Iowa
This Iowa native is being inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame
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NASA’s Juno spacecraft is at it again, delivering some of the most high resolution and amazing photos of Jupiter’s biggest moon.
An Iowa native will be inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame this year.
David Hilmers, born in Clinton, and Marsha Ivins will join the 107 astronauts who are part of the hall of fame with a ceremony scheduled for June 1, according to a news release.
“These two veterans of the space program have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments in furthering NASA’s mission of exploration and discovery,” said Curt Brown, board chairman of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, which stewards the selection process. “Both Hilmers and Ivins represent the committed spirit of exploration, bravery and teamwork that make our space program a continued success. We are proud and honored to have them join the ranks of the space pioneers recognized in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame at Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex.”
Who is David Hilmers?
Born in Clinton in 1950, Hilmers considers DeWitt his hometown, according to the news release.
The Iowa native worked for NASA for 12 years, logging 493 hours in space over the course of four missions, the Des Moines Register reported in 2021.
He was selected as an astronaut in 1980, previously enlisting in the U.S. Marine Corps and attending Naval Postgraduate School in California.
His roles at NASA included shuttle software testing, extravehicular activity suit development — or the kind of suit used for spacewalks, according to NASA — capsule communicator for six shuttle flights and as operating as the head of the mission development branch of the astronaut office.
Hilmers flew on several missions, including as a mission specialist on STS-51J. The Department of Defense mission marked the first flight of space shuttle Atlantis, occurring from Oct. 3-7, 1985, according to NASA.
He was also part of the 1988 mission that “returned American astronauts to space,” NASA reported, following the Challenger disaster that killed seven crew members in an explosion quickly after launch in 1986. Hilmers flew as a mission specialist.
In February 1992, Hilmers retired from NASA and as a colonel in the Marine Corps. Currently, he is a professor of internal medicine and pediatrics at the Houston-based Baylor College of Medicine, according to the news release. His involvement with space continue. He works with NASA as the exploration medicine technical lead for the Clinical Science Team.
What is the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame?
Inductees are selected by a committee of hall of fame astronauts, former NASA officials, flight directors, historians and journalists, according to the news release. The Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida has displays for the hall of famers that visitors can see.
See photos of other Iowans who have made it to space
Iowans have long contributed their talents and intelligence to make space exploration possible.
More: A look at the Iowans who have made it to space
These individuals include:
- Clayton Anderson, who graduated from Iowa State University and completed six spacewalks by his retirement in 2013;
- Laurel Clark, who was born in Ames and spent 15 days, 22 hours and 20 minutes in space aboard space shuttle Columbia, which disintegrated upon re-entering Earth’s atmosphere;
- Walter Cunningham, the Creston-born man who piloted the 11-day Apollo 7 flight in 1968;
- Dale Gardner, who spent a total of 337 hours in space and considers Clinton his hometown;
- James Kelly, the Burlington-born astronaut who piloted the space shuttle Discovery on flights STS-102 and STS-114;
- George “Pinky” Nelson, who flew in several missions during the 1980s and was born in Charles City;
- Loren Shriver, the Jefferson-born man who was inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 2008;
- Peggy Whitson, who grew up in Beaconsfield and became the first woman to command the International Space Station; and
- Raja Chari, the Cedar Falls astronaut who served as commander of the NASA SpaceX Crew-3 mission in 2021.
Paris Barraza is a trending and general assignment reporter at the Des Moines Register. Reach her at pbarraza@registermedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @ParisBarraza.
An Iowa facility for people with intellectual disabilities is set to permanently close after federal investigators said patients’ rights were violated there.
The 28 residents at the state-run Glenwood Resource Center will be moved out by the end of June and 235 staff members have been notified that they will be laid off, according to reporting by the Des Moines Register. The facility had 152 patients and about 650 staff members when Gov. Kim Reynolds announced in 2022 that it would close.
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Scathing reports by the U.S. Department of Justice have condemned Iowa’s treatment of people with intellectual and development disabilities. The DOJ alleged that Iowa likely violated the federal Americans with Disabilities Act by failing to provide services that integrate patients into their communities.
The Glenwood Resource Center in Glenwood, Iowa, is set to permanently close at the end of June.
A report in December 2020 found that the Glenwood Resource Center likely violated the constitutional rights of residents by subjecting them to human experiments, including sexual arousal research, some of which were deemed dangerous by federal investigators.
Most of the residents have moved from the 380-acre campus about 115 miles southwest of Des Moines to community-based settings, such as residential facilities for those with intellectual disabilities or to host homes; nursing facilities or hospice care, said Alex Murphy, a spokesperson for Iowa’s health agency.
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Officials told the Register that some were transferred to Iowa’s other facility, the Woodward Resource Center, which has also in the past been cited as deficient.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – An Iowa City man is facing multiple charges after police say he tried to flee a traffic stop at high speed while under the influence of alcohol early Sunday morning.
In a criminal complaint, police said an officer pulled over a man, later identified as 21-year-old Alexander White, for an equipment violation.
Another vehicle that was not involved in the traffic stop also pulled over, so the officer told White to wait while he went to speak with the driver of the second vehicle.
That’s when White allegedly fled the scene.
The officer got back in his vehicle and a chase ensued, heading northbound on Highway 218 toward the I-380/I-80 interchange. Police said White turned his vehicle’s lights off during the chase.
White reportedly took the exit to I-80 eastbound. The officer said he was traveling at more than 120 mph and was not able to catch up with White’s vehicle.
When the vehicle took exit 240 on I-80, the officer said he saw it spin out of control and come to a stop at the bottom of the ramp.
Both White and a passenger were then arrested at around 3 a.m.
The officer said there was a strong smell of alcohol on White, and two baggies of marijuana were found in the vehicle. A preliminary breath test resulted in a .164% Brac.
White is charged with eluding, operating while under the influence, possession of a controlled substance, and driving while license denied.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.
IOWA CITY, Iowa (KCRG) – People could once again have the chance to bow hunt deer within the city limits of Iowa City.
On Tuesday, the Iowa City City Council approved an urban deer hunting plan for the next five years. The city is also hiring a nonprofit to shoot deer for one year. City leaders said they’ve seen an increase in accidents involving deer. The city said the 27 vehicle accidents caused more than $100,000 in damages.
Most of the hunting is done on private property with restrictions depending on the proximity to trails and buildings. City Manager Geoff Fruin said the city wants to get more people involved in the urban hunt over the next five years.
“Bow hunting is not suitable on every property,” said Fruin. “You have to have certain spaces and separations and stuff like that from sidewalks, trails, and things like that. It’s just finding those properties and pairing them with hunters that want those opportunities.”
The council’s actions still need to be approved by the state’s Natural Resource Commission before it can move forward.
Copyright 2024 KCRG. All rights reserved.
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