William Benjamin Lenoir (1939-2010)

[mss]

Dzisiaj nadeszła smutna wiadomość o śmierci byłego astronauty NASA grupy 6 Williama B. Lenoir'a, który uległ wypadkowi rowerowemu 2 dni wcześniej !

Odbył on tylko 1 misję kosmiczną w 1982 roku (STS-5) wahadłowcem Columbia.

[NewMan]

William B. “Bill” Lenoir

Urodził się w 1939.
Ukończył elektrotechnikę na MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) w 1961 (bakalaureat) i 1962 (magisterium). Zdobył także tytuł doktora w 1965. Następnie pracował na MIT.

W 1967 wybrany do 6 grupy astronautów NASA (tzw. grupy naukowców). Przeszedł przeszkolenie astronautyczne i lotnicze. W swoim życiu wylatał ponad 3 tys. godzin na odrzutowcach.

Wybrany dublerem pilota-naukowca do misji Skylab-3 i Skylab-4. Podczas lotu Skylab-4 (1973/1974) był koordynatorem pomiędzy załogą i naukowcami w zakresie badań Słońca.
Miał szansę polecieć w kosmos w 1974 w ramach misji Skylab-5, ale niestety ten proponowany dwudziestodniowy lot na stację nie został zrealizowany.

W latach 1974-1976 szefował w NASA zespołowi badawczemu do spraw zasilania satelitów.

Przeszedł przygotowanie do lotu w zakresie specjalisty misji i został wybrany do misji STS-5 (pierwszej operacyjnej misji Columbii) w 1982; w której nastąpiło wprowadzenie na orbitę dwóch satelitów telekomunikacyjnych.

Przebywał w kosmosie 5 dni, 2 godziny i 15 minut.

Odszedł z grupy astronautów w 1984; pracował w firmach konsultingowych; w latach 1989-1992 ponownie w NASA jako zastępca administratora do spraw lotów kosmicznych, potem dalej w firmach konsultingowych.

[Orionid]

William Benjamin Lenoir (14.03.1939-26.08.2010)

14 marca 2019 astronauta obchodziłby 80. urodziny.
Z przyczyn technicznych nie odbyl w trakcie lotu EVA.
Ta misja zakończyła  5. lotów pod rząd tego samego wahadłowca. W przyszłości z uwagi na wchodzenie do służby kolejnych pojazdów taka sytuacja już się nie powtórzyła.
Był to pierwszy lot z rekordową wówczas 4-osobową załogą (do tej pory trzy razy startowały załogi 4-osobowe).

William Benjamin Lenoir to 114 człowiek w kosmosie.
Jego jedyny lot kosmiczny trwał 5d 02h 14m 25s.

https://www.nasa.gov/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/lenoir_william_0.pdf?emrc=cbc6b1

http://www.spacefacts.de/bios/astronauts/english/lenoir_william.htm
http://www.astronautix.com/l/lenoir.html
https://www.worldspaceflight.com/bios/l/lenoir-w.php

https://mek.kosmo.cz/bio/usa/00114.htm
https://www.kozmo-data.sk/kozmonauti/lenoir-william-benjamin.html
https://www.astronaut.ru/as_usa/text/lenoir.htm
https://www.april12.eu/usaastron/lenoir114ru.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_B._Lenoir
William Lenoir (astronauta)

https://mitmuseum.mit.edu/collections/person/lenoir-william-benjamin-13980?id=lenoir-william-benjamin-13980&constituentType=person
https://www.sciencephoto.com/media/829848/view/william-b-lenoir-houston-astronaut-parade-august-1969













O misji na stronie NASA https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/shuttle/shuttlemissions/archives/sts-5.html





An ‘Operational’ Machine? Thirty Years Since STS-5 (Part 1)
By Ben Evans, on November 10th, 2012

