Richard Norman, 66, of Huntsville, Alabama, passed away of natural causes on February 5, 2025, in his home in Huntsville. A private burial service was held at Valhalla Memorial Gardens. As was his wish he was entombed next to his parents, Ralph E. and Goldia Norman also of Huntsville.
Richard was born in Dickson, Tennessee, on February 10, 1958. Richard graduated from Waverly Central High School and continued to receive a bachelor’s degree in engineering science and mechanics from Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, TN.
In 1979 Richard began with NASA – MSFC under the Co-Op program until he graduated in 1982 and began to work full-time at NASA with the Experimental Fluid Dynamics Branch. In this capacity Mr. Norman directly contributed to the evaluation of proposed shuttle, RLV, and payload upgrades over a several-year period. As a result of his contributions, Mr. Norman was selected as one of the Launch Honorees for the 2002 STS-112 launch. Richard retired in 2019. He lived in the Huntsville area for his entire career.
Richard is survived by his brother James Norman, of Georgia, sister-in-law, Naomi, of Franklin, TN, and niece, Rebecca of Virginia Beach, Virginia. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his older brother, Ira M. Norman, of Franklin, Tennessee.
His passions included reading, astronomy, photography, computers, and digital imaging. He was a lifetime member of the Dark Skies Initiative and served as a member and officer of the Von Braun Astronomical Society (VBAS) where he made many presentations to share his love of space and telescopes with the public. His trademark phrase was ‘Stellar Skies’.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be given to the nonprofit Von Braun Astronomical Society, 100 Observatory Drive SE, Huntsville, AL 35801, or online at vbas.org
