columbias second and third orbital flight tests.

Henry Hartsfield was the pilot on STS-4, the fourth and final orbital test flight of the shuttle Columbia, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on June 27,1982.

Henry Hartsfield was accompanied by Thomas K Mattingly II on this seven-day mission designed to: further verify ascent and entry phases of shuttle missions; perform continued studies of the effects of long-term thermal extremes on the Orbiter subsystems; and conduct a survey of Orbiter-induced contamination on the orbiter payload bay.

Henry Hartsfield was next spacecraft commander of STS-41-D which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30,1984.

The crew earned the name "Icebusters" when Henry Hartsfield successfully removed a hazardous ice buildup from the orbiter using the Remote Manipulator System.

On his third flight, Henry Hartsfield was spacecraft commander of Challenger on STS-61-A, the West German Spacelab D-1 mission which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on October 30,1985.

Henry Hartsfield's crew included Steven R Nagel, James F Buchli, Guion S Bluford Jr.

Between 1986 and 1987, Henry Hartsfield served as the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office.

Henry Hartsfield's office served as a technical forum for resolving technical programmatic issues.

In 1990, Henry Hartsfield accepted another temporary assignment as the Deputy Manager for Operations, Space Station Projects Office, at the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.

In 1991, Henry Hartsfield accepted the position of the Man-Tended Capability Phase Manager, Space Station Freedom Program and Operations, with a duty station at the Johnson Space Center.

In December 1993, Henry Hartsfield accepted the position of Manager, International Space Station Independent Assessment.

In September 1996, the scope of Henry Hartsfield's work was expanded to include independent assessment of the programs and projects of the Human Exploration and Development of Space Enterprise and he was named Director, HEDS Independent Assurance.

Henry Hartsfield retired from NASA in 1998 and then joined the executive ranks of Raytheon Company as vice president of aerospace engineering services.

Henry Hartsfield died on July 17,2014, from complications from back surgery.