Official portrait of STS-53 commander David M. Walker

David Mathieson Walker (May 20, 1944 - April 23, 2001), (Captain, USN, Retired) was a United States astronaut for NASA. Crew David M. Walker (3), Commander Robert D. Cabana (2), Pilot Guion S. Bluford (4), Mission Specialist 1 James S. Voss (2), Mission Specialist 2 Michael R. Clifford (1), Mission Specialist 3 Mission Parameters Mass: Orbiter landing with payload: 87,565 kg Payload: 11,860 kg Perigee: 365 km Apogee... May 20 is the 140th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (141st in leap years). ... 1944 was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will take you to calendar). ... April 23 is the 113th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (114th in leap years). ... 2001 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Captain is both a nautical term and a military rank. ... The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... U.S. Space Shuttle astronaut Bruce McCandless II using a manned maneuvering unit. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (established 1958) is the government agency responsible for the United States of Americas space program and long-term general aerospace research. ...

Personal Data

Born May 20, 1944, in Columbus, Georgia. Died on April 23, 2001 following a sudden and brief illness, Walker was 56 years old and was being treated at University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas. His wife, the former Paige Lucas, and two adult sons from a previous marriage, Michael and Mathieson, survive him. He was interned at Arlington National Cemetery on May 24 2001. Columbus is a city located in Muscogee County, Georgia. ... The University of Texas at Austin, often called UT or Texas, is the flagship institution of the University of Texas System. ... M.D. Anderson Cancer Center, Houston Texas is one of the world’s most productive and highly regarded academic institutions devoted to cancer patient care, research, education, and prevention. ... Skyline of Downtown Houston from Eleanor Tinsley Park Located in southeast Texas, Houston is the fourth largest city in the United States and one of the two largest economic areas in Texas. ... Arlington Cemetery Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia, is an American military cemetery established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Robert E. Lees home. ... May 24 is the 144th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (145th in leap years). ...

Education

• 1962: Graduated from Eustis High School, Eustis, Florida
• 1966: Received a bachelor of science degree from the United States Naval Academy

1962 was a common year starting on Monday (link will take you to calendar). ... Eustis is a city located in Lake County, Florida. ... 1966 was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. ... Teamwork: Fourth Class Midshipmen lock arms and use ropes made from uniform items as they brace themselves climbing the Herndon Monument The United States Naval Academy (USNA) is an institution for the undergraduate education of officers of the United States Navy and Marine Corps. ...

Special Honors

• Defense Superior Service Medal
• Distinguished Flying Cross
• National Intelligence Achievement Medal
• Legion of Merit
• two Defense Meritorious Service Medals
• six Navy Air Medals
• the Battle Efficiency Ribbon
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal
• National Defense Service Medal
• two NASA Distinguished Service Medals
• NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
• four NASA Space Flight Medals
• Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry
• Vietnam Service Medal
• Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal

Defense Superior Service Medal The Defense Superior Service Medal of the United States is a senior decoration of the Department of Defense. ... The Distinguished Flying Cross. ... NIA Medal The National Intelligence Achievement Medal is a decoration of the National Intelligence Agency of the United States which has been in existence since the 1970s. ... Legion of Merit medal The Legion of Merit is a military decoration of the United States armed forces which is awarded for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. ... The Defense Meritorious Service Medal is the third highest award bestowed upon members of the United States military by the United States Department of Defense. ... The Air Medal is a military decoration of the United States which was established by Executive Order 9158, signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt, on May 11, 1942. ... The Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal (AFEM) is a military award of the United States military which was first created in 1961 by Executive Order of President John Kennedy. ... The National Defense Service Medal is a military decoration of the United States military and was the brainchild of President Dwight D. Eisenhower. ... The NASA Distinguished Service Medal is the second highest award which may be bestowed by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, ranking immediately below the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. ... The NASA Space Flight Medal is a decoration of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration which is awarded to any astronaut who performs a significant achievement or meritorious deed while engaged in a United States space mission. ... Gallantry Cross Medal and Unit Citation The Vietnam Gallantry Cross is a military decoration of South Vietnam which was established in August 1950. ... Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award which was created in 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. ... The Vietnam Campaign Medal is a military award of South Vietnam which was established in 1966. ...

Organizations

• Associate Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots
• Senior Member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
• Naval Academy Alumni Association
• Eagle Scout Association
• Former president of the Idaho Aviation Foundation

The Society of Experimental Test Pilots was founded in 1955 as the Testy Test Pilots Society and had Scott Crossfield, Ray Tenhoff, Joe Ozier, Dick Johnson, Tom Kilgariff, John Fitzpatrick as its original members. ... The American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) is the scholarly society for the field of aerospace engineering. ...