(...) In those days, there was no system of Tracking and Data Relay Satellites to provide near-continuous voice and data coverage; in fact, the crew was only in communication with Mission Control in Houston for perhaps 15-20 percent of each orbit. Significantly, said Lenoir, the SBS-3 and Anik-C3 deployments were to occur whilst crossing the equator and “we never had communication with the ground” at this time. As a result, the astronaut supervising each satellite – Lenoir for SBS-3 and Allen for Anik-C3 – effectively became the satellite’s launch director, with the real final say over whether to deploy or not. Lenoir coined a new name for the two of them: ‘Orbital Launch Directors’. (...)
https://www.americaspace.com/2012/11/10/an-operational-machine-thirty-years-since-sts-5-part-1

An ‘Operational’ Machine? Thirty Years Since STS-5 (Part 2)
By Ben Evans, on November 11th, 2012


Bill Lenoir (left, with red stripes on the legs of his suit) and Joe Allen prepare for an underwater training exercise. Allen would go on to perform two EVAs in November 1984 – participating in the triumphant salvage of the Palapa and Westar satellites – but for Lenoir the chance to venture outside the airlock would slip forever through his fingers. Photo Credit: NASA

(...) Unfortunately, none of this happened; at least, not on STS-5. In fact, no spacewalker would successfully leave Columbia’s airlock until STS-87 in November 1997. Lenoir and Allen’s EVA was initially postponed by 24 hours until 15 November when both Lenoir and Overmyer suffered a particularly severe dose of space sickness. Overmyer’s suffering began on the second day of the mission. “He filled a couple of [vomit] bags,” Lenoir told the NASA oral historian, “but I never stopped giving Bob credit. We had a bunch of engineering tests to do. Sitting up in the pilot’s seat, taking data, doing this, that and the other, he never missed a step. He’d puke his guts out and he’d get back to work…and he felt crappy for two days!” Shortly after Overmyer began to feel bad, it was Lenoir’s turn.

In subsequent conversations with physician-astronaut Bill Thornton, Lenoir felt that he had psyched himself up for the two satellite deployments, then allowed himself to relax; a wrong move. It felt, said Lenoir, very much like a low-grade hangover. He could work, but did not want to exert himself physically or mentally, other than to curl up and sleep it off. As circumstances transpired, that is exactly what happened. The EVA with Allen was delayed, allowing Lenoir some time to “sack out in the middeck”. (...)
https://www.americaspace.com/2012/11/11/an-operational-machine-thirty-years-since-sts-5-part-2/

[Orionid]

Zmarł astronauta William Lenoir
BY MICHAŁ MOROZ ON 29 SIERPNIA 2010


William Lenoir (1939-2010)

28 sierpnia w wyniku obrażeń odniesionych w wypadku rowerowym zmarł William Lenoir, członek szóstej grupy astronautów NASA. Miał 71 lat.

Lenoir został wybrany na astronautę w 1967 roku. Swój jedyny lot kosmiczny odbył dopiero w 1982 roku podczas piątej misji wahadłowca (Columbia, STS-5). Misja ta była pierwszym operacyjnym lotem programu wahadłowców – brała w niej udział rekordowa jak na ówczesne czasy, czteroosobowa załoga. Lenoir miał uczestniczyć w pierwszym spacerze kosmicznym programu STS. EVA została jednak odwołana z powodu problemów technicznych.

Lenoir odszedł z NASA w 1984 roku i rozpoczął pracę w firmie Booz Allen Hamilton zajmującej się konsultingiem technologicznym. Do agencji wrócił w 1989 aby objąć posadę zastępcy dyrektora ds. lotów kosmicznych. W 1992 roku opuścił agencję NASA po raz drugi, aby objąć posadę wiceprezesa działu systemów stosowanych w Booz Allen Hamilton.

(NASA)
https://kosmonauta.net/2010/08/zmar-astronauta-william-lenoir/#prettyPhoto

[Orionid]

Scientist-astronaut and former MIT professor William B. Lenoir dies at 71
September 3, 2010 News Office

An MIT junior faculty member in the 1960s, he later flew on the space shuttle and became a NASA associate administrator.


Photo: NASA

William B. Lenoir ’61, SM ’62, PhD ’65, a former MIT professor and scientist-astronaut who flew as a mission specialist on the fifth flight of the U.S. space shuttle, died on Aug. 26 in Florida as a result of head injuries sustained during a bicycle accident. He was 71.

