Astronaut David Carl Hilmers: Iowa Time Machine January 28, 1950

Iowa Time Machine ⏰: On January 28, 1950, astronaut and medical doctor David Carl Hilmers was born in Clinton. A veteran of four Space Shuttle missions, Hilmers became one of the most accomplished astronauts in American history before returning to school to become a doctor.

Hilmers came of age during the golden era of American space exploration, when the nation's attention was fixed on the heavens with an intensity that shaped an entire generation. The 1960s saw the Mercury and Gemini programs give way to the triumphant Apollo missions, and by the time Hilmers graduated from Central Community High School in DeWitt, Iowa, in 1968, Americans had walked on the moon. Hilmers went on to study mathematics at Cornell College and later served as a Marine Corps naval flight officer in A-6 Intruders. He also earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering and the degree of Electrical Engineer from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School.

Hilmers went on to fly missions that included STS-51J, the maiden voyage of the space shuttle Atlantis, and the crucial STS-26 return-to-flight mission after the Challenger disaster in 1988. During his dozen years with NASA, he logged more than 493 hours in space, working on classified Department of Defense missions, deploying satellites, and conducting dozens of microgravity experiments.

The Iowa astronaut's legacy continues to grow decades after his final spaceflight. In June 2024, Hilmers was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center, joining the elite company of 107 space pioneers recognized for their extraordinary contributions. After retiring from NASA in 1992, he pursued a medical degree at Baylor College of Medicine, later completing residencies in internal medicine and pediatrics, as well as a master's in public health. Today, Dr. Hilmers serves as a professor at Baylor and works as Chief Medical Officer for Hepatitis B Free, an organization dedicated to eradicating the disease in underserved regions. #Iowa #OTD #History #Astronaut #Space