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Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee
Astronaut
Status	Killed during mission
Born	May 19, 1939 Cle Elum, Washington
Died	January 28, 1986 (aged 46) Cape Canaveral, Florida
Other occupation	Pilot
Rank	Lieutenant Colonel, USAF
Time in space	6d 23h 40m
Selection	1978 NASA Group
Missions	STS-41-C, STS-51-L
Mission insignia

Francis Richard "Dick" Scobee (May 19, 1939 - January 28, 1986) was an American astronaut who was killed commanding the Space Shuttle Challenger, which suffered catastrophic booster failure during launch of the STS-51-L mission.

Early life

Born in Cle Elum, Washington to Francis William Scobee and Edlynn (Miller) Scobee, Scobee attended Auburn Senior High School, Cascade Middle School, and North Auburn Elementary School in Auburn, Washington. He graduated in 1957.

Service

He enlisted in the United States Air Force in 1957, where he served as a reciprocating engine mechanic at Kelly Air Force Base in Texas. While off duty, he attended San Antonio College, and eventually received a Bachelor of Science degree in aerospace engineering from the University of Arizona in 1965; the same year, he was awarded an officer's commission. Afterward, he attended flight school and earned his wings in 1966, serving as a combat aviator in the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal, and other decorations.

After his tour of duty, Scobee attended the Aerospace Research Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, 100 miles north of Los Angeles, California. Upon graduation in 1972, he became an Air Force test pilot, logging thousands of hours of flight time in dozens of aircraft, including the Boeing 747, the experimental X-24B lifting body, the F-111 Aardvark, and the gigantic C-5 Galaxy.

Selected for NASA's astronaut program in January 1978, Scobee completed his training in August 1979. While awaiting his first orbital spaceflight mission, he served as an instructor pilot for the shuttle's 747 carrier aircraft. In April 1984, Scobee piloted Challenger mission STS-41-C, which successfully deployed one satellite and repaired another.

Challenger

Scobee was elevated to the role of spacecraft commander for the ill-fated STS-51-L mission. The mission, designed to deploy a satellite to study the approaching Halley's Comet and to inaugurate the Teacher in Space Project, was delayed numerous times due to bad weather and technical glitches. When the mission finally did lift off the pad, an O-ring seal failure destroyed the shuttle 73 seconds into the flight, killing Scobee and the other six members of the crew; the tragedy, viewed live on national television, prompted several days of national mourning, as well as a major shakeup at NASA. Scobee died a Lieutenant colonel. At T+68 into the mission, the CAPCOM Richard Covey informed the crew that they were "go at throttle up", and Commander Dick Scobee confirmed the call - his last recorded words were his response, "Roger, go at throttle up,"

Family

Scobee was married to Virginia June Kent and had two children, Kathie R. (Scobee) Fulgham and Colonel Richard W. Scobee, USAF. Buried in Arlington National Cemetery, Scobee was survived by his wife and children. June Scobee remarried in 1989 to retired Army LTG Don Rodgers. Scobee's son graduated from the US Air Force Academy, has flown F-16s for the USAF, and has commanded the 944th Fighter Wing and the 301st Fighter Wing. ^[1][2]

Awards and recognition

In 2004, Scobee was posthumously awarded the Congressional Space Medal of Honor and was inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. He was also posthumously awarded the Purple Heart medal. After the Challenger explosion, North Auburn Elementary School was re-named Dick Scobee Elementary School in his honor. Auburn Municipal Airport was also renamed Dick Scobee Field.^[3] Dick Scobee Road in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina was also named in his honor.^[4] Also located nearby in Myrtle Beach are Ronald McNair Boulevard and Christa McAuliffe Street. Lastly, in Houston, TX's George Bush Park, there is a R/C (Remote Controlled) Flying Field named in his honor. Scobee was portrayed by Barry Bostwick in the 1990 TV movie Challenger. He also made an appearance in the Imax documentary The Dream is Alive, shot during the STS-41C mission.^{[citation needed]}

References

External links

United States Air Force portal

• Official NASA bio
• Challenger Center bio
• Francis R. Scobee -- Arlington National Cemetery
• The Auburn, Washington Elementary school named in his honour.
• Dick Scobee at Find a Grave Retrieved on 2008-07-13

STS-51-L Main articles Space Shuttle Challenger · STS-51-L · Space Shuttle Challenger disaster · STS-51-L Mission timeline · Space Shuttle Challenger launch decision Crew Scobee (Cmdr) · Smith · Resnik · Onizuka · McNair · Jarvis · McAuliffe See also Rogers Commission Report · Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Booster · TDRS-B