Donald Williams | |
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| Born | Donald Edward Williams (1942-02-13)February 13, 1942 Lafayette, Indiana, U.S. |
| Died | February 23, 2016(2016-02-23) (aged 74) |
| Education | Purdue University (BS) |
| Awards | Legion of Merit Defense Superior Service Medal Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Captain,USN |
Time in space | 11d 23h 34m |
| Selection | NASA Group 8 (1978) |
| Missions | STS-51-D STS-34 |
Mission insignia |   |
| Retirement | March 1, 1990 |
Donald Edward Williams (February 13, 1942 – February 23, 2016) was an Americannaval officer andaviator,test pilot,mechanical engineer andNASAastronaut. He logged a total of 287 hours and 35 minutes inspace.
Captain Williams was born February 13, 1942, inLafayette, Indiana and raised in the nearby town ofGreen Hill. He graduated from Otterbein High School inOtterbein in 1960. He earned aBachelor of Science degree inmechanical engineering fromPurdue University in 1964.
Williams received his commission through theNaval ROTC program atPurdue University. He completed flight training atPensacola, Florida,Meridian, Mississippi andKingsville, Texas, receiving hisNaval Aviator wings in May 1966. AfterA-4 Skyhawk training, he made twoVietnam War deployments aboard theaircraft carrierUSS Enterprise with Attack Squadron 113 (VA-113). He served as aflight instructor in Attack Squadron 125 (VA-125) atNaval Air Station Lemoore,California for two years and transitioned to theA-7 Corsair II aircraft. He made two additional Vietnam deployments aboardEnterprise withCarrier Air Wing 14 staff and Attack Squadron 97 (VA-97). Williams completed a total of 330combat missions.
In 1973, Williams attended theArmed Forces Staff College. He graduated from theU.S. Naval Test Pilot School atNAS Patuxent River,Maryland, in June 1974, and was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center's Carrier Suitability Branch of Flight Test Division. From August 1976 to June 1977, following reorganization of theNaval Air Test Center, he was head of the Carrier Systems Branch, Strike Aircraft Test Directorate. He reported next for A-7 refresher training, and was assigned to Attack Squadron 94 (VA-94) when he was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA.
He logged more than 6,000 hours of flying time, which includes 5,700 hours injets and 745 carrier landings.[1]
Selected byNASA in January 1978, Williams became an astronaut in August 1979, qualified for assignment as a pilot on futureSpace Shuttle flight crews. He then had various support assignments, including working at theShuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) as a test pilot, and at theKennedy Space Center participating in orbiter test, checkout, launch and landing operations.
From September 1982 through July 1983, he was assigned as the Deputy Manager, Operations Integration, National Space Transportation System Program Office at theJohnson Space Center. From July 1985 through August 1986, Williams was the Deputy Chief of the Aircraft Operations Division at the Johnson Space Center, and from September 1986 through December 1988, he served as Chief of the Mission Support Branch within the Astronaut Office.
Williams served as pilot onSTS-51-D in 1985, and was the spacecraft commander onSTS-34 in 1989.
STS-51-D Discovery (April 12–19, 1985) was launched from and returned to land at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. During the mission, the crew deployedANIK-C forTelesat Canada, andSyncom IV-3 for the U.S. Navy. A malfunction in the Syncom spacecraft resulted in the first unscheduledEVA,rendezvous and proximity operations for the Space Shuttle in an attempt to activate the satellite. Additionally, the crew also conducted several medical experiments, two student experiments, activated twoGetaway Specials, and filmed experiments with toys in space, including a two-minute sequence where Williams was the first person tojuggle in micro-gravity.[2] The mission was accomplished in 109 orbits of the Earth in 167 hours, 54 minutes.
STS-34 Atlantis (October 18–23, 1989) was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida and returned to land atEdwards Air Force Base, California. During the mission the crew successfully deployed theGalileo spacecraft, starting its journey to exploreJupiter, operated the Shuttle Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet Instrument (SSBUV) to mapatmospheric ozone, and performed numerous secondary experiments involvingradiation measurements, polymermorphology,lightning research,microgravity effects onplants, and a student experiment onice crystal growth in space. The mission was accomplished in 79 orbits of the Earth in 119 hours, 41 minutes.
In March 1990, Williams retired from the U.S. Navy asCaptain, and left NASA.[3] He joinedScience Applications International Corporation (SAIC), working on several projects in theHouston area, nationally, and internationally. In April 2006, Williams retired from SAIC.[4]
Williams died of astroke February 23, 2016, at the age of 74.[5]
Williams was a member of theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots, theAssociation of Space Explorers, and the National Aeronautic Association.
NASA Astronaut Group 8, "TFNG (Thirty-Five New Guys)", 1978  | |||||||
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NASA Astronaut Group 7 ← NASA Astronaut Group 8 →NASA Astronaut Group 9 | |||||||
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