Author
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Topic: Payload specialist Robert Wood (1957-2009)
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SPACEFACTS Member Posts: 301 From: Germany Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 02-21-2009 02:00 AM
According to the St. Louis Dispatch, former payload specialist Robert J. Wood died in a car accident on February 19, 2009. The Missouri Highway Patrol has identified the victim as Robert J. Wood, 51, of Wright City. Wood, the father of five, was a triathlete who worked as an engineering manager at Boeing.Wood's car was rear-ended about 12:15 a.m. as he drove east on Interstate 70 near Bryan Road, police say. The patrol said Chad E. Frazer, 29, was arrested after he ran out of his wrecked vehicle and away from the scene. Investigators with the Missouri Highway Patrol say Frazer's blood-alcohol content was measured at .27 about 90 minutes after the crash. That's more than three times the legal limit of .08. Though he never flew in space, as an engineer with the McDonnell Douglas Aeronautics Company, Wood was chosen as the second industry payload specialist in March 1985 and served as backup to payload specialist Charles Walker on STS-61B. Wood was assigned to fly on STS-61M, but the mission was canceled after the loss of space shuttle Challenger. ![](http://www.collectspace.com/review/obit_robertwood01.jpg) Robert Wood (left) and Charles Walker in 1985. Credit: NASA via Spacefacts A moment of silence can be signified by an entry with no words and only a period. |
Lunar rock nut Member Posts: 911 From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A. Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 02-21-2009 06:25 AM
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jasonelam Member Posts: 691 From: Monticello, KY USA Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 02-21-2009 08:06 AM
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cddfspace Member Posts: 609 From: Morris County, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-21-2009 08:16 AM
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KSCartist Member Posts: 2896 From: Titusville, FL USA Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 02-21-2009 08:18 AM
So tragic to lose your life because of the reckless actions of another! My prayers go out to his family and I hope the person who killed him spends the rest of his life behind bars. Tim |
ea757grrl Member Posts: 729 From: South Carolina Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 02-21-2009 10:02 AM
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Daniel Lazecky Member Posts: 480 From: Czech Republic-Europe Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 02-21-2009 10:05 AM
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Apollo-Soyuz Member Posts: 1205 From: Shady Side, Md Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 02-21-2009 11:03 AM
Here is a cover autographed by him. It was a shame the experiment never flew. |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-21-2009 11:12 AM
quote: Originally posted by Apollo-Soyuz: It was a shame the experiment never flew.
The experiment, the Continuous Flow Electrophoresis System developed by McDonnell Douglas, did fly on three missions with Charles Walker -- STS-41D, STS-51D, and STS-61B. |
Delta7 Member Posts: 1505 From: Bluffton IN USA Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 02-21-2009 12:25 PM
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Apollo-Soyuz Member Posts: 1205 From: Shady Side, Md Registered: Sep 2004
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posted 02-21-2009 01:20 PM
Robert- You are absolutely 100% right. It was the payload bay unit which never flew.------------------ John Macco Space Unit Shady Side, Md. |
Henk Boshuijer Member Posts: 450 From: Netherlands Registered: May 2007
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posted 02-21-2009 01:23 PM
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ASCAN1984 Member Posts: 1049 From: County Down, Nothern Ireland Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-23-2009 03:52 PM
2008 was a terrible year for losing people in the spaceflight community and it appears that 2009 will be the same. Tragic to lose someone by someone else's actions. The world is a lesser place. ![](http://www.collectspace.com/ubb/frown.gif) |
Sarahnaut Member Posts: 15 From: Florida, USA Registered: Nov 2008
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posted 02-23-2009 04:08 PM
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RMH Member Posts: 577 From: Ohio Registered: Mar 2001
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posted 02-23-2009 04:49 PM
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mjanovec Member Posts: 3811 From: Midwest, USA Registered: Jul 2005
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posted 02-23-2009 04:58 PM
quote: Originally posted by ASCAN1984: 2008 was a terrible year for losing people in the spaceflight community and it appears that 2009 will be the same.
