Michael R. Clifford

Michael Clifford
Clifford in 1990
Born
Michael Richard Clifford

(1952-10-13)October 13, 1952
Norton Air Force Base, California, U.S.
DiedDecember 28, 2021(2021-12-28) (aged 69)
EducationUnited States Military Academy (BS)
Georgia Institute of Technology (MS)
Space career
NASA astronaut
RankLieutenant Colonel, USA
Time in space
27d 18h 24m
SelectionNASA Group 13 (1990)
Total EVA time
6h
MissionsSTS-53
STS-59
STS-76
Mission insignia
RetirementJanuary 1997[1]

Michael Richard Clifford (October 13, 1952 – December 28, 2021) was a United States Army officer and NASA astronaut. Clifford was a Master Army Aviator and logged over 3,400 hours flying in a wide variety of fixed and rotary winged aircraft. He retired from the U.S. Army at the rank of lieutenant colonel. He logged six hours of spacewalk time over three Space Shuttle missions. He was also one of the first people to conduct a spacewalk while docked to an orbiting space station: that spacewalk was conducted during STS-76, while docked at the Russian space station Mir.

Early life and education

He was born in San Bernardino, California, on October 13, 1952,[2] the son of Lenore (née Chaffin) and her first husband John Michael Uram. His mother subsequently married Gordon Clifford.[3][4] Rich Clifford graduated from Ben Lomond High School in Ogden, Utah, in 1970.[5][6] He was a First Class Scout in the Boy Scouts of America.[7] As a youngster, he worked in a gas station using degreasers to clean car engines as well as on a farm.[8]

Clifford received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Military Academy (USMA) at West Point, New York, in 1974,[9] and a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1982.[2][10]

Army career

Clifford graduated from West Point in June 1974 and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army.[1] He served a tour with the 10th Cavalry in Fort Carson, Colorado.[1] At the U.S. Army Aviation School, he was the top graduate of his flight class and was designated an Army Aviator in 1976.[2] He was subsequently assigned for three years as a service platoon commander with the Attack Troop, 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment in Nuremberg, West Germany.[1] After completing his graduate training in 1982, he was assigned to the USMA Department of Mechanics as an instructor and assistant professor.[1] In December 1986, he graduated from the U.S. Naval Test Pilot School and was designated an experimental test pilot.[1] As a Master Army Aviator, he accumulated more than 3,400 flight hours.[11] In 1995, Clifford retired from the U.S. Army with the rank of lieutenant colonel.[2]

NASA career

Clifford setting up the experiment equipment for BLAST aboard Discovery during STS-53
Clifford working at a restraint bar on the Mir Docking Module during his spacewalk on March 27, 1996 during STS-76

As a military officer, Clifford was assigned to the Johnson Space Center in July 1987.[1] As a Space Shuttle Vehicle Integration engineer, his duties involved engineering liaison for launch and landing operations of the Space Shuttle Program; he was involved in design certification and integration of the Shuttle Crew Escape System, and was an executive board member of the Solid Rocket Booster Postflight Assessment Team.[12] Clifford was selected to join NASA Astronaut Group 13 in July 1990.[13] He also served in a variety of technical assignments. From April to August 1991, Clifford was assigned to the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch where he participated in the design, development, and evaluation of Shuttle payloads and crew equipment having extravehicular activity (EVA) interfaces.[1] From May 1994 to September 1995, he served as lead for space station vehicle/assembly issues.[1] A veteran of three space flights, Clifford flew as a mission specialist on STS-53 in 1992,[14] STS-59 in 1994,[15] and STS-76 in 1996.[16] He has logged 665 hours in space, including a 6-hour spacewalk.[11][17]

