Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center
Houston, Texas 77058

Biographical Data

NAME: Carl E. Walz (Lieutenant Colonel, USAF)

NASA Astronaut

BIRTHPLACE AND DATE:

Born September 6, 1955, in Cleveland, Ohio. His parents, Carl and Bernadine Walz, reside in South Euclid, Ohio.

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION:

Brown hair; green eyes; 5 feet 8 inches; 165 pounds.

EDUCATION:

Graduated from Charles F. Brush High School, Lyndhurst, Ohio, in 1973; received a bachelor of science degree in physics from Kent State University, Ohio, in 1977, and a master of science in solid state physics from John Carroll University, Ohio, in 1979.

MARITAL STATUS:

Married to the former Pamela J. Glady of Lyndhurst, Ohio. Her parents, Fred and Alice Glady, are long time residents of Lyndhurst, Ohio.

CHILDREN:

Alison, born October 25, 1981; Aaron, born May 29, 1985.

RECREATIONAL INTERESTS:

Piano and vocal music, sports, lead singer for the Max Q rock-n-roll band.

ORGANIZATIONS:

American Legion.

SPECIAL HONORS:

Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kent State University. Awarded the Defense Superior Service Medal, the USAF Meritorious Service Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the USAF Commendation Medal, and the USAF Achievement Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster. Distinguished Graduate from the USAF Test Pilot School, Class 83A. Inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame. Awarded two NASA Space Flight Medals.

EXPERIENCE:

Walz graduated from Kent State University in June 1977, and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant. He completed graduate studies at John Carroll University in 1979 and was assigned to the 1155th Technical Operations Squadron at McClellan Air Force Base, California. From 1979-1982 he held the position of Radiochemical Project Officer, responsible for analysis of radioactive samples from the Atomic Energy Detection System. The subsequent year was spent in study as a Flight Test Engineer at the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California, where he participated in the performance, flying qualities and systems testing on numerous aircraft types. From January 1983 until June 1987, he was assigned to the F-16 Combined Test Force at Edwards Air Force Base as a flight test engineer, where he worked on a variety of aircraft and armament development programs, testing F-4 and F-16 aircraft. He logged over 250 flight test hours in the F-16. In July 1987 he was transferred to Las Vegas, Nevada, where he served as a Flight Test Program Manager at Detachment 3, Air Force Flight Test Center.

Selected by NASA in January 1990, Walz became an astronaut in July 1991. Since then he has worked Flight Data File issues for the Mission Support Branch of the Astronaut Office, and has served in mission control as a spacecraft communicator (CAPCOM). A veteran of two space flights, Walz has logged over 590 hours (24.5 days) in space. He served as a mission specialist on STS-51 (Sep 12-22, 1993). On STS-65 (July 8-23, 1994), he was the flight engineer (MS-2) on the Orbiter.

On STS-51, the crew of five aboard Shuttle Discovery deployed the U.S. Advanced Communications Technology Satellite (ACTS), and the Shuttle Pallet Satellite (SPAS) with NASA and German scientific experiments aboard. On flight day five Walz participated in a space walk (EVA) to evaluate tools for the Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Following a seven-hour EVA the crew initiated rendezvous burns and recovered the SPAS. Following 158 orbits of the Earth, the mission concluded with the first night landing at the Kennedy Space Center. Mission duration was 9 days, 22 hours, and 12 minutes.

On STS-65 the seven-member crew aboard Space Shuttle Columbia launched from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on July 8, 1994, and returned there on July 23, 1994, setting a new flight duration record for the Space Shuttle program. The STS-65 mission flew the second International Microgravity Laboratory (IML-2) spacelab module. During the 15-day flight the crew conducted more than 80 experiments focusing on materials and life sciences research in microgravity. The mission was accomplished in 236 orbits of the Earth, traveling 6.1 million miles.

CURRENT ASSIGNMENT:

Walz is assigned as a mission specialist on STS-79, the fourth in the joint American-Russian Shuttle-Mir series of missions. The STS-79 mission is planned for the Summer of 1996