David M . Walker ( astronaut ) David Mathieson Walker ( May 20 , 1944 - April 23 , 2001 ) , was a United States Navy officer and a NASA astronaut . He flew aboard four Space Shuttle missions in the 1980s and 1990s . Personal . Born May 20 , 1944 , in Columbus , Georgia . Died on April 23 , 2001 from cancer , Walker was 56 years old and was being treated at University of Texas M . D . Anderson Cancer Center in Houston , Texas . His wife , the former Paige Lucas , and two adult sons from a previous marriage , Michael and Mathieson , survive him . He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on May 24 , 2001 . Military career . Walker graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis , Maryland and subsequently received flight training from the Naval Air Training Command at bases in Florida , Mississippi , and Texas . He was designated a Naval Aviator in December 1967 and proceeded to Naval Air Station Miramar , California , for assignment to F - 4 Phantoms aboard the aircraft carriers USS " Enterprise " and USS " America " . From December 1970 to 1971 , he attended the U . S . Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base , California , and was subsequently assigned in January 1972 as an experimental and engineering test pilot in the flight test division at the U . S . Naval Test Pilot School , NAS Patuxent River , Maryland . While there , he participated in the Navy ’ s preliminary evaluation and Board of Inspection and Survey trials of the F - 14 Tomcat and tested a leading edge slat modification to the F - 4 Phantom . He then attended the United States Navy Safety Officer School at Monterey , California , and completed replacement pilot training in the F - 14 Tomcat at NAS Miramar , California . In 1975 , Walker was assigned to Fighter Squadron 142 ( VF - 142 ) , stationed at NAS Oceana , Virginia , as a fighter pilot and was deployed to the Mediterranean Sea twice aboard the USS " America " . He logged more than 7 , 500 hours flying time , with over 6 , 500 hours in jet aircraft . NASA career . One of 35 candidates selected by NASA in January 1978 for the new Space Shuttle program , Walker became an astronaut in August 1979 . Among his technical assignments , he served as Astronaut Office Safety Officer ; technical assistant to the director of flight crew operations in 1981 ; a chase pilot on STS - 1 ; software verification at the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory ( SAIL ) ; mission support group leader for STS - 5 and STS - 6 ; Assistant to the Director , Flight Crew Operations ; leader of the astronaut support team at Kennedy Space Center in 1985 ; Branch Chief , Space Station Design and Development ; and Special Manager for Assembly , Space Station Project Office . From July 1993 to June 1994 , Walker was Chief of the Station / Exploration Support Office , Flight Crew Operations Directorate , after which he chaired the JSC Safety Review Board . A veteran of four spaceflights , Walker logged nearly 725 hours in space . He was the pilot on STS - 51 - A in 1984 , and was the commander of STS - 30 in 1989 , STS - 53 in 1992 and STS - 69 in 1995 . Walker was in training to command STS - 61 - G , scheduled for a May 1986 launch when the " Challenger " disaster forced NASA to suspend all Shuttle flights . In 1989 , while piloting a NASA T - 38 to Washington , D . C . for ceremonies honoring the crew of STS - 30 , Walker came within 100 ft ( 30 m ) of striking a Pan Am jetliner . That encounter and other infractions of NASA flying rules caused him to be grounded from July to September 1990 , costing him the command of STS - 44 . Spaceflights . STS - 51 - A " Discovery " ( November 8 – 16 , 1984 ) was launched from and returned to land at Kennedy Space Center , Florida . During the mission the crew deployed two satellites , Canada ’ s Anik D - 2 ( Telesat H ) , and Hughes ’ LEASAT - 1 ( Syncom IV - 1 ) . In the first space salvage mission in history , the crew also retrieved for return to Earth the Palapa B - 2 and Westar VI satellites . Mission duration was 127 Earth orbits in 7 days , 23 hours , 44 minutes , 56 seconds . STS - 30 " Atlantis " ( May 4 – 8 , 1989 ) was launched from Kennedy Space Center , Florida . During the 4 - day mission the crew successfully deployed the Magellan Venus - exploration spacecraft , the first U . S . planetary science mission launched since 1978 , and the first planetary probe to be deployed from the Shuttle . Magellan arrived at Venus in August 1990 , and mapped over 95 % of the surface of Venus . In addition , the crew also worked on secondary payloads involving fluid research in general , chemistry , and electrical storm studies . Following 64 orbits of the Earth , the STS - 30 mission concluded with the first cross - wind landing test of the Shuttle Orbiter at Edwards Air Force Base , California . STS - 53 " Discovery " ( December 2 – 9 , 1992 ) was launched from the Kennedy Space Center , Florida , and also returned to land at Edwards Air Force Base , California . During 115 Earth orbits the five - man crew deployed a classified Department of Defense payload DOD - 1 and then performed several Military - Man - in - Space and NASA experiments . Mission duration was 175 hours , 19 minutes , 17 seconds . STS - 69 " Endeavour " ( September 7 – 18 , 1995 ) was launched from and returned to land at Kennedy Space Center , Florida . During the mission the crew successfully deployed and retrieved a SPARTAN satellite and the Wake Shield Facility . Also on board was the International Extreme Ultraviolet Hitchhiker payload , and numerous secondary payloads and medical experiments . Mission duration was 10 days , 20 hours , 28 minutes . Business career . In April 1996 , Walker retired from the Navy and left NASA to become vice president for sales and marketing for NDC Voice Communications in San Diego , California . He joined Ultrafast , Inc . of Malvern , Pennsylvania in April 1999 as vice president of aerospace sales . Later he retired to McCall , Idaho , however he sometimes worked as a consultant to the Aerospace Industry . In 1998 , Walker served as space technology consultant on the film Deep Impact .