Henry Hartsfield: Difference between revisions

'''Henry Warren "Hank" Hartsfield Jr.''' (November 21, November 1933 – 17 July 17, 2014) was a [[United States Air Force]] [[Colonel]] and a USAF and [[NASA]] [[astronaut]] who logged over 480 hours in space. He was inducted into the [[United States Astronaut Hall of Fame]] in 2006.

Henry Hartsfield was born in [[Birmingham, Alabama]] on 21 November 21, 1933.<ref name=austin/> He was married to the former Judy Frances Massey of [[Princeton, North Carolina]], and has a daughter named Judy Lynn, born 29 May 29, 1958. His younger daughter, Keely Warren, born on May 14, May 1959, died on 10 March 10, 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Keely Hartsfield Obituary |url=http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/houstonchronicle/obituary.aspx?n=keely-hartsfield&pid=170174784&fhid=2698|title=Keely Hartsfield Obituary|newspaper=Houston Chronicle|access-date=18 March 2014|date=16 March 2014}}</ref><ref name="nynews">{{cite web |url=http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/astronaut-hank-hartsfield-space-times-dead-80-article-1.1880852|title=Astronaut Hank Hartsfield, who went to space three times, dead at 80

|newspaper=The New York Daily News|agency=Associated Press|date=26 July 2014|access-date=26 July 2014|agency=Associated Press}}</ref>

Hartsfield graduated from [[West End High School (Birmingham, Alabama)|West End High SchoolSchoolm, Birmingham, Alabama]]. He later earned a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[Physics]] from [[Auburn University]] in 1954, where he was a member of the [[Delta Chi|Delta Chi Fraternity]]. Hartfield performed graduate work in physics at [[Duke University]] and in [[Astronautics]] at the U.S. [[Air Force Institute of Technology]] at [[Wright-Patterson AFBAir Force Base]]. He was also awarded a [[Master of Science]] degree in [[Engineering#Science|Engineering Science]] from the [[University of Tennessee]] in 1971.<ref name="nyt"/>

He logged over 7,400 hours of flying time — of which over 6,150 hours are in the [[North American F-86 Sabre|F-86]], [[North American F-100 Super Sabre|F-100]], [[Lockheed F-104 Starfighter|F-104]], [[Republic F-105 Thunderchief|F-105]], [[Convair F-106 Delta Dart|F-106]], [[Lockheed T-33|T-33]], and [[Northrop T-38 Talon|T-38]] [[jet aircraft]].<ref name="nasabio"/><ref name="latimes">{{cite news |url=http://beta.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-henry-hartsfield-20140724-story.html|title=Henry 'Hank' Hartsfield Jr. dies at 80; space shuttle astronaut|last1=Chawkins|first1=Steve|date=July 23, 2014 |newspaper=Los Angeles Times|access-date=January 1, 2017}}</ref>

Hartsfield was the pilot on [[STS-4]], the fourth and final orbital test flight of the shuttle ''Columbia'', which launched from [[Kennedy Space Center]], [[Florida]], on June 27, June 1982. He was accompanied by [[Ken Mattingly|Thomas K. Mattingly II]] (spacecraft commander) on this seven-day mission designed to: further verify ascent and entry phases of shuttle missions; perform continued studies of the effects of long-term thermal extremes on the Orbiter subsystems; and conduct a survey of Orbiter-induced contamination on the orbiter payload bay.<ref name="space"/> Additionally, the crew operated several scientific experiments located in the Orbiter's cabin as well as in the payload bay. These experiments included the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System (CFES), designed to investigate the separation of biological materials in a fluid according to their surface electrical charge.<ref name="ind"/> The crew is also credited with effecting an in-flight repair which enabled them to activate the first operational "Getaway Special" — comprising nine experiments that range from algae and duckweed growth in space to fruit fly and brine shrimp genetic studies. STS-4 completed 112 orbits of the [[Earth]] before landing on a concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on 4 July 4, 1982.<ref name="latimes"/>

[[File:STS-41-D Crew Enjoying Space - GPN-2004-00024.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|The crew of [[STS-41-D]] in orbit aboard ''Discovery''. Hartsfield is at the lower center.]]

