Richard H. Truly

  • STS -2 ( 1981)
  • STS -8 ( 1983)

Richard Harrison "Dick" Truly ( born November 12, 1937 in Fayette, Mississippi, United States ) is a former American astronaut. From 1989 to 1992 Truly was the eighth manager ( administrator ) of the U.S. space agency NASA.

After Truly visited schools in Fayette and Meridian, he received in 1959 from the Georgia Institute of Technology, a Bachelor's degree in aeronautical engineering.

NASA activities

1965 Truly was selected as one of the first military astronauts of the U.S. Air Force for the MOL program. In August 1969, after the setting of the MOL program, he was NASA astronaut.

Preparation of Space Shuttle Flights

Truly, he worked on the shuttle program. He was a pilot ( Commander Joe Engle ) of one of the two teams in 1977, the behavior of the space shuttles examined during the landing approach in the context of the ALT program ( Approach and Landing Tests ) from February to November.

STS-1

Truly was the backup pilot for the first shuttle mission STS -1. Replacement commander was Joe Engle.

STS -2

On November 12, 1981 Richard Truly began as a pilot with the Space Shuttle Columbia ( OV -102 ) on its first flight into space. STS -2 was the first space flight in which a manned spacecraft was re- used. Commander was again Joe Engle.

STS -8

On 30 August 1983 Truly flew as commander of the Space Shuttle Challenger ( OV -99) his second mission into space. That was the first night launch and the first night landing in the Space Shuttle program.

Administrative tasks

Truly had left the space agency in the fall of 1983 and was commander of the Naval Space Command in Dahlgren ( Virginia). Three weeks after the Challenger accident, he returned on 20 February 1986 NASA as " Associate Administrator for Space Flight " back. Its primary objective was to monitor the return of the Space Shuttle to flight operations. In addition, he was also responsible for longer -term issues, such as whether to replace the lost Challenger with a new space shuttle or the role of the shuttle in the future. Although the cause of the Challenger accident was found within a few days, correct it lasted a lot longer. The next shuttle, Discovery, was able to start only after 31 months on 29 September 1989. In May 1989, Truly (administrator) NASA was named the eighth head. Shortly before the start of this office, which he held until May 1992 he resigned as Vice - Admiral of the U.S. Navy.

According to the NASA

After his time at NASA Truly became the vice president and director of the Georgia Tech Research Institute (part of the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta ). From 1997 to November 2004 Truly chief of the National Renewable Energy Laboratory in Golden, Colorado.

Private

Richard Truly is married and has three children.

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