Jerry Carr | |
|---|---|
 Carr pictured in 1970 | |
| Born | Gerald Paul Carr (1932-08-22)August 22, 1932 Denver, Colorado, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 2020(2020-08-26) (aged 88) Albany, New York, U.S. |
| Education | University of Southern California (BEng) Naval Postgraduate School (BS) Princeton University (MS) |
| Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel,USMC |
Time in space | 84d 1h 15m |
| Selection | NASA Group 5 (1966) |
TotalEVAs | 3 |
Total EVA time | 15h 51m[1] |
| Missions | Skylab 4 |
Mission insignia |  |
| Retirement | June 25, 1977 |
Gerald Paul Carr (August 22, 1932 – August 26, 2020) was an Americanmechanical andaeronautical engineer,United States Marine Corps officer and aviator, andNASA astronaut. He was commander ofSkylab 4, the third and final crewed visit to theSkylab Orbital Workshop, from November 16, 1973, to February 8, 1974.
A graduate of theUniversity of Southern California, Carr was commissioned as asecond lieutenant in the Marine Corps on graduation in 1954, and trained as an aviator. In April 1966, he was selected by NASA as one of thenineteen new astronauts. He served as a member of the support crews and asCapsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for theApollo 8 andApollo 12 missions and was in line to walk on the Moon as lunar module pilot ofApollo 19 before that mission was canceled in 1970. Carr and his Skylab 4 crew spent 84 days in space on the Skylab 4 mission, setting a new world record for individual time in space. He retired from the Marine Corps ascolonel in September 1975, and from NASA in June 1977, and became anengineering consultant.
Gerald Paul Carr was born inDenver, Colorado, on August 22, 1932, but was raised inSanta Ana, California, which he considered his hometown.[2] He was the son of Thomas Ernest Carr (1909–1967) and Freda Letha Carr (née Elkins; 1911–1985).[3][4] He was active in theBoy Scouts of America where he achieved its highest rank,Eagle Scout. Carr graduated fromSanta Ana High School in 1950.[5]
Carr received aBachelor of Engineering degree inmechanical engineering from theUniversity of Southern California (USC) in 1954, where he was a member ofTau Kappa Epsilon fraternity.[6] He spent five years flying fighter jets, then returned to school.[6] He also earned aBachelor of Science degree inaeronautical engineering from the U.S.Naval Postgraduate School in 1961,[5] and aMaster of Science degree in aeronautical engineering fromPrinceton University in 1962.[7]
Carr married his high-school sweetheart, Joann Ruth Petrie, on January 20, 1954. They had two sets of twins and six children total.[4][8][9] They divorced in 1978. His second marriage was on September 14, 1979, to Patricia Musick, an artist and sculptor he met in 1976 who had grown up in the same area and gone to the same schools.[10][11]
Carr began his military service with theUnited States Navy, and in 1950 he was appointed amidshipman with theNaval Reserve Officers Training Corps (NROTC) detachment at the University of Southern California. Upon graduation in 1954, he received his commission as asecond lieutenant in theMarine Corps and subsequently reported toThe Basic School atMarine Corps Base Quantico,Virginia. He received flight training atNaval Air Station Pensacola,Florida, andNaval Air Station Kingsville,Texas, and was then assigned toVMF(AW)-114 where he gained experience in theF9F Cougar and theF-6A Skyray.[2]
After postgraduate training, he served withVMFA-122, from 1962 to 1965, piloting theF-8 Crusader in the United States and theFar East. Other aircraft he has flown include theF-4,T-1A,T-28,T-33,T-38,H-13, andground effect machines. He logged more than 8,000 flying hours, 5,365 hours of which werejet time.[2]
In April 1966, Carr was one of thenineteen new astronauts selected by NASA.[12] Upon his selection being announced, he was assigned to the test directors section ofMarine Air Control Squadron 3, which tested and evaluated theMarine Tactical Data System.[2]
Carr served as a member of the astronaut support crews and asCapsule Communicator (CAPCOM) for theApollo 8 andApollo 12 missions.[13] He was involved in the development and testing of theLunar Roving Vehicle. He was in the likely crew rotation position to fly as lunar module pilot forApollo 19 and walk on the Moon before this mission was canceled in 1970.[14]
