Richard Oswalt Covey
Richard Oswalt Covey is a retired United States Air Force officer, test pilot, NASA astronaut, and four-flight Space Shuttle veteran. His career includes satellite repair, the post-Challenger Return to Flight mission, classified defense work, and the first Hubble servicing mission.
- Born
- August 1, 1946
- Died
- N/A
- Birthplace
- Fayetteville, Arkansas,United States
Flights
4
Spacewalks
0
EVA time
N/A
In space
26 days, 21 hours, 9 minutes
Bio
Covey graduated from the United States Air Force Academy and earned a graduate degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University. He served as a fighter pilot and test pilot before joining NASA's first shuttle-era astronaut class in 1978.
He piloted STS-51-I and STS-26, then commanded STS-38 and STS-61. STS-26 returned the shuttle fleet to flight after Challenger, while STS-61 restored the Hubble Space Telescope and became one of NASA's most important on-orbit servicing successes.
Covey later held senior aerospace leadership roles outside NASA.