Gary Payton (astronaut)
- STS 51 -C ( 1984)
Gary Eugene Payton ( born June 20, 1948 in rock Iceland, State of Illinois, USA ) is a former American astronaut.
Training
Payton received in 1971 a Bachelor in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Air Force Academy in 1972 and a master's degree in aeronautics and aerospace engineering from Purdue University.
In the United States Air Force Payton was formed in 1973 as a pilot and worked there as a pilot instructor. From 1976 to 1980 Payton worked as Spacecraft Test Controller on the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. In February 1980, he was selected by the Air Force for the Manned Spaceflight Engineer Program.
Astronauts activity
Payton applied unsuccessfully for the eleventh group of NASA astronauts.
STS- 10 and STS -41 -E
The launch of STS -10 was scheduled for November 1983, the flight had then but due to delays the secret payload to be canceled. Ken Mattingly, Loren Shriver, Ellison Onizuka, Jim Buchli and the payload specialist for the U.S. Air Force Gary Payton were nominated here as a team for the July 1984 this military aircraft under the designation STS -41 - E was put back into the program, but this satellite mission of the U.S. Department of Defense has also been canceled due to problems with the IUS upper stage. Ken Mattingly, Loren Shriver, Ellison Onizuka, Jim Buchli and the payload specialist for the U.S. Air Force Jeffrey Detroye were nominated here as a team. The launch was scheduled for March 1984 with the Space Shuttle Challenger.
STS 41 -H
This mission should be carried out in September 1984 on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense or instead expose a TDRS satellites. Due to problems with the IUS upper stage, the mission was canceled. As the occupying Frederick Hauck, David Walker, Joseph Allen, Anna Fisher, Dale Gardner and the MSE payload specialist for the U.S. Air Force Gary Payton and Frank Casserino were nominated. As a replacement payload specialist Daryl Joseph was provided.
STS 51 -C
His first space flight took Payton on January 24, 1985 as a payload specialist aboard the space shuttle Discovery. Mission objective of STS- 51- C was the suspension of a geostationary satellite reconnaissance on behalf of the U.S. Department of Defense.
After the space flight
In January 1995, Payton retired from the Air Force and moved to Space Launch Technology to Washington, DC In 2000, he joined Orbimage, 2002 Missile Defense Agency. Since 2005 he has been deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force for space programs.
Private
Gary Payton is married and has one child.