Astronaut Paul Weitz, Pilot of First Flight of Space Shuttle Challenger, Dies at 85

Paul Weitz, retired astronaut and commander of first flight of the space shuttle Challenger, has died at age 85.

Weitz died peacefully in his home in Flagstaff, Ariz., according to the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. He had been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndromes, or MDS, a form of cancer, according to CollectSpace.com.

Weitz served on the first crew to live and work aboard an American space station as part of NASA's fifth group of astronauts. He flew as a pilot on the Skylab 2 mission in 1973, while also setting a record for the longest single spaceflight, 28 days, at the time.

Ten years later, Weitz led the STS-6 crew on the first flight of Challenger, NASA's second space shuttle orbiter to fly. The Challenger was destroyed and seven crew members killed during its 10th launch on January 28, 1986.

Encompassing his entire astronaut career, Weitz logged 33 days, one hour and 13 minutes in space — including 2 hours and 16 minutes on spacewalks. He retired as deputy director of the Johnson Space Center in May 1994 and was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in October 1997.

The recipient of the NASA Distinguished Service Medal and the Navy Distinguished Service Medal, Weitz was also honored alongside his Skylab crewmates in 1973 with the Collier Trophy by the National Aeronautic Association and in 1975 with the Goddard Memorial Trophy by the National Space Club.

Weitz was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, in 1932. He attended Pennsylvania State University, where he earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering in 1954, and received his master's in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, in 1964.

"Paul Weitz's name will always be synonymous with the space shuttle Challenger. But he also will be remembered for defying the laws of gravity - and age," veteran astronaut and Board Chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, Curtis Brown, told the Associated Press. "Before it became commonplace to come out of retirement, Paul was a pioneer. He proved 51 was just a number."