Experience

Walker was graduated from Annapolis and subsequently received flight training from the Naval Aviation Training Command at bases in Florida, Mississippi, and Texas. He was designated a naval aviator in December 1967 and proceeded to Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California, for assignment to F-4 Phantoms aboard the carriers USS Enterprise and USS America. From December 1970 to 1971, he attended the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, and was subsequently assigned in January 1972 as an experimental and engineering test pilot in the flight test division at the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland. While there, he participated in the Navy’s preliminary evaluation and Board of Inspection and Survey trials of the F-14 Tomcat and tested a leading edge slat modification to the F-4 Phantom. He then attended the U.S. Navy Safety Officer School at Monterey, California, and completed replacement pilot training in the F-14 Tomcat at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar, California. In 1975, Walker was assigned to Fighter Squadron 142, stationed at Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia, as a fighter pilot and was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea twice aboard the USS America. City nickname: Americas Sailing Capital Location in the state of Maryland Founded 1649 Mayor Ellen O. Moyer (Dem) Area  - Total  - Water 19. ... State nickname: Sunshine State, Everglade State Other U.S. States Capital Tallahassee Largest city Jacksonville Governor Jeb Bush Official languages English Area 170,451 km² (22nd)  - Land 137,374 km²  - Water 30,486 km² (17. ... State nickname: Magnolia State Other U.S. States Capital Jackson Largest city Jackson Governor Haley Barbour Official languages English Area 125,546 km² (32nd)  - Land 121,606 km²  - Water 3,940 km² (3%) Population (2000)  - Population 2,697,243 (31st)  - Density 23. ... State nickname: Lone Star State Other U.S. States Capital Austin Largest city Houston Governor Rick Perry Official languages None. ... 1967 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Marine Corps Air Station Miramar is about 10 miles (16 km) north of downtown San Diego, California, USA. The United States Marine Corps installation is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Aircraft Group 11, and Marine Aircraft Group 16. ... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... F-4 re-directs here; for alternate uses, see F4 The F-4 Phantom II (simply F-4 Phantom after 1990) is a two-place (tandem), supersonic, long-range, all-weather fighter-bomber built by McDonnell Douglas Corporation. ... The eighth USS Enterprise (CVN-65) was the worlds first nuclear supercarrier, powered by eight A2W reactors. ... The third USS America (CV-66), originally CVA-66, was a supercarrier of the United States Navy that served from 1965 to 1996. ... 1970 was a common year starting on Thursday. ... 1971 is a common year starting on Friday (click for link to calendar). ... The U.S. Air Force Flight Test School is located on Edwards Air Force Base in California. ... Edwards Air Force Base is a base located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, northeast of Lancaster, at 34°57′ N 117°52′ W. An airbase since 1933, Edwards has long been a home for flight research and testing and has... 1972 was a leap year that started on a Saturday. ... State nickname: Old Line State; Free State Other U.S. States Capital Annapolis Largest city Baltimore Governor Robert L. Ehrlich Official languages English Area 32,160 km² (42nd)  - Land 25,338 km²  - Water 6,968 km² (21%) Population (2000)  - Population 5,296,486 (19th)  - Density 165 /km² (5th) Admission into... Sailors prepare an F-14 Tomcat for flight on the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (2003). ... The Customs House at Monterey View of Monterey Bay and its kelp A sea lion rookery at the marina Museum interior with ship models and equipment Kelp Forest display at the Monterey Bay Aquarium Monterey is a city near the Pacific coast in northern California. ... 1975 was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1975 calendar). ... The Mediterranean Sea is a part of the Atlantic Ocean almost completely enclosed by land, on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and on the east by Asia. ...

He has logged more than 7500 hours flying time, with over 6500 hours in jet aircraft. Jet aircraft are aircraft with jet engines. ...

