Jack R. Lousma

Last updated

Jack Lousma
Lousma.jpg
Lousma in 1971
Born
Jack Robert Lousma

(1936-02-29) February 29, 1936 (age 88)
Education University of Michigan (BS)
Naval Postgraduate School (MS)
Spouse
Gratia Kay
(m. 1956)
Children4
Awards NASA Distinguished Service Medal
Space career
NASA astronaut
Rank Colonel, USMC
Time in space
67d 11h 13m
Selection NASA Group 5 (1966)
Total EVAs
2
Total EVA time
11h 1m
Missions Skylab-3
STS-3
Mission insignia
Skylab2-Patch.png Sts3-patch.png
RetirementOctober 1, 1983

Jack Robert Lousma (born February 29, 1936) is an American astronaut, aeronautical engineer, retired United States Marine Corps officer, former naval aviator, NASA astronaut, and politician. He was a member of the second crew, Skylab-3, on the Skylab space station in 1973. In 1982, he commanded STS-3, the third Space Shuttle mission. Lousma was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997. He is the last living crew member of both of his spaceflights.

Contents

Lousma later was the Republican Party nominee for a seat in the United States Senate from Michigan in 1984, losing to incumbent Carl Levin, who won his second of six terms.

Early life and education

Lousma was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on February 29, 1936. [1] He is of Dutch (Frisian) descent. [2] His father's name was spelled Louwsma, but he kept the 'w' off of his son's birth certificate to make the name easier to spell. [3] He graduated from Angell Elementary School, Tappan Middle School, and Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan in 1954. [4] Lousma was a Boy Scout and earned the rank of Tenderfoot Scout. [5]

Lousma received a Bachelor of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the University of Michigan in 1959. [6] He played on the football team as a backup quarterback until an elbow injury ended his career. [2] He earned a Master of Science degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in 1965. [7]

Military service

Lousma became a United States Marine Corps officer in 1959, and he received his aviator wings in 1960 after completing training at the Naval Air Training Command. He was then assigned to VMA-224, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing (2nd MAW), as an attack pilot, and he later served with VMA-224, 1st Marine Air Wing, at Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan. He was a reconnaissance pilot with VMCJ-2, 2nd MAW, at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, North Carolina, before being assigned to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston, Texas. [7]

He has logged 7,000 hours of flight time; including 700 hours in general aviation aircraft, 1,619 hours in space, 4,500 hours in jet aircraft, and 240 hours in helicopters. [8]

NASA career

Lousma was one of the 19 astronauts selected in NASA Astronaut Group 5 in April 1966. [9] He served as a member of the astronaut support crews for the Apollo 9, 10, and 13 missions. [2] He was the CAPCOM recipient of the "Houston, we've had a problem" message from Apollo 13. [10] He might have also been selected as lunar module pilot for Apollo 20, which was canceled. [11] He was the pilot for Skylab-3 from July 28 to September 25, 1973, and was commander on STS-3, from March 22 until March 30, 1982, logging a total of over 1,619 hours in space. [12]

Lousma also spent 11 hours on two spacewalks outside the Skylab space station. He served as backup docking module pilot of the United States flight crew for the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission, which was completed successfully in July 1975. [2]

Spaceflight experience

The Skylab-3 crew, Owen K. Garriott, Jack R. Lousma, and Alan Bean S73-28714.jpg
The Skylab-3 crew, Owen K. Garriott, Jack R. Lousma, and Alan Bean
Lousma during one of the experiments aboard the Skylab-3 Skylab 3 Astronaut Jack Lousma in Lower Body Negative Pressure Device.jpg
Lousma during one of the experiments aboard the Skylab-3

