Robert Crippen | |
|---|---|
 Crippen in 1979 | |
| Born | Robert Laurel Crippen (1937-09-11)September 11, 1937 (age 88) Beaumont, Texas, U.S. |
| Education | University of Texas, Austin (BS) |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross Congressional Space Medal of Honor NASA Distinguished Service Medal |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Captain,USN |
Time in space | 23d 13h 46m |
| Selection | USAF MOL Group 2 (1966) NASA Group 7 (1969) |
| Missions | STS-1 STS-7 STS-41-C STS-41-G |
Mission insignia |     |
| Retirement | December 31, 1991 |
Robert Laurel Crippen (born September 11, 1937) is an American retirednaval officer andaviator,test pilot,aerospace engineer, andastronaut. He traveled into space four times: as pilot ofSTS-1 in April 1981, the firstSpace Shuttle mission; and as commander ofSTS-7 in June 1983,STS-41-C in April 1984, andSTS-41-G in October 1984. He was also a part of theManned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL),Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT),ASTP support crew member, and theApproach and Landing Tests (ALT) for theSpace Shuttle.
In 1986, Crippen participated in the recovery operations for the remains of crew members after theSpace ShuttleChallenger disaster. He was also on the commission responsible for determining the cause of the accident.
After retiring as an astronaut, Crippen worked his way through management atNASA, namely as Director, Space Shuttle, atNASA Headquarters, then Director of theKennedy Space Center. He also went toLockheed Martin andThiokol Propulsion before retiring to private life inFlorida.
Crippen has received several awards and honors, including theCongressional Space Medal of Honor in 2006, and having an elementary school named after him inPorter, Texas. He is also afellow of several organizations, including theAmerican Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) and theSociety of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP).
Robert Crippen was born inBeaumont, Texas, on September 11, 1937.[1] After graduating fromNew Caney High School inNew Caney, Texas in 1955, Crippen went to theUniversity of Texas at Austin to major inAerospace Engineering. In 1960, he graduated with hisBachelor of Science degree.[1][2][3] He was selected as a member of the Texas Alpha chapter ofTau Beta Pi andSigma Gamma Tau.[4]
Crippen became interested in flying and computers at a very early age. He attended the first computer programming class held at the University of Texas. Throughout his career in the military and at NASA, he worked on computer programming, including programs such as the Manned Orbiting Laboratory, Skylab and the Space Shuttle.[5]
Crippen was commissioned through theUnited States Navy'sAviation Officer Candidate School (AOCS) Program atNaval Air Station Pensacola,Florida.[1] He also spent time at theNaval Air Station Whiting Field in Florida and theNaval Air Station Chase Field inBeeville, Texas. That is where he earned his wings. As aNaval Aviator from the summer of 1962 to the end of 1964, he made two deployments aboard theUSSIndependence, flying theA-4 Skyhawk in Attack Squadron 72 (VA-72). He later went toEdwards Air Force Base inCalifornia to attend theU.S. Air ForceAerospace Research Pilot School. After graduation, Crippen worked as an instructor at Edwards Air Force Base until October 1966 when he was picked for theU.S. Air Force'sManned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program.[1] He has spent more than 6,500 hours in the air as either a pilot or an astronaut.[2]
TheManned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL) program was a follow-on to theX-20 Dyna-Soar program. A joint program between the United States Air Force and theNational Reconnaissance Office (NRO), the MOL program would send humans into space.[6]
Publicly, the MOL program was designed to determine the usefulness of man in space. Crews would be in orbit for about a month and they would be able to freely move about the laboratory.[7] The secret and primary mission was to perform reconnaissance missions onSoviet Union andChina. The pilots were not told of this true mission, though they were later informed.[8]
When Crippen was selected for astronaut training in October 1966, he had to choose between the military and NASA, deciding to stay in the military to work on the MOL program. He felt that he would get lost at NASA due to the number of astronauts already in programs at the agency. There was an uncrewed flight on November 3, 1966. There were no crewed flights.[5]
The MOL program was canceled in June 1969,[6] after which Crippen transferred to NASA to continue his career.[5] The cancellation was due to differing priorities within the military and space programs, with the government deciding to de-emphasize military involvement in the space program. However, developments like the space suit, waste management, and the high resolution camera were later used in various space programs going forward.[9]
We were flying on a winged vehicle that would do reentry different than we had ever done before. So all of those were firsts. Test pilots truly love firsts.
