The career of Manley Lanier Carter Jr., known as Sonny, bridged the gap between professional athletics and high-stakes aeronautical science. A multifaceted individual, Carter spent three years in the North American Soccer League before transitioning into a rigorous career as a U.S. Navy aviator and, eventually, a mission specialist for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Academic and Athletic Foundations
Born in Macon, Georgia, in 1947, Carter demonstrated early leadership as an Eagle Scout. He pursued higher education at Emory University, earning a Bachelor of Arts in chemistry in 1969 followed by a Doctor of Medicine in 1973. His university years were marked by extensive athletic activity; he served as captain of the soccer team and competed in track and intramural wrestling. While attending medical school, he secured a position with the Atlanta Chiefs, playing professional soccer for three seasons.
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Carter entered the U.S. Navy in 1974, initially training as a flight surgeon in Pensacola. By 1978, he had earned his wings as a Naval Aviator. His military service included piloting F-4 Phantoms with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333 and conducting a nine-month Mediterranean cruise aboard the USS Forrestal. After attending the U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School in 1984, having accumulated 3,000 flight hours and 160 carrier landings.
Astronaut Career and STS-33
Selected by NASA in May 1984, Carter attained astronaut status in June 1985. His primary space flight occurred during mission STS-33, which launched on November 22, 1989. Aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery, he contributed to a five-day mission that performed 79 orbits of the Earth. He logged 120 hours in space before the mission concluded with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base. At the time of his death, he was training for the STS-42 Discovery mission.
Legacy and Memorialization
Carter died on April 5, 1991, in the crash of Atlantic Southeast Airlines Flight 2311 near Brunswick, Georgia. Following his death, his contributions to space exploration were honored through the naming of the Sonny Carter Training Facility Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory, where he had helped pioneer essential training techniques. His name was also the first addition to the Space Mirror Memorial at the Kennedy Space Center after its initial construction.
Fast facts
- Born: 1947, Macon, Georgia
- Died: 1991, Brunswick, Georgia
- Education: Emory University School of Medicine
- Military Rank: Captain
- Space Flight: STS-33
- Professional Soccer: Atlanta Chiefs
- Burial: Alta Vista Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What mission did Sonny Carter fly on?
He served as a mission specialist on STS-33 aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery in 1989.
Was he a professional athlete before joining NASA?
Yes, he played professional soccer for the Atlanta Chiefs in the North American Soccer League during his medical school years.
Achievements
- Air Medal
- Eagle Scout
- Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
- Recorded as military officer, astronaut and physician
