View source for Gregory Jarvis

{{Short description|American engineer and astronaut (1944–1986)}}
{{redirect|Greg Jarvis|the musician and composer|Greg Jarvis (musician)}}
{{refimprove|date=July 2024}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2014}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2024}}
{{Infobox astronaut
| name          = Gregory Jarvis
| image         = Gregory Jarvis (NASA) cropped.jpg
| caption       = Jarvis in 1985
| type          = [[Hughes Aircraft]] [[payload specialist]]
| birth_name    = Gregory Bruce Jarvis
| birth_date    = {{birth date|1944|8|24}}
| death_date    = {{death date and age|1986|1|28|1944|8|24}} 
| birth_place   = [[Detroit, Michigan]], U.S.
| death_place   = North Atlantic Ocean
| death_cause   = [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster]]
| education     = [[University at Buffalo]] ([[Bachelor of Science|BS]])<br>[[Northeastern University]] ([[Master of Science|MS]])<br>[[West Coast University]]
| rank          = [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]], [[United States Air Force|USAF]]
| mission       = [[STS-51-L]]
| insignia      = [[File:STS-51-L-patch-small.png|40px]]
| awards        = [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]
}}
'''Gregory Bruce Jarvis''' (August 24, 1944 – January 28, 1986) was an American [[engineer]] and astronaut who [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|died]] during the January 28, 1986 destruction of the [[Space Shuttle Challenger|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'']] on mission [[STS-51-L]], where he was serving as [[payload specialist]] for [[Hughes Aircraft Company|Hughes Aircraft]].

==Education==
Jarvis graduated from Mohawk Central High School (later renamed to Gregory B. Jarvis High School, which eventually became the Gregory B. Jarvis Middle School in his honor), in [[Mohawk, Herkimer County, New York|Mohawk, New York]], in 1962. He received a [[Bachelor of Science]] degree in [[electrical engineering]] from the [[State University of New York at Buffalo]] in 1967, and a [[Master of Science]] degree in the same discipline from [[Northeastern University (Boston, Massachusetts)|Northeastern University]] two years later.<ref name="Thornton">{{cite news |last1=Thornton |first1=Mary |title=Jarvis: Bumped From Two Flights by Members of Congress |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1986/01/29/jarvis-bumped-from-two-flights-by-members-of-congress/72da2efe-647c-4f91-92f4-d866cae51ef4/ |access-date=February 23, 2019 |newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] |date=January 29, 1986}}</ref> Jarvis joined the [[United States Air Force]] the same year and served until 1973, when he was [[honorably discharged]] as a [[Captain (United States O-3)|Captain]]. Thereafter, Jarvis worked for Hughes Aircraft.

==Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster==
In June 1984, Jarvis was one of two Hughes Aircraft employees selected as candidates for the [[Space Shuttle program]].<ref name="Nordheimer">{{cite news |last1=Nordheimer |first1=Jon |title=2 Space Novices with a Love of Knowledge; Gregory Jarvis |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/02/10/us/2-space-novices-with-a-love-of-knowledge-gregory-jarvis.html |access-date=February 23, 2019 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=February 10, 1986}}</ref> He planned to conduct experiments regarding the effects of [[weightlessness]] on [[fluids]]. Jarvis was initially scheduled to make his shuttle flight in April 1985, but Jarvis was replaced on that flight by [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] [[Jake Garn]]. Jarvis' flight was rescheduled for early January 1986, but he was again replaced – this time by [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. representative]] [[Bill Nelson]].<ref name="Thornton"/><ref name="Nordheimer"/>

Jarvis was payload specialist 2 on [[STS-51-L]] which was launched from the [[Kennedy Space Center]], [[Florida]], at 11:38:00 EST on January 28, 1986. The crew on board the Orbiter ''Challenger'' included Commander [[Dick Scobee]], pilot [[Michael J. Smith (astronaut)|Michael J. Smith]] (USN), mission specialists Dr. [[Ronald McNair]], Lt. Col. [[Ellison Onizuka]] (USAF), Dr. [[Judith Resnik]], and fellow civilian payload specialist [[Christa McAuliffe]]. The entire STS-51-L crew died when [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|''Challenger'' broke up during launch]].{{fact|date=July 2024}}

The remains of all seven astronauts from the ''Challenger'' disaster were discovered in the crew decks on the ocean floor. Jarvis' body was discovered in the lower mid-deck along with McNair and McAuliffe. During salvage operations to raise the crew deck from the ocean floor, Jarvis' body escaped from the wreckage, floated to the surface, and disappeared back into the sea. On April 15, 1986, on the last scheduled attempt to recover wreckage, his body was rediscovered and returned to shore.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna3078060 |title=Chapter 6: Raising heroes from the sea |last=Barbree |first=Jay |publisher=[[NBC News]] |website=NBC News|date=January 25, 2004 }}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Thomas |first1=Evan |title=Painful Legacies of a Lost Mission |url=http://content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1075046,00.html |url-access=subscription |magazine=[[Time (magazine)|Time]] |date=June 21, 2005}}</ref> Jarvis was cremated and his ashes scattered in the [[Pacific Ocean]].{{fact|date=July 2024}}

