Stephen Kent Hawley (born December 12, 1951) is an American physicist and former NASA astronaut. He is a veteran of five Space Shuttle missions and played a significant role in the deployment and servicing of the Hubble Space Telescope.
Early Life and Education
Hawley was born in Salina, Kansas, and considers Salina and Topeka, Kansas, his hometowns. He graduated from Salina High School South in 1969. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Astronomy (with highest distinction) from the University of Kansas in 1973, where he was a member of the Phi Beta Kappa honor society. In 1977, he received a Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Astronomy and Astrophysics from the University of California, Santa Cruz. His doctoral research focused on photometric and spectroscopic studies of peculiar galaxies and radio galaxies.
NASA Career
Hawley was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978, becoming part of NASA Astronaut Group 8, often referred to as "TFNG" (Thirty-Five New Guys). He completed his astronaut training in August 1979.
During his career at NASA, Hawley held various technical assignments, including:
- Supporting Space Shuttle orbiter test and checkout at the Kennedy Space Center.
- Acting as a support crewmember for STS-2, -3, and -4.
- Working as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM) in Mission Control for several Shuttle missions.
- Serving as Assistant Director of Flight Crew Operations.
- Serving as Director of Astrobiology at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Hawley flew on five Space Shuttle missions, accumulating over 770 hours in space:
Space Shuttle Missions
- STS-41-D (Discovery): Hawley served as a mission specialist on the maiden flight of Space Shuttle Discovery, launched from Kennedy Space Center on August 30, 1984. The mission deployed three communications satellites and conducted a large array of scientific experiments.
- STS-51-I (Discovery): As a mission specialist, Hawley flew again aboard Discovery, launched on August 27, 1985. This mission deployed three more communications satellites and successfully retrieved and repaired the Leasat-3 satellite.
- STS-31 (Discovery): Launched on April 24, 1990, Hawley was a mission specialist on this mission, which successfully deployed the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) into Earth orbit.
- STS-82 (Discovery): Hawley served as a mission specialist on this second Hubble Space Telescope Servicing Mission, launched on February 11, 1997. The mission successfully upgraded the HST with new instruments, significantly enhancing its scientific capabilities.
- STS-93 (Columbia): Launched on July 23, 1999, Hawley's final spaceflight saw him as a mission specialist on the mission that deployed the Chandra X-ray Observatory, another of NASA's Great Observatories.
Post-NASA Career
After leaving NASA, Hawley joined the faculty of the University of Kansas in 2008 as a professor of physics and astronomy. His work at the university includes teaching and contributing to research in astrophysics.
Awards and Honors
Hawley has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career, including:
- NASA Space Flight Medals (five awards)
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Outstanding Leadership Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- University of Kansas Distinguished Service Citation
- Kansas Aviation Hall of Fame
- United States Astronaut Hall of Fame (inducted in 2007)
See Also
- List of astronauts by first flight
- Hubble Space Telescope