William Frederick Fisher

Last updated

William Fisher
William Frederick Fisher (Astronaut).jpg
Fisher in 1981
Born
William Frederick Fisher

(1946-04-01) April 1, 1946 (age 78)
Dallas, Texas, U.S.
Education Stanford University (BS)
University of Florida (MD)
University of Houston
Spouse
(m. 1977;div. 2000)
Children2
Space career
NASA astronaut
Time in space
7d 2h 17m
Selection NASA Group 9 (1980)
Missions STS-51-I
Mission insignia
Sts-51-i-patch.png

William Frederick Fisher (born April 1, 1946) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. Fisher went into space in 1985 on board the Space Shuttle. He retired from NASA in 1992 [1] and returned to the full-time practice of medicine. His time at NASA coincided with that of his former wife and fellow astronaut Anna Lee Fisher. [2] He is also the great grandson of Pony Express rider William Frederick Fisher (1839 – 1919)[ citation needed ]

Contents

Early life

Fisher was born April 1, 1946, [3] in Dallas, Texas.

Education

Career

Fisher graduated from Stanford University in 1968, [3] and later served as a mountaineering instructor in Leysin, Switzerland. He attended medical school at the University of Florida, graduating in 1975. [4] After medical school, Fisher completed a surgical residency from 1975 to 1977 at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. [3] He entered private practice in emergency medicine in 1977. [3] He also attended graduate school at the University of Houston from 1978 to 1980. [3] He was accepted as a NASA astronaut in 1980. [3]

He has logged over 2,000 hours in prop, rotary-wing, jet aircraft and spacecraft. [3]

NASA career

Fisher was selected as NASA Astronaut in 1980. His technical assignments included: scientific equipment operator for high altitude research on the WB-57F aircraft (1980–1981); astronaut medical support for the first four Shuttle missions (1980–1982); astronaut office representative for Extravehicular Mobility Unit (spacesuit) and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) procedures and development, including thermal vacuum testing of the suit (1981–1984); astronaut office representative for the Payload Assist Module (PAM-D) procedures and development (1982–1983); Astronaut office representative for Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) development (1983); support crewman for STS-8; CAPCOM for STS-8 and STS-9; Remote Manipulator System (RMS) hardware and software development team (1983); Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) development team (1983); Deputy Director of NASA Government-furnished and Contractor-furnished Equipment (1982–1983); Chief of Astronaut Public Appearances (1985–1987); Member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (1986–1991); NASA Medicine Policy Board (1987–1991); Astronaut Office Space Station Manned Systems Division, and Health Maintenance Facility (1987–1989); Astronaut Office representative on space crew selection and retention standards for Space Station (1989–1991). Fisher also continued to practice Emergency Medicine in the greater Houston area in conjunction with his astronaut duties.

Fisher was a mission specialist on STS-51-I, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 27, 1985. STS-51-I was acknowledged as the most successful Space Shuttle mission yet flown. The crew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery deployed three communications satellites, the Navy SYNCOM IV-4, the Australian AUSSAT, and American Satellite Company's ASC-1. They also performed a successful on-orbit rendezvous with the ailing 15,400 pound SYNCOM IV-3 satellite, and two EVAs (spacewalks) by Fisher and van Hoften to repair it, including the longest spacewalk in history (at that time). Discovery completed 112 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 3, 1985. Fisher logged over 170 hours in space, including 11 hours and 52 minutes of Extravehicular Activity (EVA).

In 1990, Fisher led a study of the design of the planned space station. The New York Times reported that study "found the 500-foot structure was so complex and fragile that it could need up to 3,700 hours of maintenance a year by space-suited astronauts, as against the designers' original goal of 130 hours." In March of that year Fisher gained political notice "when he publicly accused his superiors at the space agency of ignoring the maintenance problem. Subsequently, he was called to Capitol Hill to testify before a number of committees." [1]

Post-NASA

After leaving NASA, Fisher returned to the practice of emergency medicine. He remains in active medical practice in the greater Houston area at the present time.[ citation needed ]

Personal life

He married fellow physician and later fellow astronaut, Anna Lee Fisher of St. Albans, New York, on August 23, 1977. [5] They have two daughters. [6] [7] The two divorced in 2000. [8]