The crew on this 59½ day flight included Alan Bean (spacecraft commander), Lousma (pilot), and Owen K. Garriott, who acted as a science-pilot. The crew installed six replacement rate gyroscopes used for attitude control of the spacecraft and a twin-pole sunshade used for thermal control, and they repaired nine major experiment or operational equipment items. Skylab-3 accomplished all its mission goals while completing 858 revolutions of the Earth, and traveling some 39,300,000 km (24,400,000 mi) in orbit. They devoted 305 man-hours to extensive solar observations from above the atmosphere, which included viewing two major solar flares and numerous smaller flares and coronal transients. Also acquired and returned to Earth were 16,000 photographs and 29 km (18 mi) of magnetic tape documenting Earth resources observations. The crew completed 333 medical experiment performances and obtained valuable data on the effects of extended weightlessness on humans. Skylab-3 ended with a Pacific Ocean splashdown and recovery by USS New Orleans. [8]

The STS-3 crew, Jack Lousma and Gordon Fullerton STS-3 Crew.jpg
The STS-3 crew, Jack Lousma and Gordon Fullerton

Lousma was originally selected as the pilot of the two-man crew of STS-2, alongside commander Fred Haise. This was a planned mission scheduled to launch in mid-1979, which was intended to use the Teleoperator Retrieval System to boost the orbit of Skylab, to allow for the space station's potential further use. This mission was eventually scrubbed, owing to the delays in getting the Shuttle system ready for flight. [13] As a result, following Haise's decision to leave NASA, Lousma was named as commander of STS-3.

STS-3, the third orbital test flight of Space Shuttle Columbia , launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on March 22, 1982, into a 290 km (180 mi) circular orbit above the Earth. Lousma was the spacecraft commander and C. Gordon Fullerton was the pilot on this eight-day mission. Major flight test objectives included exposing Columbia to extremes in thermal stress and the first use of the 15 m (49 ft) Remote Manipulator System (RMS) to grapple and maneuver a Payload in space. The crew also operated several scientific experiments in the orbiter's cabin and on the OSS-1 pallet in the payload bay. Columbia responded favorably to the thermal tests and was found to be better than expected as a scientific platform. The crew accomplished almost all the mission objectives assigned, and after a one-day delay due to bad weather, landed on the lake bed at White Sands, New Mexico, on March 30, 1982, the only shuttle flight to land there. Columbia traveled 5,500,000 km (3,400,000 mi) during 129.9 orbits and mission duration was 192 hours, 4 minutes, 49 seconds. Lousma left NASA on October 1, 1983, and retired from the Marine Corps on November 1, 1983. [14]

Political experience

A Republican, Lousma lost the 1984 United States Senate election in Michigan against incumbent Carl Levin, receiving 47% of the vote. [15] The astronaut-politician survived a bitter primary fight against former Republican congressman Jim Dunn to capture the nomination with 63% of the vote. Ronald Reagan's landslide re-election was a boon to Lousma, but he was hurt late in the campaign when video surfaced of him telling a group of Japanese auto manufacturers that his family owned a Toyota car. [16]

Personal life

Lousma and Gratia Kay were married in 1956. They have four children. A long-time resident of Scio Township, near Ann Arbor, Michigan, he moved with his wife to Texas in September 2013. [4]

Awards and honors

Lousma was awarded the Johnson Space Center Certificate of Commendation (1970); [17] the NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1973); [17] presented the Navy Distinguished Service Medal [17] and Navy Astronaut Wings (1974), [17] the City of Chicago Gold Medal (1974), [18] the Marine Corps Aviation Association's Exceptional Achievement Award (1974), [8] the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale awarded him the V. M. Komarov Diploma for 1973, [8] the AIAA Octave Chanute Award for 1975, [19] the AAS Flight Achievement Award for 1974; inducted into a second NASA Distinguished Service Medal (1982), [8] the Department of Defense Distinguished Service Medal (1982), [17] NCAA Silver Anniversary Award (1983). [8]

Jack R. Lousma, February 2009 JackLousmaByPhilKonstantin.jpg
Jack R. Lousma, February 2009

The three Skylab astronaut crews were awarded the 1973 Robert J. Collier Trophy "For proving beyond question the value of man in future explorations of space and the production of data of benefit to all the people on Earth". [20] [21] Gerald P. Carr accepted the 1975 Dr. Robert H. Goddard Memorial Trophy from President Ford, awarded to the Skylab astronauts. [22]

