Robert F. Overmyer
- STS -5 ( 1982)
- STS 51 -B ( 1985)
Robert Franklyn Overmyer (* July 14, 1936 in Lorain, Ohio, USA; † 22 March 1996 in Duluth, Minnesota, USA ) was an American astronaut.
Overmyer attended Westlake High School in Westlake (Ohio ). In 1958 he received a bachelor's degree in physics from Baldwin Wallace College in 1964 and a master's in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School.
In January 1958 Overmyer joined the United States Marine Corps. There he was trained as a naval aviator, and later as a test pilot.
Astronauts activity
1966 Overmyer was selected for the Manned Orbiting Laboratory program ( MOL) of the U.S. Air Force and was assigned as military occupation of the space station, until the program was halted in 1969.
In August 1969, he was accepted into the astronaut program by NASA. From 1969 to 1971 worked in the development of the Skylab space station. From 1971 to 1975 he was a member of the support crews for the Apollo 17 mission to the Moon and the Apollo - Soyuz Test Project, for which he was used in the control center in Moscow.
In 1976, Overmyer to the Space Shuttle program. 1977 Overmyer flew a T -38 observation aircraft during two test flights of the Space Shuttle prototype Enterprise, and so supported the approach and landing tests with the Enterprise. In 1979 he worked with on the completion of the preparation of the space shuttle Columbia for its first flight.
Overmyer was pilot on STS -5, the first space shuttle mission, which was not a test flight. On November 11, 1982, aboard the space shuttle Columbia on its first flight into space. He was accompanied by Commander Vance D. Brand and Mission Specialists Joseph Allen, and William Lenoir. The first space flight of four people in a spaceship brought two communications satellites into Earth orbit a. In addition, further tests were carried out on the shuttle, and a variety of medical and other experiments. After five days Overmyer landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California.
On 29 April 1985 Overmyer started as commander of the space shuttle Challenger on mission STS -51 -B. The Spacelab - 3 mission (SL -3) was used for the study of fluids and materials in weightless space. For biological studies also were two monkeys and 24 rodents on board. After seven days Overmyer landed at Edwards Air Force Base.
In May 1986, Overmyer left NASA and the Marine Corps.
Private
Robert Overmyer died on 22 March 1996 in the crash of a light aircraft which he tested straight. He is survived by his wife Katherine and his three children.