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The following was submitted by Walker Cremations, Funerals and Gatherings, of Maine:
Capt. Frederick “Rick” Hamilton Hauck died Nov. 6, 2025, surrounded by loved ones following a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s Disease.
Born into a naval family on April 11, 1941, Rick was the son of Capt. Philip Hauck and Virginia Hustvedt Hauck and the grandson of Vice Admiral and Mrs. Olaf Hustvedt. He was 84 years old.
Rick graduated from St. Albans School in Washington D.C., Tufts University (AB Physics), where he was in Navy ROTC, and MIT (MS Nuclear Engineering). He considered Washington D.C., the Navy, Houston, Texas, and Falmouth and Winter Harbor, Maine, and Winchester, Mass. his homes.
After graduation from MIT and deciding that he didn’t want to be a nuclear engineer, Rick applied to Navy Flight School and flew A-6 Intruders in Vietnam. Returning from Vietnam, he was accepted at the Naval Test Pilot School in Patuxent River, MD where he conducted Carrier Suitability for the new F-14 Tomcat as well as nine other aircraft.
In 1978, Rick applied for and was accepted in the first NASA class of Shuttle Astronauts. These “Thirty-Five New Guys” were a diverse group – it proudly included the first women, Black and Asian astronauts.
Rick, as Pilot, and Sally Ride, as Mission Specialist, were the first in their class to fly a mission, STS-7, in 1983. Rick flew again in 1984, this time as Commander, on STS-51A, which recovered two derelict satellites and brought them back to earth.
Following the Challenger disaster, he was asked to be Commander of STS-26 the “Return to Flight” mission in 1988. After retiring from NASA, he spent a year at the Pentagon and then returned to civilian life.
Rick was the CEO of AXA Space, an international company based in Bethesda, MD and Paris, France that insured commercial rockets and satellites. In 2005, he retired and moved from Potomac, MD to Falmouth and Winter Harbor, Maine.
While working for AXA and following retirement, Rick and his wife Susan Bruce traveled the world. They explored every continent and created incredible memories, always returning to their special cottage by the sea in Winter Harbor, Maine. This was the annual summer gathering place for family and friends, where they enjoyed cocktails watching the sun set behind Mt. Desert Island and sailing on Frenchman Bay.
Rick was as happy skippering a 30-foot antique wooden sailboat on the Maine coast as flying an F-14 or the NASA shuttle.
During Rick’s incredible life, as summarized in his memoir To Mach 25 and Home written for his grandchildren, he received many honors and awards. Those that he is most proud of include his induction into The Astronaut Hall of Fame, being a member of the Golden Eagles (Naval Aviators), serving on the Board of Trustees of Tufts University, where he also received an honorary degree as Doctor of Public Service, becoming a fellow of The Society of Experimental Test Pilots and the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
He enjoyed every moment as a member of the board of Cianbro, a Maine heavy construction company.
But for all the honors that Rick received, he was most proud of his blended family, consisting of his daughter and son, three stepdaughters, eight grandchildren and one great-grandson, named for him. He and his wife designed and built their dream house in Falmouth, Maine with the idea that there would be room enough for everyone to gather at any time.
Rick was a true Renaissance man, though a physics major in college, his favorite courses were Shakespeare and international relations. He enjoyed all types of music.
Endlessly curious, Rick could patiently solve most problems and could fix anything. He loved fast cars and was particularly proud of his bright red 1958 Corvette. He was a voracious reader and loved new technology and computers.
Rick was a kind, thoughtful, humble, fair-minded, even tempered, generous man.
As he faced the steady decline of Parkinson’s Disease, he wrote in the epilogue of his memoir: “As I face the next phase of my life, it is not the medals or honors or titles or awards that sustain me: it is the love of my wife, children and grandchildren, who make me feel validated and honored every day.”
He will be greatly missed by this adoring family and his many treasured friends.
Rick is survived by his beloved wife of 32 years, Susan Bruce, his daughter Whitney Hauck Wood (Bill) and son Stephen Hauck (Larissa), his stepdaughters Kimberly Holden, Elizabeth Thompson (Jon) and Jennifer Holden, his grandchildren Cooper (Frances), Emma (Alex), Lily (Ik), Alice, Vanessa, Sarah, Emilia, Lucy and great grandson, Frederick “Fritz.”
He is also survived by his sister, Betty Hauck and his first wife, Dolly Tucker. He was predeceased by his older brother, Roger.
We would like to thank the staff of The Heron House and Affinity Hospice for the devoted care that he received at the end of his life journey.
Contributions in Rick’s memory can be made to The Astronaut Scholarship Fund, 651 Danville Drive, Suite 101, Orlando, FL 32825 or the Schoodic Community Fund, 245 Main Street, Ellsworth ME 04605.
