Robert F. Overmyer | |
|---|---|
 Overmyer in his spacesuit in 1982 | |
| Born | Robert Franklyn Overmyer July 14, 1936 Lorain, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | March 22, 1996 (aged 59) Duluth, Minnesota, U.S. |
| Resting place | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Education | Baldwin Wallace University (BS) Naval Postgraduate School (MS) |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross |
| Space career | |
| NASA astronaut | |
| Rank | Colonel, USMC |
Time in space | 12d 2h 22m |
| Selection | USAF MOL Group 2 (1966) NASA Group 7 (1969) |
| Missions | STS-5 STS-51-B |
Mission insignia |   |
| Retirement | June 1986 |
Robert Franklyn "Bob" Overmyer (July 14, 1936 – March 22, 1996) was an American test pilot, naval aviator, aeronautical engineer, physicist, United States Marine Corps officer, and USAF/NASA astronaut. Overmyer was selected by the Air Force as an astronaut for its Manned Orbiting Laboratory in 1966. Upon cancellation of the program in 1969, he became a NASA astronaut and served support crew duties for the Apollo program, Skylab program, and Apollo-Soyuz Test Project. In 1976, he was assigned to the Space Shuttle program and flew as pilot on STS-5 in 1982 and as commander on STS-51-B in 1985. He was selected as a lead investigator into the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986, retiring from NASA that same year. A decade later, Overmyer died while testing the Cirrus VK-30 homebuilt aircraft.