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Rick Hauck

RICK HAUCK (1941 - 2025)

PROFILE

 

 

Full Name:

Frederick ("Rick") Hamilton HAUCK.

Rank:

Captain, USN (Deceased).

Born:

11 April 1941, in Long Beach, California, USA (American). Considered Winchester, Massachusetts to be his home town.

Died:

6 November 2025, in Maine, USA, aged 84.

Education:

1958: Graduated from St. Albans High School, Washington, D.C.

 

1962: BSc degree in Physics from Tufts University, Massachusetts.

 

1966: MSc degree in Nuclear Engineering from MIT.

Career Highlights:

1958-62: Student and Navy ROTC candidate at Tufts University, graduating with a BSc degree in Physics.

 

25 Jun 1962 - 1964: Commissioned USN; Communications and CIC Officer, USS Warrington (DD-843) for 20 months, qualifying as Underway Officer-of-the-Deck.

 

1964-65: Attended the USN Postgraduate School, Monterey, California, studying maths, physics and, briefly, Russian; selected for the Navy's Advanced Science Program.

 

1965-66: Student, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), graduating with an MSc degree in Nuclear Engineering.

 

Sep 1966 - Feb 1968: Flight training at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, Florida; graduated and designated a Naval Aviator; received his Wings of Gold on 18 Feb 1968.

 

Apr-Sep 1968: Student  for A-6 replacement pool training, NAS Oceana, Virginia.

 

Oct 1968 - Jun 1970: Pilot, Attack Squadron 35 (VA-35), deployed to the Western Pacific with Air Wing 15 aboard the USS Coral Sea (CVA-43); flew 114 combat and combat support missions during the Vietnamese conflict.

 

Jul/Aug 1970 - Feb 1971: Visual weapons delivery instructor in the A-6 with Attack Squadron 42 (VA-42).

 

Feb-Sep 1971: Selected for test pilot training; student, USN Test Pilot School, Patuxent River, Maryland.

 

Nov 1971 - Jul 1974: Three-year tour in the Naval Air Test Center's Carrier Suitability Branch of the Flight Test Division. Served as project test pilot for automatic carrier landing systems in the A-6 Intruder, A-7 Corsair II, F-4 Phantom and F-15 Tomcat aircraft; he was also team leader for the Navy F-14 Board of Inspection and Survey Carrier Aircraft trials; completed the first ever night carrier landing of the F-14; USN Outstanding Test Pilot for 1974.

 

23 Jul 1973: Sole pilot of a North American RA-5C Vigilante aircraft during a test flight when the aircraft experienced an engine flame-out and dived towards Chesapeake Bay off NAS Patuxent River. In a fast-moving event, he successfully ejected at about 150 feet (46 m) just seconds before the aircraft - engulfed in flames - hit the water.

 

Aug 1974 - Jul 1976: Operations Officer with Air Wing 14 aboard USS Enterprise (CV(N)-65); completed two cruises during both day and night carrier operations; (1975) participated in air operations providing combat support during the evacuation of Saigon.

 

Aug 1976 - Feb 1977: Brief tour as a student with Attack Squadron 128 (VA-128).

 

Feb 1977 - Apr 1978: Attack Squadron 145 (VA-145) Executive Officer (XO), NAS Whidbey Island, Washington State; (Sep) one of 20 members of the fourth group of astronaut applicants short-listed by NASA for the Class of 1978 (Group 8). The group reported to NASA JSC, Houston, Texas on 19 Sep for a week of orientation, interviews and medical examinations. He had been short-listed as CO for VA-145 but left to join the NASA astronaut programme.

 

As a pilot, he logged over 5,500 flight hours, completed 300 day and 112 night carrier landings and flew 114 combat and combat support missions.

 

 

NASA ASTRONAUT ASSIGNMENTS

1978:

(16 Jan) Selected as a Pilot Candidate for NASA Group 8 ("The Thirty-Five New Guys", or TFNG), the first Shuttle-era selection; (1 Jul) reported to NASA JSC for Astronaut Candidate (Ascan) training.

1979:

Ascan training; (31 Aug) graduated Ascan training; assigned to Shuttle development and support assignments.

1980:

Shuttle support; his early technical assignments supporting the Orbital Test Flights (OFT) included serving as Crew Coordinator for the Flight Data File (FDF), Orbiter GCA development and Capcom issues; he was also the Lead for the Astronaut Office Ascent/Entry Development Group and held a concurrent assignment as the Navy Administrative Coordinator for Miscellaneous Activities.

1981:

Shuttle support; support crew STS-1 (Contingency EVA Capcom Orbit 2 (Crimson) team; BUp Entry Capcom (Crimson) team); (14 Apr) End-Of-Mission (EOM) Orbiter power-down procedures Capcom; STS-2 support crew; (Nov) prime Capcom Entry (Crimson) team.

1982:

(through 1983) Project test pilot for development of flight techniques and landing aids in preparation for orbiter night landing (STS-8); (20 Apr) named Pilot, STS-7 commercial satellite deployment mission; first member of Group 8 to be assigned as a Shuttle Pilot; Shuttle mission training, including as IV crewmember for contingency EVA issues; (Jun/Jul) support crew STS-4, PAO; Shuttle mission training.

1983:

Shuttle mission training; (18-24 Jun) flew as PLT STS-7, Challenger (6 days 2 hrs 23 min); (Sep) STS-8 support technical assignments for first orbiter night landing, STS-8 family escort; (2 Sep) named CDR STS-16, subsequently renamed (9 Sep) to 41G, then (17 Nov) to 41H; Shuttle mission training.

