Betas in Space: Paul J. Weitz, Penn State ’54

Brother and Astronaut Paul Joseph Weitz entered space for two landmark space missions during his career as a Navy pilot. He would have had three missions had the Apollo program not been cancelled before Apollo 20, for which he would have been the Command Module pilot.

Background

On board Skylab 2 and getting a trim from commander Pete Conrad in the crew quarters

Brother Weitz was born in Erie, Pennsylvania, on July 25, 1932. He graduated from Harbor Creek High School in Harborcreek, Pennsylvania. The high school stadium was later named after him. He received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1954. While attending Penn State, he was initiated as a member of the Alpha Upsilon Chapter of Beta Theta Pi.

Ten years later he received a master’s degree in aeronautical engineering from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. Brother Weitz received his commission as an Ensign through the Naval ROTC program at Penn State. He served for one year at sea aboard a destroyer before going to flight training and was awarded his aviator wings in September 1956. He served in various naval aircraft squadrons until he was selected as an astronaut in 1966. He has logged more than 7,700 hours flying time—6,400 hours in jet aircraft.

The Alpha Upsilon Chapter

The Alpha Upsilon chapter of Beta Theta Pi is a longstanding chapter with an active Alumni Association. Its alumni keep each other posted on events and activities on their Alumni Site. The active chapter keeps a Twitter Account, @Beta_PennState, and tweets updates as they occur. It’s latest tweet lauds the turnout at the PSU Dance Marathon @THON, a student-run philanthropy event raising funds and awareness for the fight against Pediatric cancer. Prior to that, the men of Alpha Upsilon teamed up with Alpha Chi Omega to host the philanthropy event “Kisses for the Troops.”

First Mission: Skylab 2

In April 1966, Brother Weitz served as pilot on the crew of Skylab 2 (SL-2)–an orbital space station much earlier than the present International Space Station. The mission, SL-2, launched on May 25 and splashed down on June 22, 1973. SL-2 was the first manned Skylab mission, and achieved a then-record-breaking 28-day duration. Brother Weitz and his two crewmates performed extensive and unprecedented repairs to serious damage the unmanned Skylab sustained during its launch, salvaging the entire Skylab mission. Brother Weitz also logged two hours and 11 minutes in extravehicular activities.

Second Mission: The Challenger’s Maiden Flight

Weitz was spacecraft commander on the Space Shuttle crew of STS-6, which launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on April 4, 1983. This was the maiden voyage of the well-known orbiter Challenger. During the mission, the crew conducted numerous experiments in materials processing, recorded lightning activities, deployed IUS/TDRS-A, conducted extravehicular activity while testing a variety of support systems and equipment in preparation for future space walks. The mission duration was 120 hours before Challenger landed on a concrete runway at Edwards Air Force Base,California, on April 9, 1983. With the completion of this flight, Brother Weitz logged a total of 793 hours in space.

Brother Weitz continued at NASA as Deputy Director of the Johnson Space Center until he retired from NASA in May 1994. Hunting and fishing are among his hobbies. He married the former Suzanne M. Berry of Harborcreek, Pennsylvania. They had two children, Matthew and Cynthia.

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