Carr was commander ofSkylab 4 (third and final crewed visit to theSkylab Orbital Workshop) launched November 16, 1973, with splashdown on February 8, 1974.[15][16] He was the first rookie astronaut to command a mission sinceNeil Armstrong onGemini 8 (later followed byJoe Engle onSTS-2 in 1981 andRaja Chari onSpaceX Crew-3 in 2021) and was accompanied on the record-setting 34.5-million-mile (55,500,000 km) flight by science pilotEdward Gibson and pilotWilliam Pogue.[17]
The crew successfully completed 56 experiments, 26 science demonstrations, 15 subsystem-detailed objectives, and 13 student investigations during their 1,214 orbits of theEarth.[18] They carried out observations of the Earth using hand-held cameras and the camera andsensor array from Skylab's Earth Resources Experiment Package. They also recorded 338 hours of observations of the Sun using Skylab'sApollo Telescope Mount.[2][19] Between February 1974 and March 1978,[20] Carr and his Skylab 4 teammates held the world record for individual time in space: 2,017 hours 15 minutes 32 seconds, and Carr logged 15 hours and 51 minute in threeEVAs outside the Orbital Workshop.[21]
In mid-1977, Carr was named head of the design support group within the Astronaut Office responsible for providing crew support to such activities as space transportation system design, simulations, testing, and safety assessment, and for development of man/machine interface requirements.[2]
Carr retired from the Marine Corps ascolonel in September 1975[22] and from NASA in June 1977.[23]
Carr started his post-NASA career as manager of corporate development at Bovay Engineers, Inc., aHouston, Texas,engineering consulting firm.[23] He later became a senior vice president, leaving the firm in 1981.[2] He was a senior consultant on special staff to thePresident of Applied Research, Inc., ofLos Angeles, California, from 1981 to 1983. From 1983 until 1985 Carr was manager of theUniversity of Texas 300-inch (760 cm) Telescope Project.[2]
Carr founded CAMUS, Inc. in 1984 based inVermont. The family-owned corporation provided technical support services in zero-gravity human factors engineering, procedures development, operations analysis, training and systems integration. CAMUS was a major contributor as a technical support subcontractor toBoeing in the crew systems design of theInternational Space Station. In addition, the corporation was involved in fine art production designed by Carr's wife, artist and sculptor Pat Musick.[2]
Carr died inAlbany, New York, on August 26, 2020, four days after his 88th birthday.[24][25]
Carr was a director of the Sunsat Energy Council, the Houston Pops Orchestra, and theNational Space Society.[2]
Carr was presented with anhonoraryDoctor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering fromParks College ofSaint Louis University,Cahokia, Illinois, in 1976.[26] He was awarded theNational Defense Service Medal,Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal,Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal,Navy Distinguished Service Medal and theNavy Astronaut Wings.[2] In 1974, PresidentRichard M. Nixon presented the Skylab 4 crew with theNASA Distinguished Service Medal.[27] That year, he also received the University of Southern California Alumni Merit Award,[28] Boy Scouts of AmericaDistinguished Eagle Scout Award, Marine Corps Aviation Association's Exceptional Achievement Award,[2] FAI Gold Space Medal,[29] and the City of New York and City of Chicago Gold Medals[2][30] He was one of 24 Apollo astronauts who were inducted into theU.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997.[31]
The three Skylab astronaut crews were awarded the 1973Robert J. Collier Trophy "For proving beyond question the value of man in future explorations of space and the production of data of benefit to all the people on Earth".[32][33]Fédération Aéronautique Internationale awarded the Skylab 4 crew theDe La Vaulx Medal andVladimir M. Komarov Diploma for 1974.[34] TheAmerican Astronautical Society's 1975 Flight Achievement Award was awarded to the Skylab 4 crew,[35][36] and Carr accepted theDr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy that year from PresidentGerald Ford on behalf of the crew.[37] The Skylab 4 crew also won theAIAA Haley Astronautics Award in 1975 "For demonstrated outstanding courage and skill during their record-breaking 84-day Skylab mission".[38]In 1974, Gerald P. Carr Intermediate School (previouslyRalph C. Smedley Junior High) in Santa Ana, California, was renamed in his honor, and the school's team name is the Astros, in honor of his NASA achievements.[39]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.
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