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Astronaut Richard Searfoss, who grew up in Portsmouth, has completed three space shuttle missions during his career at NASA. It is shown here on Atlantis in 1996. (Photo courtesy of NASA)
PORTSMOUTH – It is fondly remembered of a NASA astronaut who considered the Portsmouth home as the announcement of his death spreading throughout the Granite State.
Richard Searfoss was 62 when he died in his California home on September 29th. He was born in Michigan and grew up in New Hampshire. He graduated from Portsmouth High School in 1974.
As an adult, Searfoss followed in the footsteps of his father, Jerry, and became an air force test pilot, reaching the rank of colonel. In 1990, he was chosen by NASA to become an astronaut.
He would be as pilot and commander of three space missions.
Searfoss participated in a seven-person search mission on the Columbia Space Shuttle in 1993 as a pilot.
The crew conducted experiments on itself and 48 rats on "cardiovascular, cardiopulmonary, metabolic and musculoskeletal systems … by deepening our knowledge of human and animal physiology, on land and in space". 39, space ", according to a biography of Searfoss Johnson Space Center.
In 1996, Searfoss was a pilot aboard the Space Shuttle Atlantis.
During this mission, the crew docked successfully with the Russian space station Mir, bringing supplies and equipment, as well as an American astronaut, Shannon Lucid, to begin his six-month stay in space. , according to the Johnson Space Center.
The crew also made the first space excursion of a combined shuttle station complex and conducted scientific investigations, including biology and Earth observation, the center said.
Searfoss ordered a crew for the Neurolab mission in 1998, the center said.
This mission consisted of a 16-day flight in which the crew had conducted life science experiments "focusing on the effects of microgravity on the brain and nervous system," said the center.
These experiences will help prepare future long-lived space missions, said the center.
Three of the seven crew members on this mission were residents of New Hampshire, including Searfoss, Jay Buckey of Hanover and Rick Linnehan of Pelham.
Portsmouth Mayor Jack Blalock said Wednesday residents were proud that Searfoss called the port city his hometown.
"Portsmouth is extremely proud to have accomplished so much and to lead an amazing life," Blalock said.
Jeanne Gerulskis, executive director of the McAuliffe-Shepard Discovery Center in Concord, knew Searfoss personally. He spent his time talking to the center when asked, most recently at AerospaceFest in May 2017.
"He was so nice and nice," said Gerulskis. "After stopping flying, he became a motivational speaker. New Hampshire has always had a special place in his heart and he was so determined to interest children in the flight and exploration of space. "
The funeral will be held Friday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Tehachapi, California.
The burial, with all the military honors, will take place on November 30th.
NH PeopleGeneral NewsPortsmouth
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