Biographical Data |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
Lyndon
B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 |
As a Naval Reservist, Rear Admiral Griggs has been assigned to several fighter and attack squadrons flying A-4, A-7 and F-8 aircraft based at Naval Air Station New Orleans, LA, and Miramar, CA. His most recent assignments have been as Commanding Officer, Attack Squadron 2082, Executive Officer, Carrier Group 0282, mobilizing to Battle Force Sixth Fleet, Commanding Officer, Naval Reserve Naval Space Command 0166 stationed at the Naval Space Command Headquarters, Dahlgren, Virginia, and Commanding Officer, Office of Naval Research/Naval Research Laboratory 410, Houston, Texas. Rear Admiral Griggs current mobilization assignment is as Chief of Staff Commander Naval Air Force, United States Pacific Fleet, San Diego, California.
He has logged 9,500 hours flying time -- 7,800 hours in jet aircraft -- and has flown over 45 different types of aircraft including single and multi engine prop, turbo prop and jet aircraft, helicopters, gliders, hot air balloons and the Space Shuttle. He has made over 300 carrier landings, and holds an airline transport pilot license and is a certified flight instructor.
From 1979 to 1983 Mr. 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, Mr. Griggs was in flight crew training as pilot for STS-33, a dedicated Department of Defense mission, scheduled for launch in August 1989. He died on June 17, 1989, near Earle, Arkansas, in the crash of a vintage World War II airplane.
JUNE 1989