Robert Crippen

Robert Laurel Crippen (born September 11, 1937) is an American retired naval officer and aviator, test pilot, aerospace engineer, and retired astronaut. He traveled into space four times: as Pilot of STS-1 in April 1981, the first Space Shuttle mission; and as Commander of STS-7 in June 1983, STS-41-C in April 1984, and STS-41-G in October 1984. Crippen received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor. Crippen was active in the search during the recovery operations for the remains of crew members after the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster, renting a fishing boat at his own expense as part of recovery efforts.