After the MOL program was canceled, Crippen became part ofNASA Astronaut Group 7 in September 1969.[1] He served as support for theSkylab 2,Skylab 3, andSkylab 4, as well as for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project.[1]
The Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT) was a 56-day mission (July 26 through September 19, 1972), where astronauts Crippen,Karol J. Bobko andWilliam E. Thornton were housed in a vacuum chamber to conduct medical experiments. The goal was to ensure that crews in space could handle minor medical emergencies, including dentistry.[5] SMEAT also was able to discover and fix the design flaws in the urine handling system for Skylab.[11] Crippen and the team worked to enlarge the original collection system design, which was too small, the collection system of which had burst at one point.[5]
The Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) was a joint effort between theUnited States and the Soviet Union, designed to test rendezvous and docking capabilities if there were ever an emergency in space.[12] Crippen was thecapsule communicator (CAPCOM) for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (as well as Skylab), during which time he developed a close association with Mission Operations and Flight Control.[5] On July 15, 1975, the United States launched aSaturn IB launch vehicle in an Apollo configuration into space. Two days later, it docked with aSoyuz spacecraft.[12]
The Approach and Landing tests for the Space Shuttle were critical to the overall program, in which a crew tested the maneuverability and landing capabilities of the spacecraft. Launched from a 747 aircraft, the prototypeSpace Shuttle Enterprise was first tested on August 12, 1977. AstronautsFred W. Haise Jr. andC. Gordon Fullerton piloted theEnterprise from about 7,300 m (24,000 ft) to the ground and landed at Edwards Air Force Base. A second crew of astronautsJoe H. Engle andRichard H. Truly alternated with Haise and Fullerton to test the Enterprise's capabilities.[13] Crippen was first assigned to family support with the testing, then progressed to being a chase pilot in a T-38.[5] The ALT program lasted about a year, testing all aspects of approach and touchdown from aerodynamics to maneuverability, gliding and landing characteristics.[14]
Crippen was the pilot of theSpace ShuttleColumbia on STS-1, the first test flight of the Space Shuttle in orbit.[15] His job involved working with the Shuttle computers, electrical systems, and auxiliary power units. He was also responsible for operating the payload bay doors.[5] STS-1 had several firsts: a crewed vehicle to be flown into Earth orbit without any prior non-crewed orbital testing; a crewed, winged vehicle to launch with solid rocket boosters;[15] a reentry vehicle to land on a conventional runway. It launched April 12, 1981, and landed April 14, 1981.[16]
Crippen served as the commander of STS-7, the second launch of theSpace ShuttleChallenger, and headed a crew of five people. During flight, the team deployed theCanadianAnik-C2 satellite, as well as thePalapa-B1 satellite fromIndonesia. They also used the Canadian Remote Manipulator System (Canadarm) to deploy and retrieve theShuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS-01). They conducted formation flying with an untethered satellite (SPAS-02), operated a joint U.S.-German materials experiment (OSTA-2) and activated sevenGetaway Special (GAS) experiments. Finally, they worked with the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES) and the Monodisperse Latex Reactor (MLR). It launched June 18, 1983, and landed on June 24, 1983.
Crippen was the commander ofSpace ShuttleChallenger on STS-41-C, a seven-day mission during which the crew deployed theLong Duration Exposure Facility (LDEF). The crew also retrieved, repaired and redeployedSolar Maximum Mission (SMM) satellite using the Canadarm. The flight also tested theManned Maneuvering Units (MMU) through twoextravehicular activities (EVAs). The team also operated the Cinema 360 andIMAX Camera Systems. Finally, the crew ran a student experiment onhoney bees. It launched April 6, 1984, and landed April 13, 1984.
