Francis Richard Scobee (May 19, 1939 – January 28, 1986) was an American
pilot,
engineer, and
astronaut. He was
killed while he was commanding the
Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' in 1986, which suffered catastrophic
booster failure during launch of the
STS-51-L mission.
He held a
Bachelor of Science degree in
Aerospace Engineering, graduating from the
University of Arizona in 1965. He was a
reciprocating engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common fe ...
mechanic for the United States Air Force and served as a
combat aviator in the
Vietnam War.
Selected for
NASA Astronaut Corps in January 1978, Scobee completed his training in August 1979. While awaiting his first
orbital spaceflight mission, he served as an
instructor pilot for the Shuttle's
747 carrier aircraft. In April 1984, he piloted ''Challenger'' mission
STS-41-C, which successfully deployed one
satellite and repaired another.
Early life
Scobee was born May 19, 1939, in
Cle Elum, Washington, to Francis William Scobee and Edlynn (Miller) Scobee, he attended Washington Elementary School, Cascade Jr. High School, and
Auburn Senior High School, from which he graduated in 1957.
Air Force service
Scobee enlisted in the
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Si ...
in 1957, where he served as a
reciprocating engine
A reciprocating engine, also often known as a piston engine, is typically a heat engine that uses one or more reciprocating pistons to convert high temperature and high pressure into a rotating motion. This article describes the common fe ...
mechanic at
Kelly Air Force Base in
San Antonio,
Texas. While off duty, he attended
San Antonio College
San Antonio College (SAC) is a public community college in San Antonio, Texas. It is part of the Alamo Colleges District and the oldest public two-year college in Texas. The college has an average semester enrollment of 22,028 credit students a ...
, and eventually received a
Bachelor of Science degree in
Aerospace Engineering from the
University of Arizona in 1965. He was a member of
Tau Beta Pi. In 1965, he was awarded an
officer's commission. Afterward, he attended flight school and earned his
pilot wings in 1966, serving as a
combat aviator in the
Vietnam War. He was awarded the
Distinguished Flying Cross, the
Air Medal, and other decorations.
After his tour of duty, Scobee attended the
USAF Aerospace Research Pilot School (Class 71B) at
Edwards Air Force Base, 100 miles north of
Los Angeles,
California. Upon graduation in 1972, he became an Air Force
test pilot, logging thousands of hours of flight time in dozens of
aircraft, including the
Boeing 747, the experimental
X-24B lifting body, the
F-111 Aardvark
The General Dynamics F-111 Aardvark is a retired supersonic, medium-range, multirole combat aircraft. Production variants of the F-111 had roles that included ground attack (e.g. interdiction), strategic bombing (including nuclear weapons ca ...
, and the gigantic
C-5 Galaxy.
''Challenger''
Scobee was assigned commander for the ill-fated
STS-51-L mission, after having previously flown ''Challenger'' in
STS-41-C as a pilot. The mission, designed to deploy a satellite to study the approaching
Halley's Comet and to inaugurate the
Teacher in Space Project, was delayed numerous times due to bad weather and technical glitches. When the mission finally did lift off the
pad, a solid rocket booster
O-ring seal failure
destroyed the shuttle 73 seconds into the flight, killing Scobee and the other six crew members; the disaster, viewed live on national television, prompted several days of national mourning, as well as a major shakeup at NASA. He died a
lieutenant colonel. At T+68 into the mission, the CAPCOM
Richard Covey informed the crew that they were "go at throttle up", and Scobee confirmed the call—his last recorded words were his response, "Roger, go at throttle up." The shuttle broke up at an altitude of 48,000 feet (14.6 km).
Some experts, including one of NASA's lead investigators,
Robert Overmyer, who was closest to Scobee, believed most if not all of the crew were alive and possibly conscious during the entire descent until impact with the ocean. After the investigation, Overmyer stated, "I not only flew with Dick Scobee, we owned a plane together, and I know Scob did everything he could to save his crew. Scob fought for any and every edge to survive. He flew that ship without wings all the way down."
Family
His parents were Francis and Edlynn Scobee; he married Virginia June Kent (now June Scobee Rodgers; born 1942); he had two children, Kathie R. Scobee Fulgham and Lieutenant General
Richard W. Scobee. He is buried in
Arlington National Cemetery. June remarried in 1989 to retired Army LTG
Don Rodgers. Richard graduated from the
U.S. Air Force Academy, has flown
F-16s for the
USAF, and has commanded the
506th Air Expeditionary Group,
944th Fighter Wing
The 944th Fighter Wing is an Air Reserve component of the United States Air Force. It is assigned to Tenth Air Force, Air Force Reserve Command, stationed at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
The 944th is an associate unit of the 56th Fighter Wi ...
, the
301st Fighter Wing, the
10th Air Force
The Tenth Air Force (10 AF) is a unit of the U.S. Air Force, specifically a numbered air force of the Air Force Reserve Command (AFRC). 10 AF is headquartered at Naval Air Station Fort Worth Joint Reserve Base/Carswell Field (formerly Carswell ...
and
U.S. Air Force Reserve Command.
He led the military flyover during the pregame of
Super Bowl XXX, which was played on the 10th anniversary of the disaster in 1996.
Awards and recognition
On July 9, 1994, the San Antonio College Planetarium was rededicated The Scobee Planetarium. In 2004, Scobee was
posthumously awarded the
Congressional Space Medal of Honor and was inducted into the
Astronaut Hall of Fame
The United States Astronaut Hall of Fame, located inside the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex Heroes & Legends building on Merritt Island, Florida, honors American astronauts and features the world's largest collection of their personal memor ...
. After the ''Challenger'' disaster, a number of schools, streets, and municipal facilities in the U.S. were renamed in his honor. North Auburn Elementary School in Auburn, WA was renamed Dick Scobee Elementary, and
Auburn Municipal Airport became Dick Scobee Field.Dick Scobee Memorial Airfield is a radio-controlled and model aircraft facility located at George Bush Park in western Harris County, Texas. Multiple flying fields in his honor Control line, remote control, Glider, free flight and more
Scobee Road in
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, along with
Ronald McNair Boulevard and
Christa McAuliffe Street, commemorate Scobee and his fellow ''Challenger'' crew members. In
Houston, Texas' George Bush Park, there is a R/C (Remote Controlled) Flying Field named in his honor. He was portrayed by
Barry Bostwick in the 1990 TV film ''
Challenger
Challenger, Challengers, or The Challengers may refer to:
Entertainment
Comics and manga
* Challenger (character), comic book character
* ''Challengers'' (manga), manga by Hinako Takanaga
Film and TV
* ''The Challengers'' (TV series), a 197 ...
''. He also made an appearance in the 1985
IMAX documentary ''
The Dream is Alive'', shot during the STS-41C mission. In April 1986, Dick Scobee Elementary School was dedicated in a ceremony attended by his spouse, June.
References
External links
*
Francis R. Scobee – Arlington National Cemetery Elementary school named in his honour.]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Scobee, Dick
1939 births
1986 deaths
University of Arizona alumni
United States Air Force officers
United States Air Force personnel of the Vietnam War
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor
Recipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
Recipients of the Air Medal
United States Astronaut Hall of Fame inductees
U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni
Space Shuttle program astronauts
Space Shuttle Challenger disaster victims
People from Auburn, Washington
United States Air Force astronauts
People from Cle Elum, Washington
Military personnel from Washington (state)