Dale Gardner

Dale Gardner was an American astronaut and United States Navy officer who flew on two Space Shuttle missions in the 1980s. Selected as part of NASA Astronaut Group 9, he is best known for his role in the first successful satellite retrieval and repair during the STS-51-A mission. His career spanned naval aviation, spaceflight, and later work in the aerospace industry.

Early life and education

Dale Allan Gardner was born in Fairmont, Minnesota, and grew up in Sherburn. He graduated from Sherburn High School before attending the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering physics in 1970. He subsequently received a commission through the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps program and entered the United States Navy. Gardner completed flight officer training at Naval Air Station Pensacola and was designated a Naval Flight Officer.

NASA career

Gardner was selected by NASA in May 1980 as part of NASA Astronaut Group 9. Following a period of astronaut candidate training at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, he qualified for assignment as a mission specialist. His initial technical assignments included supporting Space Shuttle software development at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory and serving in the Mission Control Center as a CAPCOM (capsule communicator) for several early shuttle flights. He was also involved in the development of procedures for spacewalks and satellite deployment operations.

Space Shuttle missions

Gardner's first spaceflight was aboard STS-8 in August 1983, the third flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger. Launched from Kennedy Space Center, the mission deployed the INSAT-1B satellite for India and tested the Canadarm robotic arm. The crew, which included Richard H. Truly and Daniel Brandenstein, also conducted biomedical experiments.

His second and most notable mission was STS-51-A in November 1984, again on Space Shuttle Discovery. The primary objective was to deploy two communications satellites, Anik D2 and Syncom IV-1. The mission then successfully completed the unprecedented task of retrieving two other satellites, Palapa B2 and Westar 6, which had been stranded in useless orbits after a previous shuttle mission. Gardner and fellow astronaut Joseph P. Allen performed two complex spacewalks, using the Manned Maneuvering Unit to capture the satellites and secure them in the shuttle's payload bay for return to Earth. This mission demonstrated critical in-orbit servicing capabilities.

Post-NASA career and later life

Gardner left NASA in October 1986 and returned to active duty with the United States Navy, serving at the United States Space Command in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He retired from the Navy with the rank of captain in 1990. He then joined the aerospace industry, working for TRW in their Space and Technology Group on advanced space systems. Later, he worked for the Northrop Grumman Corporation on programs related to missile defense. Gardner died suddenly at his home in Colorado Springs, Colorado in February 2014.

Awards and honors

For his service, Gardner received numerous awards including the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the NASA Space Flight Medal. He was also awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal and the Legion of Merit for his military contributions. He was a recipient of the AIAA Haley Space Flight Award and was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, New Mexico.

Category:American astronauts Category:NASA astronauts Category:United States Naval officers