| Charles Eldon Brady, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | American |
| Status | Deceased |
| Born | August 12, 1951 Pinehurst, North Carolina |
| Other occupation | Medical Doctor |
| Rank | Captain, United States Navy |
| Time in space | 16d 21h 48m |
| Selection | 1992 NASA Group |
| Missions | STS-78 |
| Mission insignia | |
Charles Eldon Brady, Jr. (August 12, 1951 – July 23, 2006) (Captain, United States Navy) was an American physician and a NASA astronaut.[1][2][3]
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Brady was born in Pinehurst, North Carolina, but considered Robbins, North Carolina, to be his hometown.[4] He lived in San Juans Islands in Washington State. He enjoyed canoeing, kayaking, tennis, biking and amateur radio operating. His father is deceased, his mother resides in Robbins, North Carolina. Brady's death was the result of suicide. At the time his death was announced to the public, many reports stated that he had died after a lengthy illness (severe pain and paralysis from his rheumatoid arthritis)[2][3][5], other sources speculated that Brady's decision to take his own life might have been brought on by his chronic pain and diminished mobility.[6][7][8] This is also supported by NASA internal emails related to Brady that were later released under the Freedom of Information Act.[9] He is survived by his son, Charles "Charlie" Brady, III.
Brady graduated from North Moore High School in Robbins, North Carolina in 1969, and went on to study pre-med at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1971. Brady received his medical degree from Duke University in 1975.[1] From Duke, he went to the University of Tennessee Hospital in Knoxville for his internship.[1]
In 1978 Brady worked as the team physician in sports medicine for Iowa State University in Ames. He continued in sports medicine and family practice for the next seven years working as a team physician at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and East Carolina University in Greenville, North Carolina.[4] He joined the Navy in 1986 receiving training as a flight surgeon at the Naval Aerospace Medical Institute at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.[4] In June 1986 he reported to Carrier Air Wing Two on board the aircraft carrier USS Ranger (CV-61). He was assigned to the attack wing including Attack Squadron 145 (VA-145) and Aviation Electronic Countermeasures Squadron 131 (VAQ-131). Brady was selected for the Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels in 1988 and served with them through 1990.[4] He was serving in Tactical Electronic Warfare Squadron 129 when selected for the astronaut program.[1]
Brady was selected by NASA in March 1992, and reported to the Johnson Space Center in August 1992. He was qualified for selection as a mission specialist on future Space Shuttle flight crews. Assignments included: working technical issues for the Astronaut Office Mission Development Branch; flight software testing in the Shuttle Avionics Integration Laboratory (SAIL); astronaut representative to the Human Research Policy and Procedures Committee; deputy chief for Space Shuttle astronaut training; and chief for Space Station astronaut training in the Mission Operations Division. He flew on STS-78 in 1996 and logged over 405 hours in space.[1]
As an astronaut and amateur radio enthusiast, callsign N4BQW, Brady was one of the pioneers of the Shuttle Amateur Radio Experiment (SAREX) and a member of the American Radio Relay League.[3][4]
STS-78 launched June 20, 1996 and landed 16 days and 21 hours later: July 7, 1996 becoming the longest Space Shuttle mission to date (later that year the STS-80 mission broke that record by nineteen hours.) The Life and Microgravity Spacelab mission served as a model for future studies on board the International Space Station.[4] The mission included studies sponsored by ten nations, five space agencies, and the crew included a Frenchman, a Canadian, a Spaniard and an Italian.[1]
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