==Awards and honors==
[[Image:Greg Jarvis Shuttle Challenger.JPG|thumb|right|Memorial at Hermosa Beach]]The East Engineering building on [[University at Buffalo, The State University of New York|University at Buffalo]] ([[State University of New York|SUNY]]) north campus was renamed Jarvis Hall after Jarvis' death. In Spring 1986, when the university had not yet named the building in his memory, four students scaled the side of the building and nailed a sign with the name "Jarvis Hall" onto the side of the building as a show of support for the deceased astronaut. The four students were Space Mann, Little Jeffrey Brenner, Keith "Vedge" Tannenbaum and Joseph "Sneetch" Kuperberg.  In 1987, the name was made official with a dedication ceremony. Jarvis Hall is devoted largely to [[Aerospace Engineering]] and engineering support services.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Jarvis Hall |url=http://www.buffalo.edu/buildings/building?id=jarvis |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090309123334/http://www.buffalo.edu/buildings/building?id=jarvis |archive-date=March 9, 2009 |access-date=November 13, 2003 |website=www.buffalo.edu}}</ref>

In 1988, a [[crater]] on Earth's [[moon]] was named for [[Jarvis (crater)|Jarvis]].<ref name="USGS">{{cite web |author1=USGS |title=Planetary Names |url=https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2808 |website=Gazetteer of Planetary Nomenclature |publisher=United States Government |access-date=6 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231031234640/https://planetarynames.wr.usgs.gov/Feature/2808 |archive-date=31 October 2023 |url-status=live}}</ref> 

Mohawk Central High School in Mohawk, New York was renamed Gregory B. Jarvis Jr/Sr High School. It is now the Gregory B. Jarvis Middle School of the Central Valley Central School District.{{fact|date=July 2024}}

[[File:Paterson-Tony-Jarvis-Memorial-Detail.jpg|thumb|Detail of "Jarvis Memorial" sculpture by Tony Paterson|175px]]
A sculpture by SUNY at Buffalo faculty member emeritus [[Tony Paterson]] entitled "Jarvis Memorial" was commissioned by SUNY at Buffalo to honor Jarvis and is currently in the SUNY at Buffalo art collection.<ref>[http://www.tonypaterson.com/jarvis-memorial Paterson, Tony, Jarvis Memorial.] Retrieved January 7, 2023.</ref>

Jarvis was portrayed by [[Richard Jenkins]] in the 1990 TV movie ''[[Challenger (1990 film)|Challenger]]''.

In 2004, Jarvis was posthumously awarded the [[Congressional Space Medal of Honor]].{{fact|date=July 2024}}

The [[hydropower]]-producing dam on Hinckley Lake, New York, operated by the New York Power Authority, is named the Gregory B. Jarvis Dam.{{fact|date=July 2024}}

==See also==
* [[List of human spaceflights]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle missions]]
* [[List of Space Shuttle crews]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/jarvis.html Official NASA Bio]
* [http://sites-of-memory.de/main/gregjarvis.html Memorial to Greg Jarvis in Hermosa Beach, California at the ''Sites of Memory'' webpage]
* [http://www.tonypaterson.com/jarvis-memorial Jarvis Memorial sculpture at Jarvis Hall on University at Buffalo north campus]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20100527130238/http://www.nypa.gov/facilities/hydros.htm New York Power Authority names hydroelectric power plant near Jarvis' hometown the "Gregory B. Jarvis Power Project"]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20090309123334/http://www.buffalo.edu/buildings/building?id=jarvis Jarvis Hall on University at Buffalo north campus]
* [https://www.dailybreeze.com/2011/01/28/looking-back-greg-jarvis-dream-remembered Interview with Marcia Jarvis: ''Looking back: Greg Jarvis' dream remembered]
* {{Find a Grave|13123}} ([[cenotaph]])

{{Congressional Space Medal of Honor}}
{{STS-51L}}

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Jarvis, Gregory}}
[[Category:1944 births]]
[[Category:1986 deaths]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Detroit]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Utica, New York]]
[[Category:University at Buffalo alumni]]
[[Category:Northeastern University alumni]]
[[Category:United States Air Force officers]]
[[Category:American electrical engineers]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle program astronauts]]
[[Category:Space Shuttle Challenger disaster victims]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Congressional Space Medal of Honor]]
[[Category:NASA sponsored astronauts]]
[[Category:Raytheon Company people]]