ABSTRACT
Terry Hart graduated in 1964 from Mt. Lebanon High School in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He received a Bachelor of Science degree in mechanical engineering from Lehigh University in 1968, a Master of Science degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1969, a Master of Science degree in electrical engineering from Rutgers University in 1978, and an honorary Doctorate of Engineering from Lehigh University in 1988. Dr. Hart began his career with Bell Telephone Laboratories in 1968 and was initially responsible for the mechanical design of magnetic tape transport systems. In 1969 he began a 4-year leave of absence with the Air Force, where he flew over 3200 hours in high-performance fighters before retiring from the Air National Guard as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1990. After returning from active duty in the Air Force in 1973, he worked in the Electronic Power Systems Laboratory where he was responsible for the mechanical and electrical design of power converters. He received two patents, one for a mechanical safety device and another for a noise suppression circuit. In January 1978, Hart was selected by NASA as one of 35 astronaut candidates, and after one year of training and evaluation, he was assigned to the support crew of the first three Space Shuttle missions. On April 6, 1984, he lifted off from the Kennedy Space Center in the Challenger on the eleventh flight of the Space Shuttle program, during which he was responsible for the rendezvous navigation and targeting, the remote manipulator system operation, and the IMAX camera operation. The mission objectives of deploying the long duration exposure facility and repairing the solar maximum mission satellite were successfully accomplished and demonstrated new capabilities in manned space flight. Upon his return from NASA in 1984, Hart held a variety of management positions in Bell Labs and led several projects in systems and software engineering, including an assignment as director of the Government Data Systems Division of AT&T in Stockholm, Sweden. He returned from Europe in 1991 as director of Satellite Engineering and Operations for AT&T and in 1997 became president of Loral Skynet when AT&T sold its satellite division to Loral Space and Communications. Hart retired from Skynet in 2004 and is currently teaching aerospace engineering
at his alma mater, Lehigh University. Dr. Hart is a member of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, the Tau Beta Pi engineering society, the Sigma Xi scientific society, and the Aviation Hall of Fame in New Jersey. Hart has been awarded the New Jersey Distinguished Service Medal, the Air Force Commendation Medal, the NASA Space Flight Medal, the Delta Upsilon Medallion, the Rutgers University Medal, the Pride of Pennsylvania Medal, and was inducted into the Rutgers Hall of Distinguished Alumni. Lehigh University and Former NASA Astronaut.
