In 2003, the Amarillo International Airport was renamed in honor of NASA astronaut Rick Husband, the Commander of NASA Mission STS-107 of the Space Shuttle Columbia.  At public request, the staff of the Rick Husband Amarillo International Airport compiled the following information to give viewers of this website some basic information about Rick Husband.

Rick Husband was born on July 12, 1957, in Amarillo, Texas.  He graduated with honors from Amarillo High School in 1975.  He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Texas Tech University in 1980.  He also earned his Master of Science degree from Fresno State University.  Upon graduation, he joined the United States Air Force as a pilot.  He logged over 3,800 hours of flight time in more than 40 different aircraft.

In December 1994, Rick Husband was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA.  He served as Chief of Safety for the Astronaut Office at Johnson Space Center in Houstin, Texas.  He flew his first mission as a pilot on mission STS-96 in 1999, where he logged more than 235 hours in space.  Rick Husband was later assigned as the Commander of mission STS-107 that launched on January 16, 2003.  The STS-107 mission was a 16-day mission in which the crew tested applications of microgravity to gain insight into the environment of space and to improve life on Earth.  The mission ended on the morning of February 1, 2003, when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry over Texas, killing all its crew members, including Rick Husband.  The determined cause of the accident was that a piece of insulating foam broke off from the Shuttle’s external tank and damaged some of the thermal protection tiles on the Shuttle’s left wing, causing hot gases to destroy the internal wing structure.

Since Rick Husband was born and raised in Amarillo, Texas, and had many personal ties there, the City authorities decided it was most fitting and appropriate to dedicate the city’s airport to him, which they did.

All crew members of the STS-107 mission included Rick Husband, William C. McCool, David M. Brown, Kalpana Chawla, Michael P. Anderson, Laurel B. Clark, and Lian Ramon.

The story of Rick Husband and his love of aviation and space began when Rick was about 4 years old.  If you want to read a lengthier book about Rick Husband, you will find the book, “High Calling,” by Evelyn Husband a captivating experience.  There are also numerous internet-based resources that capture information about Rick Husband and about the STS-107 mission.