Published: March 04, 2006 10:21 pm      

Bill Gregory looks back on his shuttle mission

Local astronaut keeps Lockport near to his heart

An astronaut’s ride uphill into space lasts eight-and-a-half minutes. The ride downhill essentially lasts a lifetime.

On March 2, 1995, NASA launched Lockport native William G. “Bill” Gregory into space on STS-67 Endeavour. Gregory served as the shuttle’s pilot for the Astro-2 astronomy mission.

“I row the boat while they shoot the ducks,” Gregory joked at the time, revealing his trademark humor and sharp wit.

Astro-2 permitted scientists to gather details about ultraviolet light through telescopes mounted in the shuttle’s payload bay. The crew of seven astronauts collected data that was impossible to obtain on the ground.

Eleven years later, Gregory still holds vivid memories of preparing for, and flying, nearly seven million miles in a little more than two weeks. He says the most poignant part about soaring in space was the chance to share the experience with everyone in his hometown area.

“There was a ground swell of activity in upstate New York,” Gregory says. “(Channel 7) followed my ninth-grade earth-science teacher in Florida during the days before the launch. They recorded play-by-play stories for everyone in Western New York. My fourth-grade teacher was there too.”

“During the mission, I spoke by ham radio to students at my former high school. We were hooked up through Australia to Lockport for the seven minutes or so that we had the connection.”

That was one of the most emotional parts of the flight for me. I could hear how many kids were packed into that auditorium. They came out to school on a Sunday night for the event.”

Gregory adds: “I had a knot in my throat and in my stomach. For me, it was unexpected. It was a very rewarding experience.”

Lockport heartily welcomed Gregory back to town after his stint in orbit.

“Around the Fourth of July, they had a parade,” Gregory remembers. “My family and I rode in a convertible in the parade. The kids liked that. I threw out the first pitch for the Buffalo Bisons, and after the game the Buffalo Philharmonic played during a fireworks show. It was Bill Gregory Night.”

Subsequent local honors included the monument at the high school, the William Gregory Bypass, and Gregory’s name on a brick on the sidewalk of fame.

Gregory retired from the Air Force and from NASA in 1999. He relocated to Phoenix, Ariz., where he now serves as the manager of business development for Honeywell. He draws upon his experience from his NASA relationship to guide Honeywell in determining what business contracts they should or should not chase.

Nevertheless, the siren song of the space program still calls to this former astronaut. “I’d love to go see another launch,” Gregory reveals. “I wasn’t able to make it to Eileen’s launch last year.”

Eileen Collins commanded STS-114, NASA’s return to flight after the Columbia shuttle accident in February 2003. Collins, a native of Elmira, trained with Gregory after they were selected for the same astronaut class in 1990.

Astronaut Wendy Lawrence, a veteran of four shuttle missions, flew on STS-67 as a rookie with Gregory and more recently on STS-114 with Collins. Lawrence says her impression of Gregory is that “he cares a lot about people, and he is very smart.”

During the STS-67 flight, the astronauts were divided into two teams for round-the-clock astronomical observations. Lawrence acted as shuttle pilot while Gregory was off duty.

“I didn’t realize what a treat we had until subsequent missions,” she says regarding STS-67. “Our responsibilities mandated that we stay on the flight deck, and of course that’s where all the windows are.”

Gregory maintains strong ties to his hometown. In the spirit of NASA traditions, he seems to deliver the graduation speech at Lockport High School once every 10 years.

“I graduated from there in 1975. I flew on the shuttle in 1995. I spoke at the graduation that year, and I spoke there again last year.” Gregory jokes: “For 2015, I hope to be invited back again.”

“I’m still very proud that I’m a Lockport Lion. I love going back there. I was fortunate to grow up in that town at that time. I believe my success today came from the values that were instilled in me in Lockport.”