Two veteran astronauts are retiring from NASA and moving
on to new phases of their lives.
Astronaut Scott J. “Doc” Horowitz, a retired U.S. 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 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.
For biographical information about Horowitz on the Internet,
visit:
www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/horowitz.html
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 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, Colo., 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.
For biographical information about Carey on the Internet,
visit:
http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/carey.html
For more information about Carey’s future plans on the
Internet, visit:
http://www.nasa.gov/vision/space/features/carey_retires.html
For information about NASA on the Internet, visit:
