Science, Business, Aviation, Law : 12 Members of Panel Experts in Their Fields
The 12 members of the space shuttle commission appointed Monday by President Reagan represent a cross section of science, business, aviation and the law.
Some names are household words, such as Neil A. Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon, and former Secretary of State William P. Rogers in the Richard M. Nixon Administration. Others have worked behind the scenes in their special disciplines.
The panel members include a current and a retired astronaut, two highly decorated pilots, three physics and aeronautics professors, two attorneys, two aerospace engineers and a former editor.
Besides Chairman Rogers, a New York attorney, and Vice Chairman Armstrong, the chairman of the board of Computing Technologies for Aviation Inc. in Charlottesville, Va., the other members of the commission are:
Retired Brig. Gen. Charles (Chuck) Yeager--The holder of two unique aviation records, he was the first pilot to break the sound barrier and the first to fly at a speed of more than 1,600 m.p.h. Formerly an experimental test pilot, he is an aerospace consultant living in Cedar Ridge, Calif.
Sally K. Ride--A native of Los Angeles, she was the first American woman in space as a mission specialist on the second flight of the space shuttle Challenger in June, 1983. She holds a doctorate in physics from Stanford University.
Albert D. Wheelon--A member of the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, he is a senior vice president with Hughes Aircraft Co. and head of its space and communications group. He holds a doctorate in physics from Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Robert W. Rummel--A former vice president of Trans World Airlines, he heads his own aerospace engineering firm in Mesa, Ariz. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering and holds the NASA Distinguished Public Service Medal.
Arthur B. C. Walker Jr.--Professor of applied physics at Stanford University, he is a consultant to Aerospace Corp., Rand Corp. and R&D; Associates of Los Angeles. He is a member of the American Physicists Society, the American Geophysical Union, the American Astronomy Society and the International Scientific Union.
Richard P. Feynman--Winner of the Nobel Prize in physics in 1965, he is a professor of theoretical physics at Caltech. He holds the Einstein Award (1954), the Oersted Medal (1972) and the Niels Bohr International Gold Medal (1973).
Eugene E. Covert--A consultant to NASA on rocket engines, he is an aeronautics professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He received the Air Force’s Exceptional Civilian Service Award in 1973 and the NASA Public Service Award in 1980.
David C. Acheson--A Washington lawyer, he was formerly senior vice president and general counsel of the Communications Satellite Corp. from 1967 to 1974. He previously served as an attorney with the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission from 1948 to 1950.
Maj. Gen. Donald J. Kutyna--Director of Space Systems, Command Control and Communications for the Air Force, he is a command pilot with more than 4,000 flying hours. He holds the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross and nine air medals.
Robert B. Hotz--Former editor of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine, he has received numerous journalism awards, including the National Space Club Press Award in 1965. He is a member of the general advisory committee to the U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency.
