PRESS RELEASE #J04-048

October 21, 2004 

Nicole Cloutier
Johnson Space Center, TX
281/483-5111



Release: #J04-048 

VETERAN ASTRONAUT DUANE CAREY LEAVES SPACE TO SEE THE WORLD 


After fulfilling one dream to pilot a Space Shuttle and see the world 
from space, Astronaut Duane G. "Digger" Carey (Lt. Col, USAF-Ret) has 
left NASA to pursue another -- to see the planet up close from the 
open road. 



Carey plans to begin a motorcycle tour of the United States and 
eventually the world, camping along the way. He and his wife, Cheryl, 
are moving to Colorado Springs, CO, to prepare for the trip. They 
plan to launch their travels with a break-in expedition to Alaska. 



Selected as an astronaut by NASA in 1996, Carey served as pilot of 
Space Shuttle mission STS-109 in 2002, a maintenance flight to the 
Hubble Space Telescope. STS-109 orbited the earth 165 times, 
traveling about 3.9 million miles. 



"Duane is an exceptional Shuttle pilot, but years ago he was bitten by 
the motorcycle touring bug, and he always wanted to return to 
near-Earth exploration of our country aboard a motorcycle," said Ken 
Bowersox, Director of Flight Crew Operations. "We'll really miss his 
skill and expertise, but we all envy him in some way for heading off 
in a new direction." 



"Cheryl and I will attempt to consummate a dream we first envisioned 
over 25 years ago," Carey said. "Our 22-plus years of public service 
in the United States Air Force and NASA have been incredibly 
rewarding, and we hope we've contributed something useful to our 
country over those years. Please join us in our hopes that America 
will continue her push for the stars, a quest that represents the 
single best hope for all of our futures." 



As a young man, Carey discovered motorcycle touring and traveled the 
U.S., Mexico and Canada. He met his wife during that time, and they 
traveled together. Later, they settled down to raise a family. Carey 
began a career in the Air Force. 



"I was lucky," Carey said. "In the Air Force, I learned to fly jets, 
and I did pretty well at it. I love flying. When I was able to join 
NASA and fly in space, I realized one of my greatest dreams." 



But despite those pinnacles of success at his chosen profession, the 
dream of traveling the road and discovering the world along the way 
has always remained. "Many people would be amazed, but every day, 
every day, since those days on the road, I've had moments thinking 
about that experience. It's a passion for me," he said. "Even while 
looking down from space, I would imagine moving across those green 
expanses on a motorcycle. Now, I'll be traveling those roads and 
looking up to where I once was." 



During his travels, Carey plans to talk to young people about the 
importance of math and science and the wonder of space travel. 



"I owe a lot to my country," he explained. "I've been an Air Force jet 
pilot, and I've been an astronaut. And now, I want to tell people the 
importance of space flight, especially in the smaller, more rural 
communities I expect to visit." 



Around campfires, there will be great surprise, and probably 
disbelief, when Carey relays to fellow campers his background as an 
astronaut, an astronaut far from the beaten path. 



"To explore, we must always take some risks. We have to explore new 
territory. We don't know what we'll find out there, but we have to go 
out and find our future," he said. 



Complete biographical information for Carey is available at: 



http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/carey.html



For more information about NASA, visit:



http://www.nasa.gov

	
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