Biography of Flight.... By Anne Lenehan /Page 3
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As a doctor who was also completing a masters degree in physiology, Story was in a unique position
to apply for the role of a scientist-astronaut when the opportunity arose in the late 1960s.
In those days, being a pilot was also an asset and so after being accepted, he spent the first
year of astronaut training at the Air Force base in Reese, TX, gaining his military pilot’s
wings – which he did with the highest scores ever recorded at the base and a commendation
from the Lieutenant General (Commander) of the United States Air Force. This was also the beginning
of Story’s love affair with the Northrop Grumman T-38.
Flying complemented Story’s other NASA activities, which from the late 1960s to the
mid 1970s included contributions to the Apollo and Skylab programs. He went on to assist with
the design of the servicing aspects of the Hubble Space Telescope, the design of the space shuttle
spacesuit and life support systems, and the space shuttle’s avionics or computer systems.
He also became NASA’s leading authority on spacewalking.
