NASA Astronaut and Harborcreek native Paul Weitz has died.

The 85-year-old pilot of Sky Lab II first blasted off into space in 1973 and then a decade later was the Commander of the orbiter ‘Challenger’.  Weitz was Deputy Director of the Johnson Space Center when he retired from NASA in 1994.

Family members in Erie tell Action News Weitz was just in Erie visiting relatives in September.  He suffered from a form of Leukemia the last couple of months.  His legacy lives on at the Harborcreek High School football field which was named in his honor.