— Former NASA astronaut Jon McBride, who was the pilot on the primary mission to launch seven individuals into area, has died on the age of 80.
McBride’s demise on Wednesday (Aug. 7) was confirmed by NASA after the company heard from his household.
“Jon McBride devoted himself to the nation we love. His management throughout one of many early area shuttle missions — because the pilot for the primary crew of seven — expanded our potentialities within the stars. He was my good friend, and we’ll miss him,” mentioned NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson in a social media put up.
A member of the “TFNG” (“Thirty-5 New Guys”), NASA’s first group of area shuttle astronauts chosen in 1978, McBride’s first and solely flight into area was as pilot of the area shuttle Challenger’s sixth flight into area on Oct. 5, 1984.
“We lifted off, began accelerating, and it was simply — wow,” mentioned McBride in a NASA oral historical past interview in 2012. “Simulators are good, however that is simply one thing else, and also you rise up to 3Gs [three times the force of gravity] after which it is an entire totally different place in your life. Not that I hadn’t had 3Gs earlier than; I might [just] by no means had them by way of my chest for 3 minutes.”
McBride’s six crewmates included STS-41G commander Bob Crippen, who three years earlier had been pilot on the primary flight of the area shuttle program; mission specialists Kathy Sullivan, Sally Experience and David Leestma; and payload specialists Paul Scully-Energy and Marc Garneau.
The eight-day mission was the primary to fly two ladies (together with Experience, who on a earlier Challenger flight had grow to be the primary American girl in area). It was additionally the primary to see a U.S. girl carry out a spacewalk (Sullivan) and the primary flights of Australian (Scully-Energy) and Canadian (Garneau) crew members.
McBride and his crewmates deployed the Earth Radiation Price range Satellite tv for pc (ERBS), which recorded the vitality emitted by the Solar and the way a lot bounced off Earth’s environment into area, and operated Shuttle Imaging Radar-B (SIR-B), which collected radar pictures our planet from a number of totally different angles.
McBride and his crew’s actions have been documented utilizing a large-format 70mm digital camera and featured within the 1985 IMAX documentary “The Dream is Alive.”
On Oct. 13, 1984, Crippen and McBride introduced Challenger again to Earth, touchdown the area shuttle for under the second time at Kennedy Area Heart in Florida.
“I am not attempting to decrease the entry and the touchdown, however if you happen to can fly airplanes on and off of plane carriers and do all of the issues that we do and also you comply with the procedures, flying the area shuttle is fairly simple after a couple of thousand hours of observe in it and simulators and the shuttle coaching airplanes,” mentioned McBride. “Golly, it was good to be again on Earth and have an ideal touchdown and rollout on time and all people’s pleased. We did all of our mission goals. However flying the area shuttle might be one of many simpler airplanes I’ve ever flown.”
As one of many 5 first-time fliers on the mission, McBride logged 8 days, 5 hours, 23 minutes and 33 seconds in area whereas touring 3.3 million miles (5.3 million kilometers) throughout 133 journeys across the planet. He was the 156th particular person to fly into area and 149th to orbit Earth in response to the Affiliation of Area Explorers’ Registry of Area Vacationers.
Jon Andrew McBride was born on Aug. 14, 1943 in Charleston, West Virginia, however thought of Beckley to be his hometown. He attended West Virginia College from 1960 to 1964 and acquired a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate Faculty in 1971.
In 1965, McBride reported to Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida for naval aviation coaching and, after incomes his wings, was assigned as a naval aviator to Fighter Squadron 101 at Naval Air Station Oceana in Virginia. He was later assigned to Fighter Squadrons 41, 11 and 103, and flew 64 fight missions whereas deployed to Southeast Asia.
McBride then attended the U.S. Air Pressure Check Pilot Faculty at Edwards Air Pressure Base, previous to reporting as a upkeep officer and Sidewinder venture officer to Air Check and Growth Squadron 4 at Level Mugu, California. It was whereas serving on this place that McBride was chosen by NASA for its astronaut corps.
