American scientist, selected for astronaut training in August 1967 but he never went into space. During the summer of 1985, Henize was scheduled for the 19th shuttle mission aboard the Challenger; however the liftoff failed on the first attempt. Two weeks later on 7/29/1985, Challenger finally lifted off, but due to engine problems was unable to reach the planned orbit. Despite this, they spent eight days doing various experiments, and their mission was deemed a success.
Henize grew up in the countryside near Cincinnati, Ohio, and found great pleasure in exploring the nooks and crannies of his parents’ property. When he was eight years old, his father, who ran a small dairy and icehouse and raised dogs and ferrets, died. After his death, Karl and his older brother Wilson, took over the responsibilities of the family. His avid interest in the vegetation of the local area translated into excellence in his science classes, and he excelled in math as well. His membership in the Boy Scouts introduced him to the world of astronomy, which became a lifelong interest.
The onset of World War II prompted him to drop out of high school and enter the Navy’s V-12 program. He eventually ended up at the University of Virginia where he discovered spelunking and earned his nickname, “Monk,” short for monkey. The war over, Henize became a member of the Naval Reserve and eventually reached the rank of Lieutenant Commander. He received his Master’s Degree in mathematics in 1957 and headed for South Africa to do a survey of the southern sky under the auspices of the University of Michigan. He was awarded a Doctor of Philosophy in astronomy in 1954. At the age of 38 he applied for astronaut training but was rejected as being “too old.” Two years later, however, he was accepted and later accused his wife of pushing him into the job. He retired from the astronaut corps in 1986 and took a position as a senior scientist with NASA.
Henize was married; he had four children, Kurt, Marcia, Skye and Vance as well as four grandchildren.
A habitual workaholic who still knew how to enjoy life to the fullest, one of his childhood heroes was Sir Edmund Hillary. When invited to join an expedition to climb Mount Everest, Henize wasted no time accepting. In early 1993, on the second day after reaching advanced base camp at 22,000 feet, he began showing signs of high altitude sickness. Despite efforts to save him, he died of high altitude pulmonary edema on 10/05/1993 at 1:00 AM at 18,000 feet and was buried above the Changste Glacier.
He sent the data for his children:
Kurt G., 2/27/1955, 7:49 PM, Pasadena, CA
Marcia L., 10/03/1956, 11:45 PM, Boston, MA
Steve K., 6/05/1961, 2:22 AM, Evanston, IL
Vance K., 9/01/1969, 8:11 AM, Houston, TX (noted as B.C.)
Link to Wikipedia biography