Sadly, we're going to be seeing an ever-increasing rate of losses in the coming years, as most of the pioneering astronauts, engineers, mission controllers, etc. enter their 80s and 90s (assuming they aren't already there). I hate to think how few of them will remain with us ten years from now. But it seems doubly sad when a guy like Wood is taken so suddenly in the prime of his life. 51 was way too young. My sympathies go out to his family and friends... |
ejectr Member Posts: 1751 From: Killingly, CT Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 02-23-2009 05:14 PM
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chappy Member Posts: 231 From: Cardiff, S. Wales, UK Registered: Apr 2006
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posted 02-23-2009 05:33 PM
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NavySpaceFan Member Posts: 655 From: Norfolk, VA Registered: May 2007
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posted 02-23-2009 06:26 PM
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Kevin Carrico Member Posts: 70 From: Salina, Kansas, USA Registered: May 2004
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posted 02-23-2009 08:10 PM
Do we know yet if NASA is planning any kind of memorial service and do we know where a gift in memory of Robert can be made? |
dss65 Member Posts: 1156 From: Sandpoint, ID, USA Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 02-23-2009 09:00 PM
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StarDome New Member Posts: From: Registered:
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posted 02-23-2009 10:24 PM
God Bless |
mark plas Member Posts: 385 From: the Netherlands Registered: Aug 2000
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posted 02-23-2009 10:34 PM
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TRS Member Posts: 721 From: Wellington, New Zealand Registered: Mar 2003
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posted 02-24-2009 03:31 AM
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Philip Member Posts: 5952 From: Brussels, Belgium Registered: Jan 2001
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posted 02-24-2009 03:38 AM
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cosmos-walter Member Posts: 691 From: Salzburg, Austria Registered: Jun 2003
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posted 02-24-2009 04:03 AM
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fabfivefreddy Member Posts: 1067 From: Leawood, Kansas USA Registered: Oct 2003
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posted 02-24-2009 09:55 AM
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randy Member Posts: 2176 From: West Jordan, Utah USA Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 02-24-2009 10:54 AM
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cddfspace Member Posts: 609 From: Morris County, NJ, USA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-24-2009 01:29 PM
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ShuttleDiscovery Member Posts: 152 From: Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 02-24-2009 01:54 PM
That's so tragic! RIP Robert Wood |
astro-nut Member Posts: 946 From: Washington, IL Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-24-2009 04:19 PM
.God Bless his family. |
Jay Chladek Member Posts: 2272 From: Bellevue, NE, USA Registered: Aug 2007
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posted 02-24-2009 10:15 PM
I did meet Charlie this weekend at Spacefest and it turns out we had a mutual friend in common as well who worked with him when they were at MDD (not Robert Wood). If Robert was anything like Charlie, then we truely have lost a great individual as these engineers selected for PS duties were more then just mere "payload".As for anything from NASA's side, I doubt it since the industry PSes didn't work for NASA at all and the only thing they had were the NASA patches on their flight suits. More then likely though considering Robert still worked for Boeing, there will likely be a memorial on that side as the former MDD community at Boeing in St. Louis is a tight one as I understand it. |
Jake Member Posts: 464 From: Issaquah, WA U.S.A. Registered: Jun 2002
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posted 02-25-2009 12:13 PM
.------------------ Jake Schultz - curator, Newport Way Air Museum (OK, it's just my home) |
irish guy Member Posts: 287 From: Kerry Ireland Registered: Dec 2001
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posted 02-25-2009 12:42 PM
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ASCAN1984 Member Posts: 1049 From: County Down, Nothern Ireland Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 02-26-2009 03:16 PM
Does anyone have a more recent photo? |
Robert Pearlman Editor Posts: 42988 From: Houston, TX Registered: Nov 1999
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posted 02-26-2009 04:11 PM
The St. Charles Journal has a photograph of Wood from August when he was competing in a triathlon (the same photo was reprinted by the St. Louis Dispatch in the story linked from the original notice of Wood's passing). |
GACspaceguy Member Posts: 2476 From: Guyton, GA Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 02-26-2009 06:43 PM
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skye12 Member Posts: 49 From: Austin, TX, USA Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 02-26-2009 09:45 PM
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spaceman1953 Member Posts: 953 From: South Bend, IN Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 02-27-2009 04:08 PM
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spaceman Member Posts: 1104 From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 03-01-2009 09:35 AM
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