“He was a model for what the science astronaut should be,” said Laurence Young, the Apollo Professor of Astronautics at MIT and a former member of the astronaut corps, who knew Lenoir from his days at NASA.

MIT has always been a major source of astronauts, but Young noted that Lenoir was “the only one to have gone from active faculty status to become a flown astronaut — and he brought with him the mature analytical judgment of an MIT ‘lifer.’” (Two other MIT faculty have served in the astronaut office: Young was a payload specialist but served only as flight alternate, and Professor of the Practice Jeffrey Hoffman, who made five space shuttle flights, joined MIT’s academic instructional staff after he left NASA.)

From 1964 to 1965, Lenoir was an instructor at MIT, and in 1965, he was named assistant professor of electrical engineering. His work at MIT included teaching electromagnetic theory and systems theory as well as performing research in remote sensing. He was an investigator in several satellite experiments and continued research in this area while fulfilling his astronaut assignments. He was a Sloan Scholar and winner of the Carleton E. Tucker Award for Teaching Excellence at MIT.

Lenoir was selected as a scientist-astronaut by NASA in August 1967. He was backup science pilot for Skylab 3 and Skylab 4, the second and third manned missions in the Skylab Program. During Skylab 4, he was co-leader of the visual observations project and coordinator between the flight crew and the principal investigators for the solar science experiments.

From September 1974 to July 1976, Lenoir worked as leader of the NASA Satellite Power Team. This team was formed to investigate the potential of large-scale satellite power systems for terrestrial utility consumption. Lenoir supported the space shuttle program in the areas of orbit operations, training, extravehicular activity, and payload deployment and retrieval.

In 1982, Lenoir logged more than 122 hours in space as a mission specialist on the shuttle mission STS-5, the first flight to deploy commercial satellites. Following STS-5, Lenoir was responsible for the direction and management of mission development within the Astronaut Office.

Lenoir left NASA in September 1984, to assume a position with management and technology consulting firm Booz, Allen & Hamilton Inc. He returned to NASA in June 1989 as the associate administrator for space flight, responsible for the development, operating and implementation of the necessary policy for the space shuttle and all U.S. government civil launch activities. He left NASA again in April 1992 for Booz Allen.

“When he returned to NASA as associate administrator for space flight, during the critical formative years of the International Space Station, he continued to show his technical acumen and good-natured leadership,” Young said of Lenoir. “During that period, when he was overseeing all of the human flight programs, he once remarked to me ‘When you find out who is in charge of the Space Station, be sure to let me know.’”

As an alumnus, Lenoir remained active with MIT through various volunteer efforts. Beginning right after his graduation, Lenoir took an annual fund role in the second century fund campaign; recently he was vice president of the Alumni Association's Board of Directors and a member of the Committee on Nominations for Corporation Visiting Committees. He also served as a leader in the Class of 1961, and was working on his 50th reunion and reunion gift at the time of his passing. He was a leader with the Sigma Alpha Epsilon (SAE) alumni group, hosting reunions of his fraternity brothers and working on SAE’s recolonization. He was an alumni nominee to the MIT Corporation from 1992-1997 and served on the Aeronautics and Astronautics Visiting Committee from 1992-2009.

In 2009, Lenoir chaired the Alumni Association’s Ad Hoc Committee on Organizing Alumni for K-12 Education. Drawing on his experiences as a partner at Booz, Allen & Hamilton, Inc., and as a senior administrator in NASA, he led an analysis of the roles alumni can play in addressing the critical national educational issue.

Lenoir was awarded the NASA Exceptional Service Medal in 1974 and the NASA Space Flight Medal in 1982. He was a senior member of the IEEE, a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Eta Kappa Nu and the Society of Sigma Xi.

Lenoir is survived by his wife, Terri Waite, and three grown children.

http://news.mit.edu/2010/obit-lenoir#share-choices

[Orionid]

William Lenoir, astronaut who flew on first operational space shuttle mission, dies


Bill Lenoir, aboard space shuttle Columbia's flight deck during the STS-5 mission, takes a break to eat a meal. (NASA)

This article was updated on Aug. 30, 2010. It was updated to correct the date of Lenoir's passing based on information received from his family.

