Donald H. Peterson

One hundred and twenty hours of space flight defined the orbital career of Donald H. Peterson, a United States Air Force colonel turned NASA astronaut. His contributions spanned from the cancelled Manned Orbiting Laboratory program to the maiden voyage of the space shuttle Challenger, where he conducted critical testing on extravehicular mobility equipment.

Military Service and Technical Education

Born in Winona, Mississippi, in 1933, Peterson attended Winona High School before enrolling at the United States Military Academy. Upon his graduation in 1955, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant. His early military career involved four years as a flight instructor and military training officer, followed by three years as a nuclear systems analyst. He earned a Master of Science degree in nuclear engineering in 1962 and later studied at the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School located at Edwards Air Force Base.

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Transition to NASA Operations

Peterson was originally assigned to the USAF Manned Orbiting Laboratory program. Following the cancellation of that project, he joined NASA Astronaut Group 7 in September 1969. He contributed to the Apollo 16 mission as part of the support crew. After retiring from the Air Force with the rank of colonel, he continued his work at NASA as a civilian, focusing on safety assessments and man-machine interface systems.

The STS-6 Mission

Launched on April 4, 1983, from the Kennedy Space Center, STS-6 marked the first flight of the space shuttle Challenger. Peterson served as a mission specialist alongside Paul J. Weitz, Karol J. Bobko, and Story Musgrave. During the mission, Peterson and Musgrave performed the inaugural extravehicular activity for the Shuttle program. This spacewalk validated new space suits, airlock functionality, and repair techniques. The mission concluded on April 9, 1983, at Edwards Air Force Base after 120 hours of orbital operations.

Post-Career and Final Years

Peterson resigned from the NASA Astronaut Corps in November 1984, subsequently providing consulting services regarding crewed aerospace operations. He married Bonnie Ruth Love in 1957, with whom he had three children. Peterson died in El Lago, Texas, on May 27, 2018, at the age of 84, following diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease and bone cancer.