Lousma was inducted with Fullerton into the International Space Hall of Fame during a ceremony with the governor of New Mexico in 1982 for their involvement in the STS-3 mission. [23] The governor also presented them with the International Space Hall of Fame's Pioneer Award, and were the second group to receive this award. [24] He was inducted the Michigan Aviation Hall of Fame in 1989. [25] He was one of 24 Apollo astronauts who were inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997. [26]

He was presented an honorary doctorate of astronautical science from the University of Michigan in 1973, [27] an honorary D.Sc. from Hope College in 1982, [28] an honorary D.Sc. in business administration from Cleary College in 1986, and an honorary doctorate from Sterling College in 1988. [10]

Lousma has a closed-end street (Lousma Drive) named after him in Wyoming, Michigan (suburb of Grand Rapids) that begins west off of Roger B. Chaffee Memorial Blvd just south of 32nd Street SE, in an industrial park area.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alan Bean</span> American astronaut and lunar explorer (1932–2018)

Alan LaVern Bean was an American naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, NASA astronaut and painter. He was selected to become an astronaut by NASA in 1963 as part of Astronaut Group 3, and was the fourth person to walk on the Moon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-2</span> 1981 American crewed spaceflight

STS-2 was the second Space Shuttle mission conducted by NASA, and the second flight of the orbiter Columbia. The mission, crewed by Joe H. Engle and Richard H. Truly, launched on November 12, 1981, and landed two days later on November 14, 1981. STS-2 marked the first time that a crewed, reusable orbital vehicle returned to space. This mission tested the Shuttle Imaging Radar (SIR) as part of the OSTA-1 payload, along with a wide range of other experiments including the Shuttle robotic arm, commonly known as Canadarm. Other experiments or tests included Shuttle Multispectral Infrared Radiometer, Feature Identification and Location Experiment, Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites, Ocean Color Experiment, Night/Day optical Survey of Lightning, Heflex Bioengineering Test, and Aerodynamic Coefficient Identification Package (ACIP). One of the feats accomplished was various tests on the Orbital Maneuvring System (OMS) including starting and restarting the engines while in orbit and various adjustments to its orbit. The OMS tests also helped adjust the Shuttle's orbit for use of the radar. During the mission, President Reagan called the crew of STS-2 from Mission Control Center in Houston.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-3</span> 1982 American crewed spaceflight

STS-3 was NASA's third Space Shuttle mission, and was the third mission for the Space Shuttle Columbia. It launched on March 22, 1982, and landed eight days later on March 30, 1982. The mission, crewed by Jack R. Lousma and C. Gordon Fullerton, involved extensive orbital endurance testing of Columbia itself, as well as numerous scientific experiments. STS-3 was the first shuttle launch with an unpainted external tank, and the only mission to land at the White Sands Space Harbor near Alamogordo, New Mexico. The orbiter was forced to land at White Sands due to flooding at its originally planned landing site, Edwards Air Force Base.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-6</span> 1983 American crewed spaceflight and maiden flight of Space Shuttle Challenger

STS-6 was the sixth NASA Space Shuttle mission and the maiden flight of the Space ShuttleChallenger. Launched from Kennedy Space Center on April 4, 1983, the mission deployed the first Tracking and Data Relay Satellite, TDRS-1, into orbit, before landing at Edwards Air Force Base on April 9, 1983. STS-6 was the first Space Shuttle mission during which a Extravehicular activity was conducted, and hence was the first in which the Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) was used.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fred Haise</span> American astronaut (born 1933)

Fred Wallace Haise Jr. is an American former NASA astronaut, engineer, fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force, and a test pilot. He is one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon, having flown as Lunar Module pilot on Apollo 13. He was slated to become the 6th person to walk on the Moon, but the Apollo 13 landing mission was aborted en route.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Crippen</span> American astronaut (born 1937)

Robert Laurel Crippen is an American retired naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and retired astronaut. He traveled into space four times: as pilot of STS-1 in April 1981, the first Space Shuttle mission; and as commander of STS-7 in June 1983, STS-41-C in April 1984, and STS-41-G in October 1984. He was also a part of the Manned Orbiting Laboratory (MOL), Skylab Medical Experiment Altitude Test (SMEAT), ASTP support crew member, and the Approach and Landing Tests (ALT) for the Space Shuttle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henry Hartsfield</span> American astronaut (1933–2014)