STS-53

Flying on the crew of STS-53 which launched from the Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on December 2, 1992, aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery,[14] Clifford became the first member of his 1990 astronaut class. NASA Astronaut Group 13, to reach space.[4] On this mission, he was responsible for a number of experiments, including the Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiment (FARE) which he performed with Guion Bluford and Jim Voss[18] He also conducted the Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST) on a novel laser energy detector for the U.S. military.[19][20] After 116 orbits of the Earth, Clifford returned with the rest of the STS-53 crew, which landed at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on December 9, 1992.[14]

STS-59

For his next spaceflight, he served aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour on the STS-59 Space Radar Laboratory (SRL) mission, which launched on April 9, 1994.[15] In this mission, Clifford and five other astronauts worked around the clock on imaging projects using SRL imaging radars, including Spaceborne Imaging Radar, Synthetic-aperture radar, and a carbon monoxide (CO) sensor known as Measurement of Air Pollution from Satellites (MAPS), to collect data on the Earth's surface and atmosphere.[21][22] The mission concluded on April 20, 1994, with a landing at Edwards Air Force Base after orbiting the Earth 183 times.[15]

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease a few months after STS-59 by NASA medical staff and Dr. Joseph Jankovic, a neurologist in Houston. At the time, symptoms were mild and limited to the right arm, which was not swinging naturally.[23][24]

STS-76

Clifford after the spacewalk in STS-76, getting out of his Extravehicular Mobility Unit (EMU) suit

Despite the Parkinson's diagnosis,[23] Clifford was selected to serve aboard Space Shuttle Atlantis on STS-76, which launched on March 22, 1996. While docked at the Russian space station Mir, Clifford performed a six-hour spacewalk with fellow astronaut Linda M. Godwin to mount experiment packages on the Mir docking module.[16] This was the first spacewalk ever conducted by a NASA crew while a Space Shuttle is docked to an orbiting space station.[11][25] Prior to the spacewalk, he woke up to music composed by his two sons.[26] Following 145 orbits of the Earth, he returned as Atlantis landed at Edwards Air Force Base in California on March 31, 1996.[16]

After the STS-76 mission, Clifford decided that he should not fly, because he did not know how fast the Parkinson's disease was going to progress.[27]

Post-NASA career

Clifford resigned from the astronaut corps and left NASA in January 1997[2] to join Boeing's Defense and Space Group as flight operations manager for the International Space Station Program.[28] He later oversaw Boeing's shuttle program till it was winding down.[29] After about 13 years, he left Boeing in September 2011.[23]

Honors

He received the Defense Superior Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Army Commendation Medal, National Defense Service Medal with bronze star device, Army Service Ribbon, the National Intelligence Medal of Achievement and the NASA Space Flight Medal.[1] He was a member of the Association of Space Explorers.[30][31] He received the Award for Public Leadership in Neurology from the American Academy of Neurology in 2012.[23][32]

Personal life and death

Clifford married Nancy Elizabeth Brunson of Darlington, South Carolina; they had two sons.[2] The Cliffords took up residence in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina in 2012 and Rich lived there till his death in 2021.[29] According to his wife Nancy, their first granddaughter was "named Eva, which stands for extra vehicular activity. That's his spacewalk".[29]

He was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 1994 when he was 42 years old.[23] He suspected that exposures to pesticides used in farms and other chemicals used on car engines since he was a youngster contributed to the early onset of his illness.[8] After retirement from his space career in 1997, he became an advocate for Parkinson's disease awareness and encouraged other patients of the disease to live life to its fullest.[33] Filmmaker Zach Jankovic, son of Dr. Joseph Jankovic who helped diagnose Clifford, made a documentary detailing Clifford's experiences with the disease; the short film entitled The Astronaut's Secret won the American Academy of Neurology Foundation's 2012 annual "Neuro Film Festival" competition[34] and was released in 2014.[35][36]

