Robert J. Cenker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert J. Cenker
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| Born |
Robert Joseph Cenker
November 5, 1948 Menallen Township, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Status | Retired |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Penn State, B.S. 1970, M.S. 1973 Rutgers, M.S. 1977 |
| Occupation | Engineer |
| Space career | |
| RCA Astro-Electronics Payload Specialist | |
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Time in space
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6d 02h 03m |
| Missions | STS-61-C |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | January 18, 1986 |
Robert Joseph "Bob" Cenker was born on November 5, 1948. He is an American engineer and a former astronaut. Before becoming an astronaut, Bob Cenker worked for 18 years at a company called RCA Astro-Electronics. He helped design and build many different spacecraft, especially those used for sending messages (communications satellites).
In January 1986, Bob Cenker flew into space on the Space Shuttle Columbia. This mission was called STS-61-C. He was a Payload Specialist, which means he was an expert from a company who flew to help with a specific part of the mission. For Bob, this was to help launch a satellite for RCA. His mission was the last one before the sad Space Shuttle Challenger disaster. After his space trip, Bob Cenker went back to working on satellites. He still makes many public appearances to talk about space and NASA.
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Early Life and School
Bob Cenker was born and grew up in Menallen Township, Pennsylvania. He went to Penn State University and earned a degree in aerospace engineering in 1970. He continued his studies there and got a master's degree in aerospace engineering in 1973. Later, he earned another master's degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University in 1977.
Before Becoming an Astronaut
Bob Cenker worked for 18 years at RCA Astro-Electronics. This company later became GE Astro Space. He helped design and test parts of satellites. He also worked on how satellites control their direction in space.
He spent most of his career working on communications satellites. These satellites help us send phone calls, internet, and TV signals around the world. Bob was in charge of preparing some of these satellites for launch. He made sure they could connect with different rockets, like the Space Shuttle and Ariane rockets.
His Space Mission
Companies that wanted to launch their satellites using NASA's Space Shuttle could sometimes send one of their own experts along. This expert was called a payload specialist. When RCA decided to launch their Satcom Ku-1 satellite with NASA, Bob Cenker was chosen to train for the mission. He trained with other astronauts and specialists.
His flight on the Space Shuttle Columbia was called STS-61-C. It was supposed to launch in August 1985, but it was delayed. The mission finally launched on January 12, 1986. It took a record eight tries to get Columbia off the ground!
The crew included seven people: Bob Cenker, Robert L. "Hoot" Gibson, Charles F. Bolden, George D. Nelson, Steven A. Hawley, Franklin R. Chang-Diaz, and US Representative Bill Nelson. They traveled over 2.5 million miles in space.
During the six-day mission, from January 12 to 18, Bob Cenker did many things. He performed health tests and used a special infrared camera. His main job was to help launch the RCA Satcom Ku-1 satellite. This satellite was deployed about 10 hours into the mission. It worked in space until 1997. It was the last big commercial satellite launched by the Space Shuttle program.
Just ten days after Bob Cenker's mission landed, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded. All the astronauts on board were lost. Because of this, Commander Gibson later called the STS-61-C mission "The End of Innocence" for the Shuttle program.
After the Challenger accident, Space Shuttle flights stopped until 1988. Civilian payload specialists like Bob Cenker were not allowed to fly again until 1990. Bob Cenker was the only employee from RCA Astro-Electronics to ever fly in space.
After Spaceflight
After his space mission, Bob Cenker continued to work in the aerospace field. He worked as a consultant for different companies. He helped with designing spacecraft and preparing them for flight. He also helped with projects like the Iridium and Globalstar satellite systems.
In 2017, Bob Cenker's crewmate, former US Senator Bill Nelson, spoke about their mission in the US House of Representatives. He read the details of the STS-61-C mission into the official record.
Bob Cenker also travels to speak to young people. In 2017, he visited schools in Scotland with another astronaut, Doug Wheelock. He continues to make public appearances for NASA. He often visits the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex to share his experiences.
Remembering Apollo 11
Around the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission (when humans first landed on the Moon), Bob Cenker took part in several public events. He talked about how important the Apollo 11 mission was and why space travel matters.
He told students interested in space to study what they love. He said, "I love engineering and even if I didn’t make it into space, I would still be doing what I loved." He believes that if you love what you study, you can find a way for it to help spaceflight.
Personal Life
Bob Cenker is married to Barbara Ann Cenker. They have two sons and a daughter.
He believes that humans naturally want to explore. He also shared his thoughts on faith after seeing Earth from space. He said, "I came back thinking ‘God, you have to be there’."
Professional Groups
Bob Cenker is part of several professional groups related to engineering and space. These include:
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA)
- Association of Space Explorers
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
See also
- List of human spaceflights
- List of Space Shuttle missions
- List of Space Shuttle crews
Photo gallery
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Gag crew photo
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STS-61-C insignia