NASA Experience

One of 35 pilots selected by NASA in January 1978 for the new Space Shuttle program, Walker became an astronaut in August 1979. Among his technical assignments he served as Astronaut Office Safety Officer; technical assistant to the director of flight crew operations in 1981; a chase pilot on STS-1; software verification at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); mission support group leader for STS-5 and STS-6; Assistant to the Director, Flight Crew Operations; leader of the astronaut support team at John F. Kennedy Space Center in 1985; Branch Chief, Space Station Design and Development; and Special Manager for Assembly, Space Station Project Office. From July 1993 to June 1994, Walker was Chief of the Station/Exploration Support Office, Flight Crew Operations Directorate, after which he chaired the JSC Safety Review Board. January is the first month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... The Space Shuttle Columbia seconds after engine ignition, 1981 (NASA). ... Note: as an adjective (stressed on the second syllable instead of the first), august means honorable. ... 1979 is a common year starting on Monday. ... 1981 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A chase plane is an aircraft that chases a test aircraft. ... The first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1, launched April 12, 1981, returned April 14. ... Astronaut Claude Nicollier in the SAIL Shuttle cockpit simulator, 1983 The Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory is a facility at Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. ... STS-5 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Columbia, launched November 11, 1982. ... STS-6 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Challenger, launched April 4, 1983. ... Merritt Island and Kennedy Space Center The John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) is the NASA space vehicle launch facility (spaceport) at Cape Canaveral on Merritt Island in Florida, United States. ... 1985 is a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July is the seventh month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1993 is a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar and marked the Beginning of the International Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination (1993-2003). ... June is the sixth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 1994 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International year of the Family. ...

A veteran of four space flights, Walker has logged nearly 725 hours in space. He was the pilot on STS-51-A in 1984, and was the mission commander on STS-30 in 1989, STS-53 in 1992 and STS-69 in 1995. STS 51-A was the fourteenth flight of a Space Shuttle and the second flight of Discovery. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... STS-30 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Atlantis. ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Crew David M. Walker (3), Commander Robert D. Cabana (2), Pilot Guion S. Bluford (4), Mission Specialist 1 James S. Voss (2), Mission Specialist 2 Michael R. Clifford (1), Mission Specialist 3 Mission Parameters Mass: Orbiter landing with payload: 87,565 kg Payload: 11,860 kg Perigee: 365 km Apogee... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... STS-69 is a Space Shuttle program mission. ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Walker was in training to command STS-61-G, scheduled for a May 1986 launch when the Challenger disaster forced NASA to suspend all Shuttle flights. On May 5, 1989, while piloting a NASA T-38 to Washington, D.C. for ceremonies honoring the crew of STS-30, Walker came within 100ft (30.4m) of striking a Pan Am jetliner. While the near miss was later partially attributed to air traffic controller error, that encounter and other infractions of NASA flying rules caused him to be grounded from July to September 1990, costing him the command of STS-44. This article is about the month of May. ... 1986 is a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... STS-51-L was the 25th launch of a Space Shuttle and the tenth launch of the Challenger. ... May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... The Northrop T-38 Talon is a US-built supersonic jet trainer for military pilots. ... Aerial photo (looking NW) of the Washington Monument and the White House in Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., officially the District of Columbia (also known as D.C.; Washington; the Nations Capital; the District; and, historically, the Federal City) is the capital city and administrative district of the... FT can mean: The EMD FT, a pioneering diesel locomotive built in the 1930s by General Motors Electro-Motive Division. ... The metre (American spelling: meter), symbol: m, is the basic unit of distance (or of length, in the parlance of the physical sciences) in the International System of Units. ... Pan American World Airways (Pan Am) was the United States principal international airline from the 1930s until its collapse in 1991, and was credited with many innovations that shaped the international airline industry. ... A jetliner is an airliner powered by jet engines (usually of the turbofan type). ... Air traffic controllers are persons who operate the air traffic control system to expedite and maintain a safe and orderly flow of air traffic and help prevent mid-air collisions. ... September is the ninth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four Gregorian months with the length of 30 days. ... 1990 is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Crew Frederick D. Gregory (3), Commander Terence T. Henricks (1), Pilot F. Story Musgrave (4), Mission Specialist Mario Runco, Jr. ...

In April 1996 Walker retired from the Navy and left NASA to become vice president for sales and marketing for NDC Voice Communications in San Diego, California. He joined Ultrafast, Inc. of Malvern, Pennsylvania in April 1999 as vice president of aerospace sales. Later he retired to McCall, Idaho, however he sometimes worked as a consultant to the Aerospace Industry. In 1998 Walker served as space technology consultant on the film Deep Impact. April is the fourth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of four with the length of 30 days. ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... City nickname Americas Finest City City flower Carnation City urban tree Jacaranda City native tree Torrey Pine Mayor Dick Murphy* City Attorney Michael Aguirre City Council District One District Two District Three District Four District Five District Six District Seven District Eight Scott Peters Michael Zucchet Toni Atkins Tony... Malvern is a borough located in Chester County, Pennsylvania. ... 1999 is a common year starting on Friday of the Common Era, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ... McCall is a city located in Valley County, Idaho. ... Aerospace engineering is the branch of engineering concerning aircraft, spacecraft and related topics. ... 1998 is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year of the Ocean. ... Space technology is a term that is often treated as a category. ... A consultant is a professional that provides expert advice in a particular domain or area of expertise such as accountancy, information technology, the law, human resources, marketing, medicine, finance or more esoteric areas of knowledge, for example engineering and scientific specialties such as materials science, instrumentation, avionics, and stress analysis. ... Deep Impact is a 1998 disaster film/science fiction film released by Paramount Pictures and DreamWorks Pictures. ...

