Biography

Paul Weitz was born on July 25, 1932 in Erie, Pennsylvania, USA. He was married to Suzanne Margaret Berry. He died on October 22, 2017 in Flagstaff, Arizona, USA.

Was a U.S. Navy pilot who flew combat bombing missions over Vietnam in an A-3 Skywarrior with the Heavy Attack Squadron 4 (VAH-4) off the Carrier USS Independence (CV-62) from June to November of 1965. He became an astronaut in 1966.

He was the son of a career chief petty officer who served on ships in two oceans. Weitz earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Pennsylvania State University in 1954 and received his master's in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California, in 1964.

He was the command module pilot on the first crew of Skylab during a 28-day mission in 1973. He also piloted the first launch of the space shuttle Challenger in April 1983. He logged 793 hours in space, and retired as deputy director of the Johnson Space Center in 1994.