Hartsfield was next spacecraft commander of [[STS-41-D]] which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 30, August 1984. The crew included [[Michael Coats|MikeL. Coats]] (pilot), [[Judith Resnik|JudyJudith A. Resnik]], [[Steven Hawley|Steven A. Hawley]] and [[Mike Mullane|Richard M. Mullane]] (mission specialists), and [[Charles D. Walker]] (payload specialist). This was the maiden flight of the orbiter ''[[Space Shuttle Discovery|Discovery]]''. During the six-day mission the crew successfully activated the OAST-1 solar cell wing experiment, deployed three satellites, SBS-D, [[Syncom|SYNCOM IV-2]] (LEASAT-2), and [[Telstar 303|TELSTAR 3-C]], operated the CFES-III experiment, the student crystal growth experiment, and photography experiments using the [[IMAX]] motion picture camera. The crew earned the name "Icebusters" when Hartsfield successfully removed a hazardous ice buildup from the orbiter using the [[Canadarm|Remote Manipulator System ([[Canadarm]]).<ref name="nyt"/> STS-41-D completed 96 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on 5 September 5, 1984.

On his third flight, Hartsfield was spacecraft commander of [[Space Shuttle Challenger|''Challenger'']] on [[STS-61-A]], the [[West Germany|West German D-1]] [[Spacelab|Spacelab D-1]] mission which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on 30 October 30, 1985. His crew included [[Steven R. Nagel]] (pilot), [[James Buchli|James F. Buchli]], [[Guion Bluford|GuyGuion S. Bluford Jr.]] and [[Bonnie J. Dunbar]] (mission specialists), and [[Reinhard Furrer]], [[Ernst Messerschmid]], and [[Wubbo Ockels]] (payload specialists). The seven-day mission was the first with eight crew members, and the first Spacelab science mission planned and controlled by a foreign customer.<ref name="space"/> More than 75 scientific experiments were completed in the areas of [[Physiology|physiological sciences]], [[Process (engineering)|materials processing]], [[biology]], and [[navigation]]. After completing 111 orbits of the Earth, STS-61-A landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on November 6, 1985. STS-61-A was the final successful flight of ''Challenger'', as it was [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|destroyed during the launch of its next mission]], [[STS-51-L]].

Between 1986 and 1987, Hartsfield served as the Deputy Chief of the Astronaut Office. In 1987, he became the Deputy Director for Flight Crew Operations, supervising the activities of the Astronaut Office and the Aircraft Operations Division at the [[Johnson Space Center]] (JSC).<ref name="huffpo">{{cite web|url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/07/18/hank-hartsfield-dead_n_5599878.html|title=Astronaut Hank Hartsfield, Who Led First Flight Of Space Shuttle Discovery, Dies At 80|last1=Pearlman|first1=Robert|date=July 18, 2014|access-date=January 19, 2018}}</ref>

Hartsfield retired from NASA in 1998 and then joined the executive ranks of [[Raytheon|Raytheon Company]] as vice president of aerospace engineering services.<ref name="space">{{cite web |url=http://www.space.com/news/cs_051230_inductees.html|title=Three Pilots to Join Astronaut Hall of Fame}}</ref> He retired from Raytheon in 2005. He died on July 17, July 2014, from complications from back surgery.<ref name="nynews"/>

[[File:Ronald and Nancy Reagan NASA 1982.jpg|thumb|upright=1.0|right|[[Ronald Reagan|President Ronald Reagan]] talks with astronauts Henry Hartsfield and Thomas Mattingly as [[Nancy Reagan|first lady Nancy Reagan]] looks at Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' following its 1982 Independence Day landing at Edwards Air Force Base.<ref name="ind">{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/centers/dryden/Features/STS-4_30th_anniversary.html|title=Independence Day at NASA Dryden - 30 Years Ago|date=6 March 2016|publisher=NASA|access-date=January 4, 2018}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>]]

* Honorary Doctor of Science degree from Auburn University (1986) <ref>[http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/persons/astronauts/e-to-h/HartsfieldHW.txt NASA biography of Henry Hartsfield] {{PD-notice}}</ref>

* Inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame (2006). <ref>[http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/Induction2006/index.asp U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame 2006 Induction web page, accessed September 22, 2006] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060831024926/http://www.kennedyspacecenter.com/Induction2006/index.asp |date=August 31, 2006}} {{PD-notice}}</ref>