Gary Payton
Gary Eugene Payton is a retired United States Air Force officer and former Manned Spaceflight Engineer who flew on STS-51-C.
- Born
- June 20, 1948
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Rock Island, Illinois,United States
Flights
1
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
3 days, 1 hour, 33 minutes
Bio
Payton graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and completed graduate study at Purdue University. His Air Force career included engineering, space-systems work, and assignment to the military shuttle payload program.
He flew aboard Discovery on STS-51-C, the first dedicated Department of Defense shuttle mission. As a , he supported classified military payload operations rather than NASA mission-specialist duties.
Gary Payton flew on STS-51-C. The birthplace listed as Rock Island, Illinois, United States gives the profile geographic context, but the career is best understood through the training, mission role, and program responsibilities described above.