|
![]() National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
| Lyndon
B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 |
NAME:
Stuart Allen Roosa (Colonel, USAF, Ret.)
NASA Astronaut (Deceased)
PERSONAL DATA: Born August 16, 1933, in Durango, Colorado. Died December 12, 1994. He is survived by his wife Joan, three sons and one daughter.
EDUCATION: Attended Justice Grade School and Claremore High School in Claremore, Oklahoma; studied at Oklahoma State University and the University of Arizona and was graduated with honors and a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Colorado; presented an Honorary Doctorate of Letters from the University of St. Thomas (Houston, Texas) in 1971; completed the Advanced Management Course at Harvard Business School in 1973.
ORGANIZATIONS: Society of Experimental Test Pilots, New York Safari Club, Board of Directors, People-to-People Sports Committee, Hunting Hall of Fame, Circumnavigators Club, Explorers Club, Confederate Air Force, Shikar-Safari-Club, Gulfport Yacht Club.
SPECIAL HONORS: NASA Distinguished Service Medal; JSC Superior Achievement Award (1970); Air Force Command Pilot Astronaut Wings; Air Force Distinguished Service Medal; the Arnold Air Society's John F. Kennedy Award (1971); the City of New York Gold Medal in 1971; the American Astronautical Society's Flight Achievement Award for 1971; the Order of Tchad (1973); and the Order of Central African Empire (1973).
EXPERIENCE: Roosa retired as a Colonel from the Air
Force in 1976. His active duty was from 1953 to 1976. Prior to joining NASA,
he was an experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, California--an
assignment he held from September 1965 to May 1966, following graduation from
the Aerospace Research Pilots School.
He was a maintenance flight test pilot at Olmstead Air Force Base, Pennsylvania,
from July 1962 to August 1964, flying F-101 aircraft. He served as Chief of
Service Engineering (AFLC) at Tachikawa Air base for two years following graduation
from the University of Colorado under the Air Force Institute of Technology
Program. Prior to this tour of duty, he was assigned as a fighter pilot at Langley
Air Force Base, Virginia, where he flew the F-84F and F-100 aircraft.
He attended Gunnery School at Del Rio and Luke Air Force Bases and is a graduate
of the Aviation Cadet Program at Williams Air Force Base, Arizona, where he
received his flight training commission in the Air Force.
He logged 5,500 hours of flying time--5,000 hours in jet aircraft.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Colonel Roosa was one of the 19 astronauts
selected by NASA in April 1966. He was a member of the astronaut support crew
for the Apollo 9 flight.
He completed his first space flight as command module pilot on Apollo 14, January
31 - February 9, 1971. With him on man's third lunar landing mission were Alan
B. Shepard (spacecraft commander) and Edgar D. Mitchell (lunar module pilot).
Maneuvering their lunar module, "Antares," to a landing in the hilly
upland Fra Mauro region of the moon, Shepard and Mitchell subsequently deployed
and activated various scientific equipment and experiments and proceeded to
collect almost 100 pounds of lunar samples for return to earth. Throughout this
33-hour period of lunar surface activities, Roosa remained in lunar orbit aboard
the command module, "Kittyhawk," to conduct a variety of assigned
photographic and visual observations. Apollo 14 achievements include: first
use of the Mobile Equipment Transporter (MET); largest payload placed in lunar
orbit; longest distance traversed on the lunar surface; largest payload returned
from the lunar surface; longest lunar surface stay time (33 hours); longest
lunar surface EVA (9 hours and 17 minutes); first use of shortened lunar orbit
rendezvous techniques; first use of color TV with a new vidicon tube on lunar
surface; the first extensive orbital science period conducted during CSM solo
operations.
In completing his first space flight, Roosa logged a total of 216 hours and
42 minutes in space.
He served as backup command pilot for the Apollo 16 and 17 missions, and was
assigned to the space shuttle program until his retirement in 1976.
BUSINESS EXPERIENCE: From February 5, 1976 to July 1,
1977, Colonel Rossa served as Corporate Vice President, International Operations,
U.S. Industries, Inc., Oak Brook, Illinois, and President, USI Middle East Development
Company, Ltd., Athens, Greece. Performed assessment at corporate level, establishing
areas of marketing potential and schedule of priorities for U.S. Industries,
Inc., throughout the Middle East region. Initiated product development activities
of appropriate divisions of U.S. Industries to better insure product compatibility
with requirements of Middle East Countries.
July 1977 to March 1981, Vice President Advanced Planning, Charles Kenneth Campbell
Investments. Commercial real estate development.
March 1981 to present, president and owner Gulf Coast Coors, Inc., Gulfport,
Mississippi.
Roosa died on December 12, 1994, due to complications of pancreatitis.
DECEMBER 1994