Henry Warren Hartsfield Jr. was a United States Air Force Colonel and NASA astronaut who logged over 480 hours in space. He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph P. Allen</span> American astronaut (born 1937)

Joseph Percival "Joe" Allen IV is an American former NASA astronaut. He logged more than 3,000 hours flying time in jet aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">C. Gordon Fullerton</span> American astronaut (1936–2013)

Charles Gordon Fullerton was a United States Air Force colonel, a USAF and NASA astronaut, and a research pilot at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Facility, Edwards, California. His assignments included a variety of flight research and support activities piloting NASA's B-52 launch aircraft, the Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft (SCA), and other multi-engine and high performance aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vance D. Brand</span> American naval officer, aviator, aeronautical engineer and astronaut (born 1931)

Vance DeVoe Brand is a retired American naval officer, aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He served as command module pilot during the first U.S.-Soviet joint spaceflight in 1975, and as commander of three Space Shuttle missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert F. Overmyer</span> American astronaut (1936–1996)

Robert Franklyn "Bob" Overmyer was an American test pilot, naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, physicist, United States Marine Corps officer, and USAF/NASA astronaut. Overmyer was selected by the Air Force as an astronaut for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of the program in 1969, he became a NASA astronaut and served support crew duties for the Apollo program, Skylab program, and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. In 1976, he was assigned to the Space Shuttle program and flew as pilot on STS-5 in 1982 and as commander on STS-51-B in 1985. He was selected as a lead investigator into the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, retiring from NASA that same year. A decade later, Overmyer died while testing the Cirrus VK-30 homebuilt aircraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William B. Lenoir</span> American astronaut (1939–2010)

William Benjamin Lenoir was an American electrical engineer and NASA astronaut.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul J. Weitz</span> American astronaut (1932–2017)

Paul Joseph Weitz was an American naval officer and aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, who flew into space twice. He was a member of the three-man crew who flew on Skylab 2, the first crewed Skylab mission. He was also commander of the STS-6 mission, the maiden flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ken Mattingly</span> American astronaut (1936–2023)

Thomas Kenneth Mattingly II was an American aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, rear admiral in the United States Navy, and astronaut who flew on Apollo 16 and Space Shuttle STS-4 and STS-51-C missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gerald Carr (astronaut)</span> American astronaut (1932–2020)

Gerald Paul "Jerry" Carr was an American mechanical and aeronautical engineer, United States Marine Corps officer, naval aviator, and NASA astronaut. He was commander of Skylab 4, the third and final crewed visit to the Skylab Orbital Workshop, from November 16, 1973, to February 8, 1974.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Edward Gibson</span> American astronaut (born 1936)

Edward George Gibson is a former NASA astronaut, pilot, engineer, and physicist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joseph P. Kerwin</span> American astronaut and physician (born 1932)

Joseph Peter Kerwin is an American physician and former NASA astronaut. He served as the science pilot for the Skylab 2 mission from May 25, 1973, to June 22, 1973. He was the first physician to be selected for astronaut training and the first doctor from the United States to enter space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Astronaut Group 5</span> Group of astronauts selected by NASA in 1966

NASA Astronaut Group 5 was a group of nineteen astronauts selected by NASA in April 1966. Of the six Lunar Module Pilots that walked on the Moon, three came from Group 5. The group as a whole is roughly split between the half who flew to the Moon, and the half who flew Skylab and Space Shuttle, providing the core of Shuttle commanders early in that program. This group is also distinctive in being the only time when NASA hired a person into the astronaut corps who had already earned astronaut wings, X-15 pilot Joe Engle. John Young labeled the group the Original Nineteen in parody of the original Mercury Seven astronauts.