Organizations

Awards and honors

Related Research Articles

<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">David Wolf (astronaut)</span> American astronaut, medical doctor and electrical engineer (born 1956)

David Alexander Wolf is an American astronaut, medical doctor and electrical engineer. Wolf has been to space four times. Three of his spaceflights were short-duration Space Shuttle missions, the first of which was STS-58 in 1993, and his most recent spaceflight was STS-127 in 2009. Wolf also took part in a long-duration mission aboard the Russian space station Mir which lasted 128 days, and occurred during Mir EO-24. He was brought to Mir aboard STS-86 in September 1997, and landed aboard STS-89 in January 1998. In total Wolf has logged more than 4,040 hours in space. He is also a veteran of 7 spacewalks totaling 41hrs 17min in both Russian and American spacesuits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-51-A</span> 1984 American crewed spaceflight to deploy and retrieve communications satellites

STS-51-A was the 14th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the second flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. The mission launched from Kennedy Space Center on November 8, 1984, and landed just under eight days later on November 16, 1984.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">STS-51-D</span> 1985 American crewed spaceflight to deploy communications satellites

STS-51-D was the 16th flight of NASA's Space Shuttle program, and the fourth flight of Space Shuttle Discovery. The launch of STS-51-D from Kennedy Space Center (KSC), Florida, on April 12, 1985, was delayed by 55 minutes, after a boat strayed into the restricted Solid Rocket Booster (SRB) recovery zone. STS-51-D was the third shuttle mission to be extended.

<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">Dale Gardner</span> American astronaut (1948–2014)

Dale Allan Gardner was a NASA astronaut, and naval flight officer who flew two Space Shuttle missions during the mid 1980s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karol J. Bobko</span> American astronaut (1937–2023)

Karol Joseph "Bo" Bobko was an American aerospace engineer, U.S. Air Force officer, test pilot, and a USAF and NASA astronaut. Bobko was the first graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy to travel in space and the first person to fly on a space shuttle on three different missions: STS-6, STS-51-D, STS-51-J.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dafydd Williams</span> Canadian astronaut, physician and public speaker (born 1954)

Dafydd Rhys "David" Williams is a Canadian physician, public speaker, author and retired CSA astronaut. Williams was a mission specialist on two Space Shuttle missions. His first spaceflight, STS-90 in 1998, was a 16-day mission aboard Space Shuttle Columbia dedicated to neuroscience research. His second flight, STS-118 in August 2007, was flown by Space Shuttle Endeavour to the International Space Station. During that mission he performed three spacewalks, becoming the third Canadian to perform a spacewalk and setting a Canadian record for total number of spacewalks. These spacewalks combined for a total duration of 17 hours and 47 minutes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William E. Thornton</span> American astronaut (1929–2021)

William Edgar Thornton was an American NASA astronaut. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from University of North Carolina and a doctorate in medicine, also from UNC. He flew on Challenger twice, the STS-8 and STS-51-B missions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James van Hoften</span> American astronaut and engineer (born 1944)

James Dougal Adrianus "Ox" van Hoften is an American civil and hydraulic engineer, retired U.S. Navy officer and aviator, and a former astronaut for NASA.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rhea Seddon</span> American astronaut and physician (born 1947)

Margaret Rhea Seddon is an American surgeon and retired NASA astronaut. After being selected as part of the first group of astronauts to include women in 1978, she flew on three Space Shuttle flights: as a mission specialist on STS-51-D and STS-40, and as a payload commander for STS-58, accumulating over 722 hours in space. On these flights, she built repair tools for a US Navy satellite and performed medical experiments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">James P. Bagian</span> American physician, astronaut and engineer (born 1952)

James Philip Bagian, is an American physician, engineer, and former NASA astronaut of Armenian descent. During his career as an astronaut, he logged 337 hours of space-flight, over two missions, STS-29 and STS-40. After leaving NASA in 1995, Bagian was elected as a member of the Institute of Medicine. He was also elected as member into the National Academy of Engineering in 2000 for the integration of engineering and medical knowledge in applications to aerospace systems, environmental technology, and patient safety.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David C. Hilmers</span> American astronaut (born 1950)

