| Aircraft
Accidents Theodore Freeman Charles Bassett II Elliot See Clifton Williams, Jr. Robert Lawrence Michael Adams Yuri Gagarin John McKay Stephen Thorne Stanley David Griggs Manley Carter, Jr. Patricia Hilliard Robertson
Apollo 1
Soyuz 11
Challenger STS-51L
Columbia
STS-107 Other |
Born: 15 August 1947 in Macon, Georgia. Education: Received a bachelor of arts degree in chemistry from Emory University in 1969, and a doctorate of medicine from Emory University in 1973. Marital Status: Married the former Dana Powell. Children: Olivia Elizabeth (27 May 1974), and Meredith Corvette (3 December 1976). Recreational Interests: He enjoyed wrestling , golf, tennis, L.A. Dodger baseball, and old movies. Sonny was a professional soccer player from 1970-1973 for the Atlanta Chiefs of the NASL. Professional Organizations: Member of the Society of U.S. Navy Flight Surgeons, Alpha Omega Alpha, Sigma Delta Psi, Alpha Tau Omega, and the Tailhook Association. Experience: Sonny Carter completed a straight internal medicine internship at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia after graduation from Emory University. In July 1974 he entered the U.S. Navy and completed flight surgeon school in Pensacola, Florida. After serving tours as a flight surgeon with the 1st and 3rd Marine Air Wings he returned to flight training in Beeville, Texas, and was designated a Naval Aviator in April 1978. He was assigned as the senior medical officer of USS Forrestal, and in March 1979 completed F-4 training at VMFAT-101 Marine Corps Air Station, Yuma, Arizona. He was subsequently reassigned as a fighter pilot to duty flying F-4 Phantoms with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 333 at MCAS Beaufort, South Carolina. In 1981 he completed a 9-month Mediterranean cruise aboard USS Forrestal with VMFA-115. In September 1982 he attended U.S. Navy Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun) and then served as 2nd Marine Air Wing standardization officer and F-4 combat readiness evaluator at MCAS Cherry Point, North Carolina. He then attended the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School, graduating in June 1984. He logged 2,400 flying hours and 160 carrier landings. NASA Experience: Selected by NASA in May 1984, Sonny Carter became an astronaut in June 1985. He was assigned as extravehicular activity (EVA) representative for the Mission Development Branch of the Astronaut Office when selected as a mission specialist for STS-33. STS-33, flown with Discovery, was a classified Department of Defense mission . Discovery was launched 22 November 1989 from Kennedy Space Center and landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California on 27 November 1989, after completing 79 orbits. Sonny was selected as a mission specialist for the STS-42 mission, carrying the International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-1). While in training for the mission, an Atlantic Southeast Airlines plane carrying Carter and 22 other passengers crashed on 5 April 1991, killing everyone aboard. In his honor, the crew of STS-42 added a gold star to their crew patch (seen below). At 8:23 p.m. CST 27 January 1992, the following tribute to Manley L. "Sonny" Carter Jr. was read by two members of the crew of STS-42, the mission on which he was to have flown: CDR RON GRABE: The late Captain Manley L. Carter -- or Sonny as we all knew him -- was a member of our crew until his tragic death. The gold star shining brightly on our crew patch represents the way we will always remember Sonny, -- a radiant figure, illuminating everyone who met him with his warmth, charm and love. His multitude of talents and incomparable joy for life will never be forgotten. MS DAVE HILMERS: Sonny shared with us the unique experience of glimpsing the splendor of Earth from space. And for a precious few days the exhilaration of being liberated from the bondage of gravity. No one ever returned from a flight with a greater sense of awe and wonder than Sonny. He was convinced that it was vital for our country and for the generations which will follow us to maintain a manned presence in space. And no one ever worked harder to make a flight a success than Sonny after he was assigned to IML-1. We can only hope that he would have been proud of the way that we have carried on this mission after him. GRABE: Houston. Thanks for letting us take this moment to remember Sonny. CAPCOM RHEA SEDDON: Ron, all of us who knew Sonny echo your sentiments and thank you for those memories of him. Sonny logged 120 hours in space.
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