References

  1. "Jack R. Lousma". New Mexico Museum of Space History. Retrieved September 5, 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Nichols, Bruce (March 13, 1982). "Shuttle pilots took different routes to current assignment". United Press International.
  3. "Lousma Call Last 20 Years His Training for This Flight". News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. New York Times Service. March 23, 1982. p. 9 via Newspapers.com.
  4. 1 2 "The Lousmas Say Good-bye", Ann Arbor Observer: 15, October 2013
  5. "Scouting and Space Exploration". Archived from the original on March 3, 2016.
  6. Jackson, Luther (February 10, 1985). "Lousma Takes on New Mission as Consultant". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. 4F via Newspapers.com.
  7. 1 2 Reid, Bernie (March 18, 1968). "Astronaut Enters Pro-Am Tourneys". The Pensacola News. Pensacola, Florida. p. 13 via Newspapers.com.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Lousma's NASA Biography" (PDF). NASA. February 1999. Retrieved January 5, 2022.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  9. "Cherry Point Marine is Astronaut". The High Point Enterprise. High Point, North Carolina. Associated Press. April 5, 1966. p. 2 via Newspapers.com.
  10. 1 2 Meyer, Zlati (February 27, 2016). "29 Things You Didn't Know About Leap Day Baby Jack Lousma". Detroit Free Press. Detroit, Michigan. p. C1 via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Apollo 18 through 20 – The Cancelled Missions". NASA. Retrieved February 5, 2019.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  12. "Astronaut Jack Lousma Will Speak at Artrain Dinner Friday". Livingston County Daily Press and Argus. Howell, Michigan. September 2, 2001. p. 1 via Newspapers.com.
  13. Carney, Emily (May 14, 2017). "The Last Hurrah: Skylab's 1978-1979 Unmanned Mission". National Space Society. Retrieved March 9, 2021.
  14. Lawrence, John (September 28, 1983). "Lousma Retirement" (PDF). NASA News. p. 137. Retrieved July 17, 2013.PD-icon.svg This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
  15. "Moral Majority Had Big Impact in Michigan Race, Falwell Says". Lancing State Journal. Lancing, Michigan. Associated Press. November 9, 1984. p. 13 via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Levin for the Senate". The Michigan Daily. November 2, 1984. p. 4. Retrieved July 17, 2013. "Lousma, on the other hand, recently confided to a meeting of Japanese business leaders that he owns a Toyota".
  17. 1 2 3 4 5 Lutz, Ralph (March 5, 1984). "Jack Lousma Makes His First Campaign Trip to Twin Cities". The Herald-Palladium. Saint Joseph, Michigan. p. 3 via Newspapers.com.
  18. "Chicagoans Host Nine Astronauts". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. March 27, 1974. p. 13-A via Newspapers.com.
  19. "Chanute Flight Test Award Recipients". AIAA. Archived from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved May 28, 2018.
  20. "Collier 1970–1979 Recipients" . Retrieved February 9, 2019.
  21. "Collier Trophy at Test Range". The Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Florida. October 3, 1974. p. 21 via Newspapers.com.
  22. "For Praises Astronauts, Space Program". Daily Press. Newport News. United Press International. April 12, 1975. p. 23 via Newspapers.com.
  23. "Far Out Honor". Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Honolulu, Hawaii. Associated Press. May 19, 1982. p. 2 via Newspapers.com.
  24. "Astronauts to be Inducted into the Space Hall of Fame". Carlsbad Current-Argus. Carlsbad, New Mexico. Associated Press. March 26, 1982. p. 3 via Newspapers.com.
  25. "Enshrinees". Air Zoo. Retrieved February 4, 2019.
  26. Meyer, Marilyn (October 2, 1997). "Ceremony to Honor Astronauts". Florida Today. Cocoa, Florida. p. 2B via Newspapers.com.
  27. Schaller, Hank (December 22, 1973). "Astronaut Tells Skylab Story on Imlay City Visit". The Times Herald. Port Huron, Michigan. p. 1 via Newspapers.com.
  28. "Honorary Degrees". Hope College. Archived from the original on July 18, 2019. Retrieved February 5, 2019.
Party political offices
Preceded by Republican nominee for U.S. Senator from Michigan
(Class 2)

1984
Succeeded by