 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Over the course of 30 years, Story Musgrave, M.D. paved his way into NASA history as one of its most colorful, passionate and dedicated astronauts. He joined NASA in 1967 with every confidence to be part of a mission to Mars. Although those plans didn't work out, many others did. He served on two satellite-launching missions and led the spacewalking team that repaired the Hubble Space Telescope in 1993. He was also the first astronaut to fly a record-breaking six space shuttle missions. And, as of his last flight in 1996, he was the oldest person in space at the age of 61. In addition, he made many "behind-the-scenes" contributions, helping to design the Skylab program in the mid-1970s and the spacesuits and equipment needed by astronauts on spacewalks.
Prior to joining NASA, Musgrave was a Marine, serving as an aviation electrician and aircraft crew chief in the Far East. After returning to the U.S., he also worked for the Eastman Kodak Company in Rochester, New York, as a mathematician. When selected by NASA in 1967, he was a researcher in cardiovascular and exercise physiology at the University of Kentucky, where he has previously interned as a surgeon and worked as a U.S. Air Force post-doctoral fellow.
Born in 1935 in Boston, this amazing space explorer is also a fan of the classroom. To date, he holds six degrees -- a doctorate of medicine, as well as two bachelor's degrees and three master's degrees in subjects ranging from mathematics to business administration to literature. He has published 44 scientific papers on topics such as aerospace medicine, exercise physiology and clinical surgery. When not sitting in a classroom, he regularly devours literature, philosophy and metaphysics.
Currently, Musgrave works at Walt Disney Imagineering
in the research and development division and does live performances around
the country and internationally. He is the father of six children, and
in his spare time, enjoys chess, flying, gardening, literary criticism,
microcomputers, parachuting, photography, reading, running and scuba diving.