Story Musgrave facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Story Musgrave
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Story Musgrave in 1979
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Franklin Story Musgrave
August 19, 1935 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
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| Awards | NASA Distinguished Service Medal |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
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Time in space
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53d 9h 55m |
| Selection | NASA Group 6 (1967) |
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Total EVAs
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4 |
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Total EVA time
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26h 19m |
| Missions | |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | September 2, 1997 |
Franklin Story Musgrave (born August 19, 1935) is an American doctor and a retired NASA astronaut. He is known for being a public speaker and a consultant for companies like Disney. In 1996, he became only the second astronaut to fly on six space missions. He also holds the record for being the most educated astronaut, with six university degrees. Story Musgrave is the only astronaut to have flown on all five different Space Shuttles.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Story Musgrave was born on August 19, 1935. He grew up in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, but he considers Lexington, Kentucky, his hometown. His family has deep roots in American history, with ancestors who arrived on the Mayflower ship. One of his ancestors, Elisha Story, even participated in the famous Boston Tea Party in 1773.
Musgrave attended Dexter School and St. Mark's School. He left St. Mark's during his last year due to a car accident.
Military Service and Early Career
After leaving high school in 1953, Musgrave joined the United States Marine Corps. He worked as an aviation electrician and aircraft crew chief. He served in places like Korea, Japan, and Hawaii. His brother, Percy, who was also an aviator, sadly died in an accident while serving on a ship.
Even though he didn't become a pilot until later, Musgrave has flown an amazing 17,700 hours in 160 different types of aircraft. This includes 7,500 hours in jet aircraft. He is also a skilled parachutist, having made over 800 free falls.
While in the Marines, he earned his high school diploma. After leaving the military, he went to Syracuse University and earned a degree in mathematics and statistics in 1958. For a short time, he worked as a mathematician.
Musgrave continued his education, earning several more degrees:
- A Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 1959 from the University of California, Los Angeles.
- A Bachelor of Arts (BA) in chemistry in 1960 from Marietta College.
- A Doctor of Medicine (MD) in 1964 from Columbia University.
- A Master of Science (MS) in physiology and biophysics in 1966 from the University of Kentucky.
- A Master of Arts (MA) in literature in 1987 from the University of Houston–Clear Lake.
After becoming a doctor, he worked in surgery and researched aerospace medicine. He also taught at the University of Kentucky. He has written or helped write 25 scientific papers on topics like aerospace medicine and exercise.
Becoming a NASA Astronaut
NASA chose Story Musgrave as a scientist-astronaut in August 1967. He was part of the sixth group of astronauts. After his training, he helped design equipment for the Skylab program, which was an early space station. In 1973, he was a backup pilot for Skylab 2, meaning he was ready to fly if needed.
Musgrave played a big role in designing all the equipment for Space Shuttle spacewalks. This included spacesuits, life support systems, and airlocks. He also worked as a test pilot for the Shuttle's computer systems.
He served as a CAPCOM (the person who talks to astronauts from Mission Control) for several Skylab and Space Shuttle missions. He was a mission specialist on five Shuttle flights and the payload commander on one.
Story Musgrave has flown on six space missions, spending a total of 1,281 hours (about 53 days) in space. He also spent almost 27 hours doing spacewalks.
He is the only astronaut to have flown on all five different Space Shuttles: Columbia, Challenger, Discovery, Atlantis, and Endeavour. Before John Glenn flew again in 1998, Musgrave held the record for the oldest person in orbit at age 61. He retired from NASA in 1997 after 30 years as an astronaut.
Space Missions
STS-6: First Shuttle Spacewalk
Musgrave's first space mission was STS-6. It launched on April 4, 1983, aboard the Space Shuttle Challenger. During this flight, Musgrave and Don Peterson performed the very first spacewalk from a Space Shuttle. They tested new spacesuits and tools for building and repairing things in space. The mission lasted about 5 days.
STS-51-F: Spacelab-2 Mission
His second flight was STS-51-F on the Space Shuttle Challenger, which launched on July 29, 1985. This mission carried 13 science experiments focusing on astronomy, astrophysics, and life sciences. Musgrave worked as a systems engineer during launch and landing, and as a pilot while in orbit. This mission lasted nearly 8 days.
STS-33: Secret Mission
On November 22, 1989, Musgrave flew on STS-33 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery. This was a secret mission for the United States Department of Defense. The mission lasted about 5 days and landed in California.
STS-44: Satellite Deployment
STS-44 launched at night on November 24, 1991, on the Space Shuttle Atlantis. The main goal was to deploy a Defense Support Program (DSP) satellite. The crew also did experiments related to radiation and medical tests for longer space flights. This mission lasted almost 7 days.
STS-61: Repairing the Hubble Space Telescope
STS-61 was a very important mission to repair the Hubble Space Telescope (HST). It launched on December 2, 1993, on the Space Shuttle Endeavour. During this 11-day flight, the astronauts fixed the HST, making it fully functional again. Musgrave performed 3 of the 5 spacewalks on this mission, becoming the first astronaut-doctor to do spacewalks on two different missions.
STS-80: Record-Breaking Flight
His final mission was STS-80, from November 19 to December 7, 1996, on the Space Shuttle Columbia. The crew deployed and retrieved two satellites: the Wake Shield Facility (WSF) and the Orbiting Retrievable Far and Extreme Ultraviolet Spectrometer (ORFEUS). The WSF helped create a super vacuum for growing special materials.
During the return to Earth, Musgrave used a video camera to record the plasma streams outside the Shuttle's windows. He was the first and only astronaut to see these streams firsthand. On this mission, he completed a record 278 orbits around Earth and traveled over 7 million miles in more than 17 days.
Media Appearances and Space Observations
Story Musgrave has appeared in several TV documentaries and even had a small role in the movie Mission to Mars (2000). He also appeared on the TV show Home Improvement.
In 1995, Musgrave mentioned seeing what he called "snakes" floating in space during two of his missions. He thought they might have been rubber seals from the spacecraft.
Interests and Hobbies
Story Musgrave has seven children. He enjoys many hobbies, including chess, flying, gardening, poetry, using microcomputers, parachuting, photography, reading, running, scuba diving, and soaring (gliding).
Awards and Honors
Story Musgrave has received many awards for his achievements, including:
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal (with five stars for his missions)
- International Space Hall of Fame (1995)
- National Aviation Hall of Fame (2022)
He was also honored with fellowships from the United States Air Force and the National Heart Institute.
See also