Clifford died from complications of Parkinson's on December 28, 2021, at the age of 69.[2][4][11][29][37]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "MICHAEL RICHARD "RICH" CLIFFORD (Lieutenant Colonel, USA) NASA ASTRONAUT (FORMER)" (PDF). January 1997. Retrieved January 12, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Pearlman, Robert Z. (December 29, 2021). "Rich Clifford, NASA astronaut who secretly flew with Parkinson's, dies at 69". Space.com. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  3. ^ "Lenore Chaffin Uram Clifford". Intermountain Catholic. December 8, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  4. ^ a b c Evans, Ben (December 29, 2021). "Former Astronaut Rich Clifford Dies, Aged 69". America Space. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  5. ^ "FORMER OGDEN MAN BECOMES ASTRONAUT". Deseret News. August 4, 1991. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Army Maj. Michael R.U. Clifford, 40, was among seven pilots and 16 mission specialists who completed their yearlong astronaut training ... Clifford is a 1970 graduate of Ben Lomond High School, Ogden. ... He applied three time for NASA's training programs before he was selected.
  6. ^ "History - Ogden City School District". ogdensd.org. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Noteworthy graduates of Ben Lomond High School include NASA astronaut Michael Richard Clifford, ...
  7. ^ "Astronauts and the BSA". Fact sheet. Boy Scouts of America. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved March 20, 2006.
  8. ^ a b Brody, Jane E. (July 20, 2020). "The Link Between Parkinson's Disease and Toxic Chemicals". The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2022. As a youngster, Mr. Clifford said, he worked in a gas station using degreasers to clean car engines. He also worked on a farm where he used pesticides and in fields where DDT was sprayed. Then, as an aviator, he cleaned engines readying them for test flights. But at none of these jobs was he protected from exposure to hazardous chemicals that are readily inhaled or absorbed through the skin. Now Mr. Clifford, a lifelong nonsmoker, believes that his close contact with these various substances explains why he developed Parkinson's disease at such a young age. Several of the chemicals have strong links to Parkinson's, and a growing body of evidence suggests that exposure to them may very well account for the dramatic rise in the diagnosis of Parkinson's in recent decades.
  9. ^ "MICHAEL R. CLIFFORD 1974". westpointaog.org. West Point Association of Graduates. December 28, 2021. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  10. ^ Maderer, Jason (October 17, 2016). "Space Man". news.gatech.edu. Georgia Institute of Technology. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Here's a look at more Yellow Jackets who have flown in space: ... Michael Richard "Rich" Clifford (born October 13, 1952), is a former United States Army officer and retired NASA astronaut... He earned a Master of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering in 1982. ...
  11. ^ a b c d "Remembering NASA Astronaut Rich Clifford". Space Center Houston. January 3, 2022. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  12. ^ Evans, Ben (October 4, 2013). Partnership in Space: The Mid to Late Nineties. New York: Springer Science & Business Media. pp. 298–299. ISBN 978-1-4614-3278-4. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  13. ^ Carr, Jeffrey (January 17, 1990). "90-006: 1990 Astronaut Candidates Selected" (PDF). Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, NASA. pp. 9–12. Archived (PDF) from the original on May 7, 2021. Retrieved January 3, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  14. ^ a b c "Mission Archives - STS-53". nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  15. ^ a b c "Mission Archives - STS-59". nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
