Richard H. Truly
Richard Harrison Truly was an American naval aviator, test pilot, astronaut, vice admiral, and NASA administrator. He was selected for the first Manned Orbiting Laboratory group, transferred to NASA after MOL ended, flew Enterprise approach-and-landing tests, and later became one of NASA's top leaders.
- Born
- November 12, 1937
- Died
- February 27, 2024
- Birthplace
- Fayette, Mississippi,United States
Flights
3
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
8 days, 7 hours, 21 minutes
Bio
Truly's early astronaut work came before orbital shuttle flight. In 1977 he flew as pilot for Joe Engle's Enterprise Approach and Landing Test crew, helping prove that the winged shuttle could separate from its carrier aircraft, glide, and land on a runway.
He flew to orbit as pilot of STS-2 in 1981, the second shuttle mission and the first reuse of a crewed spacecraft for orbital flight. The mission was shortened by a fuel-cell problem but still proved that Columbia could return to space and land again.
Truly then commanded STS-8 in 1983, Challenger's third flight and the first shuttle mission to launch and land at night. After leaving the astronaut office, he became a senior Navy and NASA leader, including Associate Administrator for Space Flight after the Challenger accident.
In 1989 Truly became NASA administrator, guiding the agency through a difficult post-Challenger period and the early planning era for what became the International . His career spans MOL, Enterprise tests, orbital shuttle flight, and national space-policy leadership.