Sam Beddingfield facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sam T. Beddingfield
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Beddingfield in 2009 in Titusville, Florida
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| Born | October 28, 1933 Clayton, North Carolina, United States
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| Died | June 13, 2012 (aged 78) |
| Education | North Carolina State University |
| Occupation | Test pilot and NASA employee |
Samuel T. Beddingfield (born October 28, 1933 – died June 13, 2012) was an amazing American test pilot. He was also a very important aerospace engineer. He worked for NASA for many years, helping with their human space missions.
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Sam Beddingfield's Life Story
Sam Beddingfield was born in Clayton, North Carolina. He went to North Carolina State University. In 1956, he finished his studies. He earned a degree in aeronautical engineering. This means he learned how to design and build airplanes.
Working with Airplanes and Space
After college, Beddingfield started working for the United States Air Force. He worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. His job was to test fly airplanes that had been changed or improved. He did this for about three and a half years.
In 1959, he left the Air Force to join NASA. NASA was just starting its program to send humans into space. Gus Grissom, one of the first seven Mercury astronauts, had worked with Beddingfield before. Grissom convinced him to come to NASA. Beddingfield's first job was at Cape Canaveral, Florida. He helped get Project Mercury ready. He was a mechanical engineer for the project.
At that time, NASA was very small at the Cape. Beddingfield helped prepare and launch many missions. These included the two Mercury-Redstone flights and four Mercury-Atlas flights. These missions happened between 1959 and 1963. Even before Mercury was finished, Beddingfield started planning for the Gemini program. He also helped with early plans for the Apollo program. He was one of the few people who worked on all three of these big space programs at the same time.
After the first Moon landing mission (Apollo 11) was safely back, Beddingfield got a new job. In August 1969, he was assigned to the Space Shuttle program. He was the very first employee from Kennedy Space Center to work on the Shuttle program. He had many important jobs as the program grew. He worked on the Space Shuttle through its first 23 flights. One of his big jobs was choosing where to build the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF). He also helped design the runway for the Shuttle. He retired from NASA in November 1985. At that time, he was the deputy director of Shuttle operations.
Life After NASA
After he retired, Sam Beddingfield continued to support space exploration. He often appeared on TV to talk about Space Shuttle launches. He also helped with many projects about space history. From 1994 to 1996, he was the president of the Florida chapter of the NASA Alumni League.
He also spent his time helping other groups. He volunteered for the US Space Walk of Fame Foundation. He was on their board of directors. He was also a member of the Merritt Island Wildlife Association. He volunteered weekly at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum.
Sam Beddingfield passed away on June 13, 2012. He was 78 years old and died in Titusville, Florida.
Awards and Honors
During his 26 years at NASA, Sam Beddingfield received many awards. He earned the NASA Exceptional Service Medal for his work on both the Apollo and Space Shuttle programs. In 2006, he also received a Lifetime Achievement Award. This award came from the Florida Committee of the National Space Club.