1984:

Shuttle mission training; (3 Aug) reassigned as CDR to STS-51A (satellite deployment/retrieval mission); Shuttle mission training; (8-16 Nov) flew as CDR STS-51A, Discovery (7 days 23 hrs 44 min).

1985:

Shuttle support; (Mar) Astronaut Office (Code CB) Project Officer for the integration of the Shuttle Centaur liquid-fuelled upper stage; (14 Apr) with Bob Crippen in Shuttle simulator running rendezvous profiles for STS-51D (rendezvous techniques); (31 May) named CDR STS-61F (Ulysses solar probe deployment / Centaur upper stage); Shuttle mission training; (Jul) STS-51F SPAN BUp; (Aug) STS-51I family escort.

1986:

Shuttle mission training; (Feb) all crews stood down due to Challenger accident; (Jul) STS-61F cancelled; generic Shuttle mission training; (11 Aug - early Feb 1987) Deputy Associate Administrator for External Relations, NASA HQ, Washington, D.C.

1987:

(Jan - early Feb) Deputy Associate Administrator for External Relations, NASA HQ; (9 Jan) named CDR for STS-26 Return-to Flight crew; Shuttle mission training.

1988:

Shuttle mission training; (29 Sep - 3 Oct) flew as CDR STS-26 Return-to-Flight mission, Discovery (4 days 1 hr 0 min); Shuttle support.

1989:

Shuttle support; (24 Mar) announced intention to resign from NASA and return to USN duties; (3 Apr) resigned from NASA.

 

POST-ASTRONAUT EXPERIENCE

Apr 1989 - Jun 1990:

Director, Navy Space Systems (OP-943), on the staff of the Chief of Naval Operations, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C., supervising the operations of several navigation and surveillance satellites.

1 Jun 1990:

Retired USN with the rank of Captain.

Oct 1990 - 21 Mar 2005:

Joined AXA Space (formerly International Technology Underwriters (INTEC), Bethesda, Maryland, as President and Chief Operating Officer; (1 Jan 1993) became the Chief Executive Officer, AXA Space; (31 Mar 2005) retired as CEO, AXA Space.

1990-91:

Technical Advisor to the Synthesis Group on America's Space Exploration Initiative.

1992:

NASA Mission Review Task Group (Space Salvage).

1995-96:

NRC Committee of ISS meteoroid / debris risk management.

1995-97:

Chair, NASA External Independent Readiness Review Team for the second Hubble servicing mission (STS-82).

1997:

Chair, NEC Committee on Space Shuttle meteoroid / debris risk management.

Dec 2023:

His memoir, To Mach 25 and Home, is published.

 

 

Rick HAUCK Space Flight Missions

Mission

Vehicle

Position

Dates

DD/MM/YYYY

Duration

DD:HH:MM:SS

Orbits

EVAs

STS-7

Challenger

Pilot

18/06/1983-24/06/1983

06:02:23:59

98

0

STS-51A

Discovery

Commander

08/11/1984-16/11/1984

07:23:44:56

127

0

STS-26

Discovery

Commander

29/09/1988-03/10/1988

04:01:00:11

64

0

      

Missions Flown:

3

Total Flight Time:

18:03:09:06

289

0

 
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This profile is copyright Astro Info Service Ltd, 2025

All images are courtesy of NASA, unless otherwise stated.
On 16 January 1978, NASA announced its first Shuttle-era astronaut selections as Group 8. Seated in alphabetical order, from Guion Bluford (back row, far left) to Don Williams (front row, far right), the 35 candidates selected included the first female and ethnic minority astronauts. Rick Hauck is seated in the back row, 4th from right. The group would call themselves "The Thirty-Five New Guys", or TFNG.
Rick Hauck is shown on the flight deck during his third and last space flight, STS-26. He is holding one of the many cameras carried on this Return-to-Flight mission, used to renew documentation of planet Earth.
During Ascan training in February 1979, Hauck is seen floating around in the KC-135 'Vomit Comet' aircraft used to simulate weightlessness for a few seconds in a parabolic curve flight pattern. Support crew are seated in the background.
The crew of STS-7 display some jellybeans discovered among their food supplies aboard Challenger. (Back row, l to r) Bob Crippen (CDR), Rick Hauck (PLT) and John Fabian (MS). (Front row l to r) Sally Ride (MS) and Norm Thagard (MS).
Wearing a "TFNG We Deliver" t-shirt, Rick Hauck reviews a procedural notebook aboard Challenger during STS-7. Behind him, MS John Fabian reaches for overhead supplies from a locker.
On Hauck's second space flight, STS-51A, the crew aboard Discovery celebrate a successful satellite deployment and retrieval mission. (Back row (l to r) Dale Gardner (MS), Rick Hauck (CDR). (Front row l to r) Dave Walker (PLT), Anna Fisher (MS) and Joe Allen (MS).
On Hauck's third and final space flight, aboard Discovery for STS-26, the crew wears Hawaiian shirts and sunglasses and give a 'thumbs-up' as they pay tribute to the Hawaii tracking station. (Back row l to r) Dave Hilmer (MS), Rick Hauck (CDR) and George D. Nelson (MS). (Front row l to r) John Lounge (MS) and Dick Covey (PLT).
In 2001, Hauck was honoured as one of the first four Shuttle astronauts to be inducted into the Astronaut Hall of Fame. The four inductees are seen here gathered around an artwork depicting them. (L to r) Bob Crippen, Joe Engle, Dick Truly and Rick Hauck.
Rick Hauck is seen talking during a NASA Advisory Council meeting held in Washington in November 2005.

Image courtesy of NASA/Bill Ingalls