David Carl Hilmers is a former NASA astronaut who flew four Space Shuttle missions. He was born in Clinton, Iowa, but considers DeWitt, Iowa, to be his hometown. He has two grown sons. His recreational interests include playing the piano, gardening, electronics, spending time with his family, and all types of sports. His parents are deceased. With five academic degrees, he is the second most formally educated U.S. astronaut, behind Story Musgrave with six.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">G. David Low</span> American astronaut (1956–2008)

George David Low was an American aerospace executive and a NASA astronaut. With undergraduate degrees in physics and mechanical engineering and a master's degree in aeronautics and astronautics, he worked in the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) at the California Institute of Technology in the early 80's, before being picked as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1984. In addition to holding some technical assignments, he logged more than 700 hours in space, before he left NASA in 1996 to pursue a career in the private sector. He was the son of George M. Low, the manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program Office, and later, the 14th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter Wisoff</span> American astronaut (born 1958)

Peter Jeffrey Kelsay Wisoff is an American physicist and former NASA astronaut. Wisoff qualified as mission specialist and flew in four Space Shuttle missions, with his first launch in 1993 and his last in 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extravehicular Mobility Unit</span> Series of semi-rigid two-piece space suit models from the United States

The Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) is an independent anthropomorphic spacesuit that provides environmental protection, mobility, life support, and communications for astronauts performing extravehicular activity (EVA) in Earth orbit. Introduced in 1981, it is a two-piece semi-rigid suit, and is currently one of two types of EVA spacesuits used by crew members on the International Space Station (ISS), the other being the Russian Orlan space suit. It was used by NASA's Space Shuttle astronauts prior to the end of the Shuttle program in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Lee Fisher</span> American astronaut and physician (born 1949)

Anna Lee Fisher is an American chemist, emergency physician and a former NASA astronaut. Formerly married to fellow astronaut Bill Fisher, and the mother of two children, in 1984, she became the first mother to fly in space. During her career at NASA, she was involved with three major programs: the Space Shuttle, the International Space Station and the Orion spacecraft.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Marshburn</span> American physician and NASA astronaut

Thomas Henry "Tom" Marshburn is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of three spaceflights to the International Space Station and holds the record for the oldest person to perform a spacewalk at 61 years old.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">NASA Astronaut Group 9</span>

NASA Astronaut Group 9 was a group of 19 NASA astronauts announced on May 29, 1980, and completed their training by 1981. This group was selected to supplement the 35 astronauts that had been selected in 1978, and marked the first time that non-Americans were trained as mission specialists with the selections of ESA astronauts Claude Nicollier and Wubbo Ockels. In keeping with the previous group, astronaut candidates were divided into pilots and mission specialists, with eight pilots, eleven mission specialists, and two international mission specialists within the group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Josef Schmid (flight surgeon)</span> NASA flight surgeon and Major General in the United States Air Force Reserves

Josef F. Schmid is a German-American physician, NASA flight surgeon and a major general in the United States Air Force Reserves. He served as an aquanaut on the joint NASA-NOAA NEEMO 12 underwater exploration mission in May 2007. On 8 October 2021 he became one of the first humans to be Holoported off the planet and into space, visiting the International Space Station by telepresence.

References

PD-icon.svg This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration .

  1. 1 2 Broad, William J. (January 9, 1991). "Astronaut, Quitting NASA, Urges Overhaul of Space Station" . The New York Times . Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  2. "Space-shuttle choice could mean heavenly marriage". The Arizona Republic . Vol. 91, no. 15. Associated Press. May 31, 1980. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved November 29, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 "William M. Fisher (M.D.)" (PDF). Biographical Data. NASA. December 1993. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 27, 2023. Retrieved January 27, 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Healthcare Provider Search". tmb.state.tx.us. Texas Medical Board. License F5202. Retrieved April 24, 2016.
  5. Klemesrud, Judy (June 3, 1980). "A Marriage That Was Made for The Heavens" . The New York Times . p. 12. Archived from the original on November 29, 2023. Retrieved April 23, 2016.
  6. Linkedin page for Kristin Fisher, accessed June 3, 2015
  7. Linkedin page for Kara Fisher, accessed April 23, 2016
  8. Burgess, Colin; Shayler, David J. (2020). NASA's First Space Shuttle Astronaut Selection: Redefining the Right Stuff. Sprigner Praxis. pp. 478–479. ISBN   978-3030-45741-9. OCLC   1145568343.