Robert L. Stewart

• STS 41 -B ( 1984)
• STS -51- J (1985)

Robert Lee Stewart ( born August 13, 1942 in Washington, DC, USA ) is a former American astronaut.

Stewart received in 1964 a Bachelor in Mathematics from the University of Southern Mississippi and a master's in 1972 air and space technology from the University of Texas at Arlington.

In May 1964, Stewart joined the United States Army. After his training as Army pilots flew from August 1966 to 1967 numerous helicopter combat missions in Vietnam. He then worked as a pilot instructor for helicopters. From 1972 to 1973 he was stationed in South Korea and completed his education in 1974 as a test pilot. On the Edwards Air Force Base, he explored both planes and helicopters.

Astronauts activity

In January 1978, Stewart was selected by NASA as an astronaut candidate. His duties in the Astronaut Office included the testing of the re-entry flight control system for the first Space Shuttle mission STS -1, as well as the development of take-off procedures and the coordination of the payload. He was in the support team for the mission STS -4 and speaker connection ( CAPCOM ) for the STS- fifth

STS -41 -B

Stewart launched on 3 February 1984 with the Space Shuttle Challenger on its first flight into space. Together with Bruce McCandless Manned Maneuvering he tested the unit (MMU ), where McCandless on February 7, took the first test flight. So Stewart was the second man who floated freely in space. When charge the shuttle had the two satellites WESTAR -VI and PALAPA B2 on board. However, due to a failure of the Payload Assist Module -D ( PAM -D) they came in too low orbit. The landing of the Space Shuttle was the first time at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

STS 51 -J

Next, Stewart was on 3 October 1985 mission specialist on the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The object of the mission was the exposure of two military DSCS III communications satellite. These were placed in a geostationary orbit by means of an IUS rocket stage.

STS 61- K

STS -61- K was a Columbia mission, which was canceled due to the Challenger disaster. The EOM -1 Shuttle mission was scheduled for October 1986. In addition to Stewart were planned as an occupying Vance Brand, David Griggs, Owen Garriott, Claude Nicollier and the three payload specialists Byron Lichtenberg, Michael Lampton and Robert Stevenson.

According to the NASA

During his training for the mission STS -61- K Stewart was promoted to brigadier general of the Army. Stewart took the carriage and the position of Deputy Commanding General of the U.S. Army Strategic Defense Command Huntsville, Alabama. He was transferred as a planning director for the U.S. Space Command in Colorado Springs in 1989. 1992 Stewart retired from the Army and was made ​​director of Nichols Research Corporation in Colorado Springs.

Private

Robert Stewart is married and has two children.