Charles Eldon Brady, Jr. (August 12 1951 – July 23 2006) (Captain, United States Navy) was an American NASA astronaut.

Personal data

Brady was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina, but considered Robbins, North Carolina, to be his hometown. He lived, during the last years of his life, between homes located on the islands of the Puget Sound and Bethesda, Maryland. He enjoyed canoeing, kayaking, tennis, biking and amateur radio operating. His father, Dr. Charles E. Brady, Sr., is deceased. His mother, Mrs. Ann Maness Brady, resides in Robbins, North Carolina. One sister, Jerry Ann Kennedy, her husband Clifford, and two children Mark and Mary Jayne live in Burlington, North Carolina. He is survived by his son, Charles Brady III.

The details of Brady's death are unclear, but according to Chuck McCarty, a San Juan County, Washington police dispatcher, it appears that Brady died of self-inflicted wounds (see ).

Education

• 1969: Graduated from North Moore High School, Robbins, North Carolina
• 1969-1971: Pre-med at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 1975: Received a doctorate in medicine from Duke University

Organizations

• Association of Military Surgeons of the United States
• Society of U.S. Naval Flight Surgeons
• Aerospace Medical Association and Space Medicine Branch
• Phi Beta Kappa
• Phi Eta Sigma

Special honors

• Eagle Scout
• Distinguished Eagle Scout Award
• Recipient of the Fox Flag for highest academic achievement at Naval Aerospace Medical Institute
• Richard E. Luehrs Memorial Award for Navy Operational Flight Surgeon of the Year (==1987==)
• Flight Surgeon for the "Blue Angels" Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron (1989-1990)
• Physician Coordinator for Operation Raleigh-USA (a British-sponsored international youth leadership program selected by the U.S. Department of Defense)
• Defense Superior Service Medal
• Navy Commendation Medal with Gold Star
• Navy Achievement Medal
• Meritorious Unit Commendation, Battle E
• NASA Space Flight Medal
• National Defense Medal
• Armed Forces Expeditionary Service Medal
• Sea Service Ribbon.

Experience

Following graduation in 1969, Brady attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in pre-med. He was accepted into medical school at Duke University in 1971 and graduated in 1975. From Duke, he went to the University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville for his internship. In 1978 Brady worked as the team physician in sports medicine for Iowa State University in Ames. He continued in sports medicine and family practice for the next seven years working as a team physician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina. He joined the Navy in 1986 receiving training as a flight surgeon at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida. In June 1986 he reported to Carrier Air Wing Two on board the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61). He was assigned to the attack wing including Attack Squadron 145 (VA-145) and Aviation Electronic Countermeasures Squadron 131 (VAQ-131). Brady was selected for the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels in 1988 and served with them through 1990. He was serving in Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 129 when selected for the astronaut program.

NASA experience

Brady was selected by NASA in March 1992, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He was qualified for selection as a mission specialist on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Assignments included: working technical issues for the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch; flight software testing in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); astronaut representative to the Human Research Policy and Procedures Committee; deputy chief for Space Shuttle astronaut training; and chief for Space Station astronaut training in the Mission Operations Division. He flew on STS-78 in 1996 and logged over 405 hours in space.

As an astronaut and amateur radio enthusiast, callsign N4BQW, Brady was one of the pioneers of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment and a member of the American Radio Relay League.

Space flight experience

STS-78 launched June 20, 1996 and landed 16 days and 21 hours later: July 7, 1996 becoming the longest Space Shuttle mission to date (later that year the STS-80 mission broke that record by nineteen hours.) The Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission served as a model for future studies onboard the International Space Station. The mission included studies sponsored by ten nations, five space agencies, and the crew included a Frenchman, a Canadian, a Spaniard and an Italian.

• Source:

External links

• Spacefacts biography of Charles E. Brady, Jr.
• Astronaut Brady's Death Stuns Area
• Brady Friend: Bureaucracy 'Broke His Great Spirit'