Space Shuttle Veterans Move On
Two veteran astronauts are retiring from NASA and moving on to
new phases of their lives. Astronaut Scott J. "Doc" Horowitz, a
retired US Air Force colonel, has left NASA for a position with
private industry. Astronaut Duane G. "Digger" Carey has left the
space agency to see the world from a new perspective.
Horowitz is a veteran of four Space Shuttle flights. He's
traveled more than 16 million miles in space during his missions,
leading activities in science, satellite maintenance and
International Space Station assembly as a commander and pilot.
Horowitz (above) served as pilot on Shuttle mission STS-75. The
mission performed microgravity and tethered satellite science in
1996. He flew as pilot of STS-82, a maintenance mission to the
Hubble Space Telescope in 1997. His third flight was as pilot on
STS-101 in 2000, an International Space Station assembly mission.
In August 2001, Horowitz commanded STS-105, a Station crew exchange
and assembly mission.
"Scott has made a huge contribution to NASA's exploration
effort. He's flown aboard the Space Shuttle four times, commanded a
Shuttle mission to the International Space Station, and led the
Astronaut Office's Advanced Projects Branch, which has provided key
technical input to NASA's plan for exploration of the moon and
Mars," said Ken Bowersox, director of Flight Crew Operations. "His
forthright manner, technical expertise and inquisitive nature will
be missed," he added.
After fulfilling his dream to pilot a Space Shuttle and see the
world from space, Duane Carey is pursuing another dream to see the
world from the open road.
Carey (below) is a retired Air Force Lt. Col. He plans to begin
a motorcycle tour of the United States and eventually the world,
camping along the way. He and his wife, Cheryl, are moving to
Colorado Springs (CO), to prepare for the trip.
Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996, Carey was the pilot
for Space Shuttle mission STS-109 in 2002, a maintenance flight to
the Hubble Space Telescope. Carey served as a Space Shuttle CAPCOM,
the communications liaison between Mission Control and spacecraft.
He also worked in the Astronaut Office Spacecraft
Systems/Operations Branch in Houston.
"Duane is an exceptional Shuttle pilot, but years ago he was
bitten by the motorcycle touring bug, and he always wanted to
return to near-Earth exploration of our country aboard a
motorcycle," Bowersox said. "We'll really miss his skill and
expertise, but we all envy him in some way for heading off in a new
direction."
"Cheryl and I will attempt to fulfill a dream we first
envisioned over 25 years ago. Our 22-plus years of public service
in the Air Force and NASA have been incredibly rewarding, and we
hope we've contributed something useful to our country over those
years." Carey said.
During his motorcycle travels, Carey plans to talk to young
people about the importance of math and science and the wonder of
space travel.
"I owe a lot to my country," he explained. "I've been an Air
Force jet pilot, and I've been an astronaut. Now I want to tell
people the importance of space flight, especially in the smaller,
more rural communities I expect to visit. To explore, we must
always take some risks. We have to explore new territory. We don't
know what we'll find out there, but we have to go out and find our
future," Carey said.