Description: Two photographs, taken on board the space shuttle Discovery during its seven-day mission in 1984, include Akron native Judith Resnik. The first photograph is a group shot of the six crew members, shown (counterclockwise from center): Crew Commander Henry N. Hartsfield Jr., Pilot Michael L. Coats, Mission Specialists Steven A. Hawley and Judith A. Resnik, Payload Specialist Charles D. Walker, and Mission Specialist Richard N. "Nike" Mullane. A second photograph shows Resnik on the flight deck of the Discovery looking out toward the mid-deck. Both photographs measure 8" x 10" (20.32 x 25.4 cm). Resnik (1949-1986) was born in Akron and graduated from Firestone High School. She earned a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University in 1970, and a doctorate in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1977. She began working at RCA as a design engineer in 1971 and was a biomedical engineer and staff fellow in the Laboratory of Neurophysiology at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, from 1974 to 1977. She was selected as an astronaut candidate by NASA in 1978. During her first mission in space, Resnik and the crew of the Discovery became known as "Icebusters" by successfully removing hazardous ice particles from the orbiter using the Remote Manipulator System. Resnik was killed during her second mission on January 28, 1986 when the space shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: Om3110_3671706_007
Subjects: Transportation; Science and Technology; Ohio Women; Flight; Aeronautics; Astronauts; Space flight; Flight crews; Resnik, Judith, 1949-1986; Discovery (Spacecraft); Challenger (Spacecraft)
Places: Akron (Ohio); Summit County (Ohio)
 

Description: Photograph of C. Walder Parke with his crew's pilot, Ray Graves, and bombardier, Al Silva. All three were aboard the B-17 "Mission Mistress" when it went down over northern France. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F02_014
Subjects: Flight crews; Parke, Charles Walder, 1924-1996; Graves, Raymond J.; Silva, Allen E.; United States Air Force; Military uniforms; Air pilots, Military
 

Description: Photograph of pilot Frank F. Scannell and his crew with their B-17 named "Ordnance Express." Scannell served in the 332nd Bomb Squadron, a subdivision of the 94th Bombardment Group to which C. Walder Parke also belonged. More recently, Scannell is known for writing a WWII biography in 1995 entitled "One man's war: Remembrances of World War II". The 94th was a subdivision of the 4th Combat Wing of the famous Eighth Air Force, which conducted many of the missions over France and Germany during WWII. Charles Walder Parke was born on July 28, 1924, and grew up in Shaker Heights, Ohio. He enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces in 1942 intending to be a pilot during WWII, but spent most of his military career as a navigator on B-17 Flying Fortresses in the 94th Bombardment Group. Parke earned two Bronze Stars, an Air Medal with several Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Distinguished Flying Cross for his successful bombing missions, including some over Berlin. He is best known for being on board a B-17 which was shot down over France by German planes on June 25, 1944, during a non-combat mission. The crew managed to make an emergency landing, and everyone inside survived. After the war, Parke founded the Cleveland-based Laurel Industries Inc., which became a prominent supplier of antimony oxide to the plastics industry. He died of Lou-Gehrig’s Disease on September 15, 1996, at the age of 72. View on Ohio Memory.
Image ID: MSS1510_B03F02_008
Subjects: Scannell, Frank (Francis F.); Flight crews; B-17 bomber