William David Hitt is an American author specializing in spaceflight history. Hitt is co-author of ''Homesteading Space: The Skylab Story'', a history of the

Skylab Skylab was the United States' first space station, launched by NASA, occupied for about 24 weeks between May 1973 and February 1974. It was operated by three trios of astronaut crews: Skylab 2, Skylab 3, and Skylab 4. Skylab was constructe ...

program, with

NASA The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the federal government of the United States, US federal government responsible for the United States ...

astronauts Owen K. Garriott and Joseph Kerwin. ''Homesteading Space'' was published in 2008 by the

University of Nebraska Press The University of Nebraska Press (UNP) was founded in 1941 and is an academic publisher of scholarly and general-interest books. The press is under the auspices of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, the main campus of the University of Ne ...

as part of its ''Outward Odyssey: A People's History of Spaceflight'' series. Hitt's second book, '' Bold They Rise: The Space Shuttle Early Years, 1972–1986'', also part of the ''Outward Odyssey'' series, was published in June 2014. ''Homesteading Space'' was reviewed in the Spring 2009 edition of the National Space Society's ''Ad Astra'' magazine, by Rick Sturdivant in ''Air Power History'' in Spring 2010, by Roger Lanius in the January 2009 issue of ''Air & Space Smithsonian'' Magazine, and by the American Library Association's ''Booklist'' in November 2008. It was reviewed also in the Fall/Winter 2009 edition of "Faith & Family Matters" magazine.

Education and background

Hitt was born in 1975 in

Huntsville, Alabama Huntsville is the List of municipalities in Alabama, most populous city in the U.S. state of Alabama. The population of the city is estimated to be 241,114 in 2024, making it the List of United States cities by population, 100th-most populous ...

. He graduated from Huntsville High School in 1992; received a B.A. in Journalism from

University of Mississippi The University of Mississippi (Epithet, byname Ole Miss) is a Public university, public research university in University, near Oxford, Mississippi, United States, with a University of Mississippi Medical Center, medical center in Jackson, Miss ...

in 1996.

Career

Hitt was a reporter and news editor of ''

The Enterprise-Tocsin ''The Enterprise-Tocsin'' is a newspaper in the U.S. state of Mississippi Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the n ...

'', a weekly newspaper in

Indianola, Mississippi Indianola is a city in and the county seat of Sunflower County, Mississippi, United States, in the Mississippi Delta. The population was 10,683 at the 2010 census. History On June 30, 1874 the town was surveyed and on April 14, 1885 an addition ...

, from August 1996 until October 1998, and from October 1999 until August 2002. He was employed by

Boone Newspapers Boone Newspapers, Incorporated (BNI) is the parent company of a publishing business that includes dozens of newspapers as well as magazines, other published materials, and internet properties in the United States. It is a private company and owns ...

in Mississippi from 1998 to 1999. In 2002 Hitt joined the NASA Educational Technology Services web team at NASA's

Marshall Space Flight Center Marshall Space Flight Center (officially the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center; MSFC), located in Redstone Arsenal, Alabama (Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville postal address), is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. government's ...

in Huntsville, Alabama. In 2012 he joined the Strategic Communications team supporting NASA's

Space Launch System The Space Launch System (SLS) is an American Super heavy-lift launch vehicle, super heavy-lift Expendable launch system, expendable launch vehicle used by NASA. As the primary launch vehicle of the Artemis program, Artemis Moon landing progra ...

. He has been a volunteer at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center since 2005 and has served as a Policy Committee Member on the

National Space Society The National Space Society (NSS) is an American international nonprofit 501(c)(3) educational and scientific organization specializing in space advocacy. It is a member of the Independent Charities of America and an annual participant in the Co ...

since 2008. He frequently participates in book signings and gives public talks related to the Skylab program. Hitt was an actor with Face2Face Improv, Inc. from 2006 to 2012. He is co-founder and director o
Comic Science Improv

References

External links

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Comic Science Improv
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hitt, David 1975 births Living people American historical novelists American male novelists People from Huntsville, Alabama Writers from Huntsville, Alabama