[TWIAR] STS-78 astronaut Charles Brady, 54, dies

[Williams, Gregory S.]

STS-78 astronaut Charles Brady, 54, dies

[Ham radio callsign N4BQW]

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-072706a.html


July 27, 2006 - A retired NASA astronaut whose first and only space 
flight set a duration record for the space shuttle, has died. Capt. 
Charles E. Brady, Jr. (USN) was 54 when an extended illness claimed his 
life on July 23.

Brady was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1992 as part of the space 
agency's 14th group of candidates. He filled various technical 
assignments while waiting for his first mission, including testing 
flight software for the orbiter as part of the Shuttle Avionics 
Integration Laboratory (SAIL).

On June 20, 1996, Brady launched with the STS-78 crew of six other 
astronauts aboard shuttle Columbia. Planned as a long duration mission 
dedicated to life science and microgravity experiments, the flight was 
seen a precursor to beginning research on the International Space Station.

A physician, Brady flew as a mission specialist taking part in medical 
experiments inside the Spacelab module located in Columbia's payload 
bay. Brady and his fellow crewmates' research included the first 
in-depth study of microgravity sleep and how it affected circadian rhythms.

During the eighth day of the flight, Brady carried an unlit Olympic 
Torch aloft as he rode a stationary bicycle in a tribute to the 1996 
Olympics, which began in Atlanta, GA the day before the mission launched.

A ham radio enthusiast, Brady also took time during the mission to use 
the Shuttle Amateur Radio EXperiment (SAREX), to connect with middle 
school students living in Washington state.

Credited as among the "pioneers" of SAREX, Brady said in one ham radio 
contact from space that "he predicted that Amateur Radio would be a very 
important means for astronauts to feel as though they were in touch with 
the world while staying on-orbit for months on end - and so it is," 
reported the American Radio Relay League, which was the first to post 
the news on-line of Brady's passing.

On July 7, 1996, after 16 days, 21 hours, 48 minutes and 30 seconds in 
space, Brady and his crewmates landed at Kennedy Space Center in 
Florida, establishing the record for the longest shuttle mission to 
date, at that time. Their record was broken four months and two missions 
later by STS-80, which spent more than 17 days in orbit.

After logging over 405 hours in space, Brady continued at NASA, as 
deputy chief for shuttle astronaut training and then later as chief for 
space station astronaut training for the Mission Operations Division. He 
retired from NASA in August 2002.

Born on August 12, 1951, Brady considered Robbins, NC as his hometown. 
He received a doctorate in medicine from Duke University in 1975, having 
completed his pre- med at the University of North Carolina at Chapel 
Hill in 1971. Following college, Brady worked in sports medicine and 
family practice as the team physician for Iowa State University, the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and at East Carolina 
University in Greenville, NC.

In 1986, Brady joined the Navy, where he was trained as a flight 
surgeon, leading to his service aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ranger. 
In 1988, Brady was selected for the Navy's "Blue Angels" demonstration 
squadron, where he served as flight surgeon until 1990.

He was serving in Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 129 when selected 
for the astronaut program.

A resident of Oak Harbor, Washington, Brady is survived by his fiancée 
Susan, their four-year-old son and a sister.


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