Bruce Peterson
Bruce A. Peterson | |
---|---|
Naval aviator, test pilot | |
Awards | NASA Exceptional Leadership Award Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award |
Space career | |
NASA Research / Test Pilot | |
Missions | none |
Bruce A. Peterson (May 23, 1933 – May 1, 2006) was an American
Biography
Early life and education
Peterson was born on May 23, 1933. A native of
Flight experience and NASA career
Following attending UCLA, Peterson enlisted as a
As a NASA research pilot, he flew a wide variety of airplanes, including the
On May 10, 1967, during the sixteenth glide flight of a lifting body Northrop M2-F2, a landing accident severely damaged the vehicle and seriously injured Peterson. After an extensive hospitalization, he recovered from his injuries but lost sight in one eye due to a secondary infection while in the hospital. He also made 17 NASA M2-F1, 2 other M2-F2 and 1 Northrop HL-10 lifting body flights.
Portions of M2-F2 footage including Peterson's spectacular crash landing were used for the 1973
Despite his injuries, Peterson continued to fly NASA support missions, occasional research flights and continued his Marine Reserve flying duties until 1971. During his flying career, Peterson logged more than 6,000 flight hours in nearly 70 types of aircraft.
Peterson continued at Dryden as a research project engineer on the
Post-NASA career
He then joined the
Later life and death
Peterson resided in Orange County, California, and Ocean Springs, California, until his death on May 1, 2006, at age 72, after a long illness.[2]
Organizations and special honors
Peterson was a fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots and 2002 recipient of the Tony LeVier Flight Test Safety Award. He was honored by NASA with an Exceptional Leadership Award for his work on preparations for the first Space Shuttle landing at NASA Dryden in April 1981. In 2003 he was inducted into the Lancaster, California Aerospace Walk of Honor.
References
- ^ David J. Shayler. Disasters and Accidents in Manned Spaceflight. Chichester, Eng.: Springer-Praxis, 2000, pp. 46-47.
- ^ "1967 M2-F2 Crash at Edwards". Check-Six.com. Archived from the original on 18 September 2018. Retrieved 14 April 2017.