Discovery (STS-53) launched 1992

STS-53 crew

Back row (L-R): David Walker, Robert Cabana, Michael Clifford

Front row (L-R): Guion Bluford, James Voss

STS-53 mission patch

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-53) launched December 2, 1992, carrying a classified payload for the Department of Defense. Its crew consisted of Commander David Walker, Robert Cabana, Guion Bluford (final flight), Michael Clifford (first flight), and James Voss.

One of the unclassified payload was the Orbital Debris Radar Calibration Spheres (ODERACS), which put objects of known size and shape into orbit.  The experiment was used to calibrate radars and telescopes for measuring orbital debris.

The crew returned to Earth December 9.

David Walker, Space Shuttle astronaut, born 1944

David Walker, born May 20, 1944 in Columbus, Georgia, is a veteran of four space shuttle flights.

His first flight was aboard Discovery (STS-51-A) as pilot in November 1984.  The flight recovered two satellites.

His second flight was aboard Atlantis (STS-30) as commander in May 1989.  The primary objective of the mission was to deploy the Magellan spacecraft to Venus.

His third flight was aboard Discovery (STS-53) as commander in December 1992.  It was a mission dedicated to the US Department of Defense.

His fourth and final flight was aboard Endeavour (STS-69) as commander in September 1995.  It was the second flight of the Wake Shield Facility.

He passed away from cancer in April 2001.

Endeavour (STS-69) launched 1995

STS-69 crew

Seated (L-R): Kenneth Cockrell, David Walker; 

Standing (L-R): Michael Gernhardt, James Newman, James Voss

Mission patch

Space Shuttle Endeavour (STS-69) launched September 7, 1995 for the 100th successful manned spaceflight for NASA.  Its crew consisted of Commander David Walker, Pilot Kenneth Cockrell, James Voss, James Newman, and Michael Gernhardt.

It was also the second flight of the Wake Shield Facility.  Other experiments investigated bone loss during space flights, monitoring and measuring long-term variations in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) from the sun and tested assembly techniques for the International Space Station.

They returned to Earth September 18.

Atlantis (STS-30) launched 1989

STS-30 crew (L-R): Ronald Grabe, David Walker, Norman Thagard, Mary Cleave, Mark Lee

Mission patch

Space shuttle Atlantis (STS-30), launched May 4, 1989, deployed the Magellan space probe to Venus.  Atlantis' crew consisted of Commander David Walker, Pilot Ronald Grabe, Mark Lee, Norman Thagard and Mary Cleave.

The Magellan probe was deployed only 6 hours and 14 minutes after takeoff.  The crew returned home May 8.

Discovery (STS-51-A) launched 1984

L-R: Dale Gardner, David Walker, Anna Fisher, Fred Hauck, Joseph Allen

(That's not a real bald eagle.)

Space Shuttle Discovery (STS-51-A) took off from Kennedy Space Center November 8, 1984 and landed back there 8 days later.  It was her second flight.  During the mission, the crew of Discovery deployed two satellites and retrieved two other satellites that were malfunctioning.  Her crew consisted of Commander Fred Hauck, Pilot David Walker, Mission Specialist Joseph Allen, Mission Specialist Anna Fisher and Mission Specialist Dale Gardner.

Gardner and Allen performed the EVAs to capture the satellites.

Anna Fisher was the first mother in space.  She had a one year-old daughter at the time of the mission.

The mission began on Dale Gardner's 36th birthday.  He was born November 8, 1948 in Fairmount, Minnesota and passed away February 19th 2014.  David Walker has also passed away.