Space Flight Experience

STS-51-A Discovery (November 8-16, 1984) was launched from and returned to land at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. During the mission the crew deployed two satellites, Canada’s Anik D-2 (Telesat H), and Hughes’ LEASAT-1 (Syncom IV-1). In the first space salvage mission in history the crew also retrieved for return to Earth the Palapa B-2 and Westar VI satellites. Mission duration was 127 Earth orbits in 7 days, 23 hours, 44 minutes, 56 seconds. STS 51-A was the fourteenth flight of a Space Shuttle and the second flight of Discovery. ... Shuttle Orbiter Discovery (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-103) is a NASA Space Shuttle. ... November 8 is the 312th day of the year (313th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 53 days remaining. ... November 16 is the 320th day of the year (321st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 45 days remaining. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Telesat Canada is a Canadian satellite communications company owned by BCE Inc. ... Syncom-type satellite Syncom was a program of three experimental, active geosynchronous communication satellites which was started by NASA in 1961. ... Westar was the name for the fleet of geosynchronous communications satellites operating in the C-band which were launched by Western Union from 1974 to 1984. ... Earth orbit is an orbit around the planet Earth. ...

STS-30 Atlantis (May 4-8, 1989) was launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida. During the 4-day mission the crew successfully deployed the Magellan Venus-exploration spacecraft, the first U.S. planetary science mission launched since 1978, and the first planetary probe to be deployed from the Shuttle. Magellan arrived at Venus in August 1990, and mapped over 95% of the surface of Venus. In addition, the crew also worked on secondary payloads involving fluid research in general, chemistry, and electrical storm studies. Following 64 orbits of the Earth, the STS-30 mission concluded with the first cross-wind landing test of the Shuttle Orbiter at Edwards Air Force Base, California. STS-30 was a space shuttle mission by NASA using the Space Shuttle Atlantis. ... Shuttle Orbiter Atlantis (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-104) is one of five NASA space shuttles. ... May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... May 8 is the 128th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (129th in leap years). ... 1989 is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Magellan spacecraft at Kennedy Space Center The Magellan spacecraft carried out a mission from 1989-1994, orbiting Venus from 1990-1994. ... 1978 was a common year starting on Sunday (the link is to a full 1978 calendar). ... (*min temperature refers to cloud tops only) Atmospheric characteristics Atmospheric pressure 9. ...

STS-53 Discovery (December 2-9, 1992) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, and also returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base, California. During 115 Earth orbits the five-man crew deployed a classified Department of Defense payload DOD-1 and then performed several Military-Man-in-Space and NASA experiments. Mission duration was 175 hours, 19 minutes, 17 seconds. Crew David M. Walker (3), Commander Robert D. Cabana (2), Pilot Guion S. Bluford (4), Mission Specialist 1 James S. Voss (2), Mission Specialist 2 Michael R. Clifford (1), Mission Specialist 3 Mission Parameters Mass: Orbiter landing with payload: 87,565 kg Payload: 11,860 kg Perigee: 365 km Apogee... December 2 is the 336th day (337th on leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... December 9 is the 343rd day (344th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The United States Department of Defense, abbreviated DoD or DOD and sometimes called the Defense Department, is a civilian Cabinet organization of the United States government. ...

STS-69 Endeavour (September 7-18, 1995) was launched from and returned to land at Kennedy Space Center, Florida. During the mission the crew successfully deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN satellite and the Wake Shield Facility. Also on board was the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker payload, and numerous secondary payloads and medical experiments. Mission duration was 10-days, 20 hours, 28 minutes. STS-69 is a Space Shuttle program mission. ... Shuttle Orbiter Endeavour (NASA Orbiter Vehicle Designation: OV-105) is the fifth and most recent NASA space shuttle to be built. ... September 7 is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years). ... September 18 is the 261st day of the year (262nd in leap years). ... 1995 was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

External Links

• Official NASA Bio (http://vesuvius.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/walker.html)
• Arlington National Cemetery Organization (http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/dmwalker.htm)
• Comments of Idaho Representative C.L. "Butch" Otter in the U.S. House of Representatives (http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewpr.html?pid=6624)