    "STS-59 mission summary". science.ksc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved January 3, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  16. ^ a b c "STS-76 Mission Page". science.ksc.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved January 4, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  17. ^ "Documents - STS-76 Biographies". history.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  18. ^ Dominick, S. M.; Tegart, J. R.; Driscoll, S. L.; Sledd, J. D.; Hastings, L. J. (April 1, 2011). "Fluid Acquisition and Resupply Experiments on Space Shuttle Flights STS-53 and STS-57". NTRS - NASA Technical Reports Server. NASA. Retrieved January 2, 2022. FARE I testing was conducted in December 1992 on STS-53 with a screen channel LAD. A total of eight tests were performed over the course of the 7-day mission by three crewmembers: Rich Clifford, Guy Bluford, and Jim Voss. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  19. ^ Hasenauer, Heike (1993). "Science in Space". Soldiers. 48. Department of the Army: 19–20. Retrieved January 2, 2022. Lt. Col. Michael Clifford, performed various phases of three Army-sponsored experiments... Clifford was in charge of the first-time experiment called BLAST — for Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test ... 'It was an attempt at using a special laser receiver to receive and interpret information', said Clifford... Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  20. ^ "STS053-247-030 - STS-053 - Crewmember in aft FD with Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test". The U.S. National Archives. January 1, 1981. Retrieved January 2, 2022. View of Mission Specialist (MS) Michael R. (Rick) Clifford in the aft flight deck (FD) with the Battlefield Laser Acquisition Sensor Test (BLAST). Photo shows Clifford setting up the experiment equipment and adjusting the system optical head assembly (SOHA) cylinder so that it is directed out the overhead (OVHD) window. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  21. ^ Evans, Ben (April 7, 2019). "Patron Saint of Astronauts: Remembering STS-59, 25 Years On (Part 1)". AmericaSpace. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  22. ^ Evans, Ben (April 14, 2019). "'A Vision of Pure Beauty': Remembering STS-59, 25 Years On (Part 2)". America Space. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  23. ^ a b c d e Farley, Todd (2012). "Astronaut Rich Clifford Is the Rocket Man with Parkinson's". Neurology Now (Known as "Brain&Life" Since 2018) (April/May 2012). American Academy of Neurology. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  24. ^ Lauck, Dan (April 27, 2011). "A secret in space: NASA astronaut flew on Atlantis 2 years after Parkinson's diagnosis". KHOU 11 News. Archived from the original on April 30, 2011. Retrieved January 3, 2022.
  25. ^ Almeida, Andres (March 27, 2018). "The First U.S. Spacewalk of the Shuttle-Mir Program — March 27, 1996". NASA. Retrieved January 4, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  26. ^ Fries, Colin (March 13, 2015). "Wakeup Calls Chronology". history.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved January 4, 2022. STS-76: 3/27/96 "Free Flying" written by Brandon and Richard Clifford for father Michael Clifford's spacewalk that day. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  27. ^ Klotz, Irene (May 3, 2011). "Shuttle Astronaut Flew with a Secret: He had Parkinson's". Discovery News. Archived from the original on May 5, 2011. Retrieved May 4, 2011.
  28. ^ "Astronaut Rich Clifford Departs NASA". nasa.gov. January 8, 1997. Retrieved January 1, 2022. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  29. ^ a b c d Weissman, David (December 31, 2021). "Former NASA astronaut Rich Clifford, living in North Myrtle Beach, dies from Parkinson's". The Sun News. Retrieved December 31, 2021.
  30. ^ "Association of Space Explorers - United States". space-explorers.org. Association of Space Explorers. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  31. ^ "Michael R. Clifford". space-explorers.org. Association of Space Explorers. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved January 2, 2022.
  32. ^ "Veteran Astronaut Receives AAN's Public Leadership in Neurology Award". aan.com. American Academy of Neurology. February 21, 2012. Retrieved January 1, 2022.
  33. ^ Clifford, Rich (May 3, 2013). "Parkinson's didn't stop his space walk". CNN. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  34. ^ Whinder, Frances (October 2012). "Neuro Film Festival: challenge and inspiration". The Lancet Neurology. 11 (10): 849. doi:10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70223-5. S2CID 53301534.
  35. ^ Wische, Aaron (April 16, 2014). "Astronaut's space secret revealed on big screen". KPRC-TV. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
  36. ^ Feldman, Claudia (April 16, 2014). "No more secrets for this former astronaut". Houston Chronicle. Retrieved January 4, 2022.
  37. ^ "Rich Clifford, astronaut who secretly flew with Parkinson's, dies at 69". CollectSpace. December 28, 2021. Retrieved December 29, 2021.
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