Astronaut Profile
Gregory B. Jarvis
Payload Specialist
Gregory Jarvis had been bumped from two earlier Shuttle flights before finally launching aboard Challenger, only for STS-51-L to end in disaster 73 seconds after liftoff.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Payload Specialist • Deceased
Biography
The person behind the mission
Gregory B. Jarvis was a Hughes Aircraft Company engineer selected to fly as a payload specialist studying fluid dynamics for a communications satellite manufacturer. He had already been bumped from two earlier Shuttle missions to make room for other payload specialists before finally being assigned to STS-51-L. On January 28, 1986, 73 seconds after Challenger's launch, a failed O-ring seal caused the spacecraft to break apart, killing Jarvis and all six of his crewmates on what was his first spaceflight.
Astronaut Details
Born
August 24, 1944
Died
January 28, 1986
Birthplace
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Role
Payload Specialist
Program
Space Shuttle
Time in Space
73 seconds
Missions
STS-51-L
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- Congressional Space Medal of Honor
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal (posthumous)