Hawley was selected as a NASA astronaut in 1978. A veteran of 3 flights for a total of 412 hours in space, he served as a mission specialist in 1984 and 1986. His mission in 1990 was to deploy the Hubble Space Telescope and conduct experiments about the effects of weightlessness in space from a record setting altitude of 380 miles. In 1996, Hawley was named to the crew of the second Hubble Space Telescope servicing mission. Born in Salina, Kansas, Hawley received his doctorate degree in astronomy and astrophysics. He has received many outstanding awards for his special achievements in space exploration.