“Six o’clock within the morning precisely, which might have been eight o’clock in Houston, I heard the cellphone ringing,” mentioned McBride. “I used to be barely awake after I picked up the cellphone.”
The cellphone name was from George Abbey, then NASA’s director of flight operations, informing McBride he had been chosen.
“Wow! I used to be awake now. I felt like I levitated about three ft up and doing,” McBride recalled.
As of 1979, McBride had flown greater than 40 various kinds of army and civilian plane and piloted the Navy “Spirit of ’76” bicentennial-painted F-4J “Phantom in varied air exhibits from 1976 to 1978. He logged greater than 8,800 hours flying time, together with 4,700 hours in jet plane.
Previous to his personal spaceflight, McBride was the lead chase pilot for STS-1, the primary flight of the area shuttle Columbia, in 1981.
“It was excessive overhead, 40,000 ft [12,200 meters], when John and Bob got here out of orbit and made that first touchdown at Edwards, and we have been joined up with them about 30,000 ft [9,150 m] or so. We have been there primarily — they known as us security chase, however I feel one of the best factor that got here out of the entire rendezvous and fly-down was that we obtained some good images,” mentioned McBride. “Our major job was to scan the shuttle because it got here out of orbit, as a result of we would by no means completed it earlier than, and if there’s hydraulic leaks or lacking components of their management system, we may inform them. I do not understand how a lot good it might have completed, what they might have completed, however, luckily, there was no downside.”
McBride additionally labored on certifying flight software program within the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL) at NASA’s Johnson Area Heart in Houston, in addition to served as capcom (capsule communicator) in Mission Management for STS-5, STS-6 and STS-7. He additionally managed the Flight Knowledge File (FDF) and helped develop orbital rendezvous procedures.
After touchdown on STS-41G, McBride was named commander of STS-61E, main a crew of six on a deliberate nine-day flight aboard Columbia. The astronomy-dedicated mission was focused for launch on March 6, 1986, however was canceled within the wake of the lack of area shuttle Challenger and its STS-51L crew in January of that yr. (The mission’s ASTRO-1 payload was later flown on STS-35 in 1990.)
In July 1987, McBride was transferred to NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. to function Assistant Administrator for Congressional Relations. He held this place, overseeing NASA’s communications with Congress, by way of March 1989, when he retired from NASA and the Navy (the latter with the rank of captain).
McBride was president and chief government officer of Flying Eagle Company in Lewisburg, West Virginia and an government affiliate for R.L. Bliss & Associates, Inc. in Charleston, earlier than coming into the race for Governor of West Virginia in 1996. He misplaced the Republican nomination to Cecil Underwood.
In 2005, McBride joined the administration on the Kennedy Area Heart Customer Advanced, overseeing the day by day “Astronaut Encounter” and “Dine With an Astronaut” instructional packages. McBride additionally suggested on the touchdown sequence for the complicated’s $60 million “Shuttle Launch Expertise” experience. He retired in 2020.
“We’re deeply saddened by the passing of Captain Jon McBride, an American hero and veteran NASA astronaut,” learn a press release from the Kennedy Area Heart Customer Advanced. “Jon impressed numerous visitors, crewmembers and folks throughout his time working on the customer complicated and all through his profession.”
For his service to the nation’s area program, McBride was awarded the NASA Area Flight Medal and was bestowed with three honorary doctorates from West Virginia College (1985), the College of Charleston (1987) and West Virginia Institute of Know-how (1987).
On Sept. 23, 2011, the NASA Impartial Verification and Validation Facility (IV&V) in Fairmont, West Virginia named a NASA software program laboratory the “Jon McBride Software program Testing and Analysis Laboratory,” or JSTAR. The lab helps finish to finish testing on mission flight software program.
McBride was married to the previous Brenda Lou Stewart in 1966 and so they had three youngsters. He and Brenda divorced in 1986. McBride then married the previous Sharon Lynn White in 1988. He’s preceded in demise by his eldest son, Richard McBride; one among his eight grandchildren, Ryan; and one his STS-41G crewmate Sally Experience.
