William Frederick Fisher

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William Frederick Fisher, MD
William Frederick Fisher (Astronaut).jpg
NASA Astronaut
Nationality American
Status Retired
Born (1946-04-01) April 1, 1946 (age 78)
Dallas, Texas
Other occupation
Emergency physician
Time in space
7d 02h 17m
Selection 1980 NASA Group
Missions STS-51-I
Mission insignia
Sts-51-i-patch.png

William Frederick Fisher (born April 1, 1946) is an American physician and a former NASA astronaut.

Personal

Born April 1, 1946, in Dallas, Texas. He was married to a fellow astronaut, Anna Lee Fisher of St. Albans, New York in 1977. They have two daughters, Kristin Anne (b. July 29, 1983), who is a Washington D.C.-based correspondent for the Fox News Channel,[1] and Kara Lynne (b.January 10, 1989), who is currently enrolled in an MBA program at SMU in Dallas, Texas.[2] The Drs. Fisher were divorced in 2000.

Dr. Fisher enjoys alpine skiing, water skiing, mountain climbing, flying, skydiving, camping, and most New Adventures. His favorite book is Robert Fagel's translation of Homer's Iliad. He loves opera, but prefers to listen rather than to attend. He appreciates most types of music, but with the exception of Eminem, dislikes Rap. Dr. Fisher collects Bill Graham Fillmore, Family Dog, and other rock/concert music posters from the 1965-1973 timeframe. He is an amateur luthier, specializing in making, repairing, and refinishing Neapolitan-style mandolins. Dr. Fisher is also the owner of Twenty-First Century Arms, a sporting goods company, and is a both a Federal Firearms Licensee and NFA Firearms Dealer.

Education

Organizations

  • Diplomate of the American Board of Emergency Medicine
  • Fellow of the American College of Emergency Physicians
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Emergency Medicine
  • Fellow of the American Society of Addiction Medicine
  • Fellow of the World Association of Astronauts and Cosmonauts
  • Member, Association of Space Explorers (ASE)
  • Member, Wilderness Medical Society
  • Associate Air Traffic Control Specialist
  • Honorary Member, The St. Andrew Society of Tokyo and Yokahama
  • Board Member, Stanford on the Moon Project
  • Member, The Rock Poster Society (TRPS)

Awards and honors

  • American Astronautical Society Victor A. Prather Award for Outstanding Achievement in the field of Extravehicular Activity (1985)
  • Federation Aeronautique Internationale V.M. Komarov Diploma for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Exploration of Outer Space(Awarded to the STS-51 Crew) (1985)
  • NASA Space Flight Medal (1985)
  • NASA Exceptional Service Medal (1988).
  • Group Achievement Awards for EMU (Extravehicular Mobility Unit or "Space Suit") and MMU (Manned Maneuvering Unit) Development (1983, 1984)
  • Group Achievement Awards for Payload Assist Module (PAM) Software Development and Vehicle Integration (1983)
  • Named an ad hoc member of the U.S. Air Force Scientific Advisory Board (1986–1991)
  • Appointed a member of the NASA Medicine Policy Board (1987–1991)

Career

Fisher was graduated from Stanford University in 1968, and later served as an instructor in Mountaineering in Leysin, Switzerland. He attended medical school at the University of Florida, graduating in 1975. After medical school, Fisher completed a surgical residency from 1975 to 1977 at Harbor–UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California. He entered private practice in emergency medicine from 1977 to 1980, and was an Instructor in Emergency Medicine at the University of South Florida. He also attended graduate school at the University of Houston from 1978 to 1980. He was accepted as a NASA astronaut in 1980.

He has logged over 2,000 hours in prop, rotary-wing, jet aircraft and spacecraft.

NASA career

Fisher was selected as NASA Astronaut in 1980. His technical assignments included: scientific equipment operator for high altitude research on the WB-57F aircraft (1980–1981); astronaut medical support for the first four Shuttle missions (1980–1982); astronaut office representative for Extravehicular Mobility Unit (spacesuit) and Extravehicular Activity (EVA) procedures and development, including thermal vacuum testing of the suit (1981–1984); astronaut office representative for the Payload Assist Module (PAM-D) procedures and development (1982–1983); astronaut office representative for Shuttle Mission Simulator (SMS) development (1983); support crewman for STS-8; CAPCOM for STS-8 and STS-9; Remote Manipulator System (RMS) hardware and software development team (1983); Manned Maneuvering Unit (MMU) development team (1983); Deputy Director of NASA Government-furnished and Contractor-furnished Equipment (1982–1983); Chief of Astronaut Public Appearances (1985–1987); Head, Astronaut Office Space Station Manned Systems Division, and Health Maintenance Facility (1987–1989); Astronaut Office representative on space crew selection and retention standards for Space Station (1989–1991). Fisher also continued to practice Emergency Medicine in the greater Houston area in conjunction with his Astronaut duties.

Fisher was a mission specialist on STS-51-I, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on August 27, 1985. STS-51-I was acknowledged as the most successful Space Shuttle mission yet flown. The crew aboard Space Shuttle Space Shuttle Discovery deployed three communications satellites, the Navy SYNCOM IV-4, the Australian AUSSAT, and American Satellite Company's ASC-1. They also performed a successful on-orbit rendezvous with the ailing 15,400 pound SYNCOM IV-3 satellite, and two EVAs (space walks) by Fisher and van Hoften to repair it, including the longest space walk in history (at that time). Discovery completed 112 orbits of the Earth before landing at Edwards Air Force Base, California, on September 3, 1985. Fisher logged over 170 hours in space, including 11 hours and 52 minutes of Extravehicular Activity (EVA).

Fisher left NASA in 1992 and is currently in the private practice of Emergency Medicine in Houston, Texas as well as an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.[3]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.