On his final spaceflight, Crippen served as the commander of STS-41-G. During the eight-day flight, the Space ShuttleChallenger crew deployed theEarth Radiation Budget Satellite (ERBS). They also performed scientific observations of theEarth with aLarge Format Camera, and demonstrated potential satellite refueling with the Orbital Refueling System (ORS). Finally, the Office of Space and Terrestrial Applications-3 (OSTA-3) also had experiments for the crew to perform. It launched October 5, 1984, and landed October 13, 1984, at Kennedy Space Center, Florida.[17]
After STS-41-G, Crippen became deputy director of flight crew operations (1984–1986)[18] and was also named commander of theSTS-62-A mission which would have launched from the newSLC-6 facility atVandenberg Air Force Base, California. That mission was canceled after theSpace ShuttleChallenger disaster in 1986, andSLC-6 was mothballed in 1989.[19]
Crippen was personally involved in the recovery efforts of theChallenger disaster, brooking no interference in recovering all seven bodies of the Challenger crew for their families.[20] Crippen was also a part of theSTS-51-L Interim Mishap Review Board to examine the cause of theChallenger accident. The Board became a sub-team for theRogers Commission Report, the team put together byPresident Ronald Reagan to investigate the accident.
Crippen was stationed atKennedy Space Center (KSC) from July 1987 to December 1989 where he was Deputy Director of Shuttle Operations under Arnie Aldrich, Director of Space Shuttle. He was accountable for Shuttle missions and the return of the craft to KSC after landings at Edwards.
From January 1990 to January 1992, Crippen served as Director of the Space Shuttle program atNASA Headquarters. As such, he was responsible for the all aspects of the Shuttle program, including scheduling, budget and overall program management. Afterwards, he moved to KSC to become center director. This lasted from January 1992 through January 1995.[18]
After leaving NASA, from April 1995 through November 1996, Crippen was theVice President ofLockheed Martin Information Systems. His main focus was simulation work supporting the military.[5]
Crippen becamePresident ofThiokol Propulsion from December 1996 through April 2001. They were responsible for producing theSpace Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motors.[21] Crippen enjoyed continuing his connection with the Space Shuttle program. In particular, he appreciated his role in working to improve the design of the solid rocket boosters to prevent anotherChallenger disaster.[5]
Crippen is afellow in the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA), the Society of Experimental Test Pilots (SETP), and theAmerican Astronautical Society (AAS).[2] He served as President of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 1999.[22] He was selected to be a member of Naval Aviators Golden Eagles in 2009. He was elected to theNational Academy of Engineering in 2012 for leadership in human space flight and development of solid fueled rockets.[23]
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Crippen has earned several awards throughout his career, including the SETPIven C. Kincheloe Award (1981)[24] and theNASA Exceptional Service Medal (1972). In 1981, after the inaugural Space Shuttle flight, he received theDepartment of Defense Distinguished Service Award, theAmerican Astronautical Society's Flight Achievement Award, theNational Geographic Society'sGardiner Greene Hubbard Medal, and theAmerican Legion's Distinguished Service Medal. He was awarded theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA)'s Award for Distinguished Service (1982), theDr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy and theHarmon Trophy. He received the NavyDistinguished Flying Cross (1984) and theDefense Meritorious Service Medal (1984).[25] Finally, Crippen received theGolden Plate Award of theAmerican Academy of Achievement (1986).[26]
He also receivedNASA Outstanding Leadership Medal, fourNASA Space Flight Medals, and threeNASA Distinguished Service Medals. In 1996, Crippen became the tenth individual to receive theRotary National Award for Space Achievement's National Space Trophy. He was inducted into theInternational Space Hall of Fame in 1991 and theU.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2001.[10][27] On April 6, 2006, he received theCongressional Space Medal of Honor, the highest award for spaceflight achievement.[28]
On November 18, 2015, at the National Business Aviation Association convention inLas Vegas, Crippen was announced as a 2016 Inductee into theNational Aviation Hall of Fame.[29]
On December 15, 2023, Crippen received theWright Brothers Memorial Trophy from theNational Aeronautic Association in Washington, D.C. for his devotion to public service and the advancement of American aerospace; his achievements as an aviator, astronaut, and leader; and his selfless dedication to the future of humankind.[30]
Crippen was first married to Virginia Hill on September 8, 1959. They had three daughters together: Ellen Marie (born June 1962), Susan Lynn (born December 1964), and Linda Ruth (born May 1967).[1] On November 7, 1987, he married Pandora Puckett,[31] NASA's first female lead Orbiter Project Engineer, on theSpace Shuttle Atlantis and Challenger at the Kennedy Space Center.[32]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in thepublic domain.Crippen married Virginia E. Hill on Sept. 8. 1959. They have three daughters. On Nov. 7, 1987, he married Pandora Lee Puckett.
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