He commanded three of those missions before retiring in 2006. NASA even turned to him for leadership as it was picking up the pieces after the Columbia disaster in 2003.
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A former astronaut has been charged with murder after a vehicle crash killed two girls in Alabama.
According to State Troopers, the initial investigation of the crash suggests speed and alcohol may have both been factors.
Halsell had been traveling to West Monroe, Louisiana, and stopped before the crash to get a room at a Motel 6 in Tuscaloosa, according to the court documents.
James Halsell, 59, of Huntsville, has been charged with two counts of murder after the fatal crash on Highway 82 early Monday morning.
Alabama Senior Trooper Reginal King said the girls were not wearing seat belts and were ejected from a vehicle Monday near Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It took the lives of two girls and injured two other people around 2:50 a.m., according to ALEA.
A spokesman for the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff’s Office, Lt. Andy Norris, says 59-year-old James Halsell Jr. of Huntsville is free on $150,000 bond.
Troopers say a vehicle driven by Halsell collided with a Ford Fiesta in which the girls were passengers. “They were like 20 minutes from home when this accident happened”.
The father was expected to be released from a hospital Tuesday. He and his partner Shontel Latriva Cutts, 25, both suffered injuries and were hospitalized, al.com reported.
Nell Calloway, museum director, expressed shock over Halsell’s arrest, and said his display, which features a flight suit, models of aircraft and space shuttles and a flag, has always been popular with children visiting the museum.
Court documents also report Halsell told officers he attempted to flee the scene by taking a truck.
Halsell graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy in 1978 and later finished first in his class at test-pilot school.
Halsell’s NASA biography notes that he was selected as an astronaut by NASA in January 1990.
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An online biography by NASA said Halsell’s career with the space agency included five shuttle flights starting in 1994.