August 29, 2010 — Former NASA astronaut William "Bill" Lenoir, who flew aboard the first operational mission of the space shuttle in November 1982, died at age 71.

According to family members, Lenoir died Thursday, Aug. 26 after suffering head injuries during a bicycle accident earlier that day.

Lenoir, who was selected by NASA for its sixth astronaut group and second class of "scientist-astronauts" in 1967, did not fly in space until 15 years later as a member of the STS-5 crew.

The STS-5 space shuttle mission in 1982 was the fifth for orbiter Columbia and the first considered operational after four test flights. The mission launched with two satellites and four crewmembers, including Lenoir. It was the largest crew for a spaceflight at the time.

Lenoir served during the Nov. 11, 1982 launch as the first flight engineer, aiding commander Vance Brand and pilot Robert Overmyer from his seat on Columbia's flight deck. Five days later, when it came time to return to Earth, he traded places with fellow mission specialist Joseph Allen, becoming the first to experience a shuttle reentry from the orbiter's middeck.

Lenoir and Allen were scheduled to establish another first together -- the first spacewalk from the shuttle -- but after being delayed a day due to Lenoir becoming ill, the outing was canceled due to mechanical issues with both of their spacesuits.


Bill Lenoir and his STS-5 crewmates display a sign advertising satellite deployment by the "Ace Moving Company." (NASA)

The mission successfully deployed its two communication satellites, the first commercial shuttle payloads, leading to the crew displaying a sign dubbing themselves the "Ace Moving Company" with the motto, "We Deliver."

Landing on Nov. 16 at Edwards Air Force Base, California, Lenoir and his three crewmates had logged more than 2.1 million miles. For Lenoir, their 81 orbits would be his only spaceflight experience.

Lenoir was offered another mission, the STS-61A flight in October 1985 that flew the German-managed D1 Spacelab aboard orbiter Challenger, but he ultimately declined citing the time that training would require he would be away from his family and his desire to start a new career.

Lenoir left NASA's astronaut corps in September 1984 to join the aerospace management and consulting firm Booz Allen Hamilton of Bethesda, Maryland.

He returned to the space agency five years later however, becoming Associate Administrator for Space Flight under NASA Administrator and fellow astronaut Richard Truly.

For three years, Lenoir oversaw all U.S. manned missions from the third shuttle flight to follow the loss of Challenger through the maiden mission of orbiter Endeavour.

Leaving NASA for a second and last time, Lenoir rejoined Booz Allen Hamilton in 1992 as Vice President for Applied Systems. He remained in that position for eight years until his retirement in April 2000.


William "Bill" Lenoir's portrait taken prior to STS-5. (NASA)

William Benjamin "Bill" Lenoir was born March 14, 1939 in Miami, Florida, which would later establish him as the first native-born Floridian astronaut. A descendant of General William Lenoir, a Revolutionary War officer, he developed an early interest in math and science.

He earned his bachelor's, master's, and doctorate degrees in electrical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he also taught, first as an instructor and then as an assistant professor.

In 1965 while at MIT, Lenoir also worked as a researcher and investigator on Apollo Application experiments, which would evolve into the Skylab space station. Joining NASA two years later, he would continue this work from inside the agency.

For the decade and a half between his being selected as an astronaut and his flying in space, Lenoir served as a back-up crew member for the second and third missions to Skylab, coordinating solar observations for the latter as capcom, and later leading NASA's Satellite Power Team, investigating the potential of adapting large-scale space power systems for use on Earth.

Beginning in 1976, he was involved in the development of the space shuttle, in the areas of orbit operations, training, extravehicular activity (also known as spacewalking), and payload deployment and retrieval.

Lenoir also completed a 53-week flight training course at Laughlin Air Force Base in Texas, ultimately logging over 3,000 hours of flying time in jet aircraft.

A recipient of the NASA Exceptional Service Medal and NASA Space Flight Medal, Lenoir was a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the winner of the Carleton E. Tucker Award for Teaching Excellence at MIT.

Twice married, first to Elizabeth May Frost, whom he met as an undergraduate, and then Terri Waite, a retired NASA engineer, Lenoir is survived by three grown children.

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-082910a.html