Walheim was born in
Redwood City, California, but considers
San Carlos, California, his hometown. During the
inauguration of Barack Obama on January 20, 2009, in
Washington, D.C., Walheim marched in the parade carrying an American flag and wearing a prototype of NASA's next generation spacesuit.
STS-110 Walheim served as mission specialist 1 on
STS-110. STS-110 delivered the
S0 truss segment to the
International Space Station (ISS). Walheim conducted two spacewalks to install the S0 truss and reconfigure
Canadarm2 for use on S0, spending 14 hours and 15 minutes outside the ISS. STS-110 lasted 10 days, 19 hours, 43 minutes and 38 seconds.
STS-122 Walheim served as mission specialist 2 and was the flight engineer for
STS-122. STS-122, which was a 12-day, 18-hour flight, delivered the European-built
Columbus module to the ISS the
European Space Agency (ESA). Walheim conducted three spacewalks, totaling 22 hours and 8 minutes. of
Space Shuttle Atlantis during the STS-135 mission.
STS-135 Walheim served as mission specialist 2 on the final flight of the Space Shuttle,
STS-135, a thirteen-day mission to the International Space Station. The mission launched on July 8, 2011, and landed on July 21. Rex Walheim retired from NASA August 2020.
Personal Walheim is married to Margie Dotson, formerly of
Villa Park, California. They have two children. He enjoys snow skiing, hiking, softball and football. His father, Lawrence M. Walheim, Jr., resides in
Visalia, California. His mother, Avis L. Walheim, is deceased. ==Awards and honors==