S . David Griggs Stanley David Griggs ( September 7 , 1939 – June 17 , 1989 ) was a United States Navy officer and a NASA astronaut . He is credited with conducting the first unscheduled extra - vehicular activity of the space program during Space Shuttle mission STS - 51 - D . Griggs was killed when the vintage World War II training aircraft he was piloting crashed near Earle , Arkansas . Early life . Born in Portland , Oregon , Griggs graduated from Lincoln High School in his hometown in 1957 . He was an Eagle Scout . In 1962 he received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy and in 1970 a Master of Science in administration from George Washington University . He enjoyed flying , auto restoration , running , and skiing . He married Karen Frances Kreeb and they had two daughters together , Alison Marie ( August 21 , 1971 ) and Carre Anne ( May 14 , 1974 ) . Navy career . Griggs graduated from Annapolis in 1962 and entered Naval pilot training shortly thereafter . In 1964 , he received his United States Navy pilot wings and was attached to Attack Squadron - 72 flying A - 4 Skyhawk s . He completed one Mediterranean cruise and two Southeast Asia combat cruises aboard the aircraft carriers USS " Independence " and USS " Franklin Roosevelt " . In 1967 Griggs entered the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School at Patuxent River , Maryland and upon completion of test pilot training was assigned to the Flying Qualities and Performance Branch , Flight Test Division , where he flew various test projects on fighter and attack - type aircraft . In 1970 , he resigned his regular United States Navy commission and affiliated with the Naval Air Reserve in which he achieved the rank of Rear Admiral . As a Naval Reservist , Griggs was assigned to several fighter and attack squadrons flying A - 4 Skyhawk , A - 7 Corsair II and F - 8 Crusader aircraft based at Naval Air Station s in New Orleans , Louisiana and Miramar , California . He logged 9 , 500 hours flying time , 7 , 800 hours in jet aircraft , and flew over 45 different types of aircraft including single and multi engine prop , turboprop and jet aircraft , helicopter s , gliders , hot air balloon s and the Space Shuttle . He made over 300 aircraft carrier landings , held an Airline Transport Pilot License , and was a certified flight instructor . NASA career . In July 1970 , Griggs was employed at the Lyndon B . Johnson Space Center as a research pilot , working on various flight test and research projects in support of NASA programs . In 1974 , he was assigned duties as the project pilot for the space shuttle trainer aircraft and participated in the design , development , and testing of those aircraft pending their operational deployment in 1976 . He was appointed Chief of the Shuttle Training Aircraft Operations Office in January 1976 with responsibility for the operational use of the shuttle trainer , and held that position until being selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in January 1978 . In August 1979 , he completed a one - year training and evaluation period and became eligible for Space Shuttle flight crew assignment . From 1979 to 1983 , Griggs was involved in several Space Shuttle engineering capacities including the development and testing of the Head - Up Display ( HUD ) approach and landing avionics system , development of the Manned Maneuvering Unit ( MMU ) , and the requirements definition and verification of on - orbit rendezvous and entry flight phase software and procedures . In September 1983 he began crew training as a mission specialist for flight STS - 51 - D , which flew April 12 – 19 , 1985 . During the flight , Mr . Griggs conducted the first unscheduled extravehicular activity ( space walk ) of the space program . The space walk lasted for over three hours during which preparations for a satellite rescue attempt were completed . At the time of his death , Griggs was in flight crew training as pilot for STS - 33 , a dedicated Department of Defense mission , scheduled for launch in November 1989 .