We are saddened by the passing of Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell at the age of 97.
Jim Lovell was a veteran of the Gemini VII and Gemini XII missions before becoming command module pilot and navigator for Apollo 8, the first crewed spacecraft to be lifted into near-Earth orbit by the Saturn V launch vehicle. He became the first man to orbit the Moon on two separate missions when he served as the commander of Apollo 13.
Unfortunately, the mission to explore the Fra Mauro region of the Moon did not go as planned. What many viewed as a “routine” mission soon had millions around the globe glued to television sets watching and hoping for a positive outcome to one of the most intense episodes in the history of space exploration.
We mourn the passing of Apollo Astronaut William “Bill” Anders at the age of 90.
He was backup pilot for the Gemini XI, Apollo 11 flights, and was lunar module pilot for Apollo 8 — the first lunar orbit mission. On Christmas Eve in 1968, Anders turned his camera toward Earth and captured the legendary Earthrise photo.
Today we mourn the passing of Thomas P. Stafford at the age of 93.
In December 1965, Stafford piloted Gemini VI, the first rendezvous in space, and helped develop techniques to prove the basic theory and practicality of space rendezvous.
Later he commanded Gemini IX and performed a demonstration of an early rendezvous that would be used in the Apollo lunar missions, the first optical rendezvous, and a lunar orbit abort rendezvous.
He served as the commander of the Apollo 10 ‘dress rehearsal’ mission preparing for the first Moon landing and as Apollo commander of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) mission, a joint space flight culminating in the historic first meeting in space between American Astronauts and Soviet Cosmonauts, which ended the International space race.
Throughout his career, Stafford helped us push the boundaries of what’s possible in air and space, flying more than 100 different types of aircraft.
Credit: NASA Music: Universal Production Music Producer: Sonnet Apple
We’re saddened by the passing of Astronaut Richard Truly at the age of 86.
In 1965, Truly became one of the first military astronauts selected to the Air Force’s Manned Orbiting Laboratory program and transferred to NASA as an astronaut in August 1969. He served as capsule communicator for all three Skylab missions in 1973 and the Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975. He was pilot for one of the two-astronaut crews that flew the 747/Space Shuttle Enterprise approach and landing test flights during 1977. He then was backup pilot for STS-1, the first orbital test of the Shuttle. His first space flight was as pilot of Space Shuttle Columbia (STS-2), significant as the first piloted spacecraft to be reflown in space. His second flight (STS-8) was as commander of Space Shuttle Challenger, the first night launch and landing in the Shuttle program.
The former Shuttle astronaut served as the first commander of the Naval Space Command in Dahlgren, Virginia, established Oct. 1, 1983.
Vice Admiral Richard H. Truly returned to NASA to become NASA’s Associate Administrator for Space Flight on February 20, 1986. In this position, he led the painstaking rebuilding of the Space Shuttle program. This was highlighted by NASA’s celebrated “return to flight” on September 29, 1988, when Discovery lifted off from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on the first Shuttle mission in almost 3 years. He served as NASA’s eighth Administrator from February 1989 to 1992.
Credit: NASA Music: Universal Production Music Video Producer: Sonnet Apple
NASA remembers the crews of Apollo 1, space shuttles Challenger and Columbia during the agency’s Day of Remembrance on Jan. 26, 2023. Feb. 1 marks the 20th anniversary of the Columbia STS-107 accident.
NASA’s Day of Remembrance honors all members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.
NASA remembers the crews of Apollo 1, space shuttles Challenger and Columbia during the agency’s Day of Remembrance on Jan. 27, 2022, the 55th anniversary of the Apollo 1 tragedy.
NASA’s Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.
#NASARemembers
Producer Credit: Sonnet Apple Music: Universal Production Music
We are heartbroken to share that astronaut Michael Collins, the command module pilot of the historic Apollo 11 mission to the Moon, has passed away at the age of 90.
Collins was one of the third group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963. In 1966, he served as the pilot on the 3-day Gemini 10 mission, during which he set a world altitude record and became the nation’s third spacewalker, completing two extravehicular activities. His second flight was as command module pilot of the historic Apollo 11 mission in July 1969. He remained in lunar orbit while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first men to walk on the Moon.
Legendary NASA Flight Director Glynn Lunney, 84, died Friday, March 19.
Lunney was a flight director for the Apollo 11 Moon landing mission, and was lead flight director for Apollo 7, the first crewed Apollo flight, and Apollo 10, the dress rehearsal for the first Moon landing, in NASA’s Mission Control Center in Houston. He led the mission control team credited with key actions that made it possible to save three Apollo 13 astronauts aboard a spacecraft disabled on the way to the Moon.
NASA remembers the crews of Apollo 1, space shuttles Challenger and Columbia during the agency’s Day of Remembrance on Jan. 28, 2021, the 35th anniversary of the Challenger accident. NASA’s Day of Remembrance honors members of the NASA family who lost their lives while furthering the cause of exploration and discovery.
NASA astronaut Al Worden has died at the age of 88.
Worden served as command module pilot for Apollo 15 with Dave Scott and Jim Irwin. During the mission Worden became the first human to carry out a deep space walk. He logged 38 minutes in extravehicular activity outside the command module, “Endeavour.”
During 1972-1973, Worden was Senior Aerospace Scientist at the NASA Ames Research Center, and from 1973 to 1975, he was chief of the Systems Study Division at Ames.
Pioneering NASA mathematician Katherine Johnson has died at the age of 101. Johnson was part of a group of African-American women who worked on critical mathematical calculations in the early days of human spaceflight, as chronicled in the best-selling book and hit movie “Hidden Figures.”
“She was an American hero and her pioneering legacy will never be forgotten,” said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine.
Christopher C. Kraft, Jr., who died July 22, 2019, created the concept of NASA’s Mission Control and developed its organization, operational procedures and culture, then made it a critical element of the success of the nation’s human spaceflight programs.
“America has truly lost a national treasure today with the passing of one of NASA’s earliest pioneers – flight director Chris Kraft,” NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. “We send our deepest condolences to the Kraft family.”
Astronaut John Young, who walked on the Moon during Apollo 16 and commanded the first space shuttle mission, has passed away at the age of 87.
He is the only person to go into space as part of the Gemini, Apollo and space shuttle programs and was the first to fly into space six times — or seven times, when counting his liftoff from the Moon during Apollo 16.
One year after his death, NASA is remembering Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong, the first man to set foot on another world.
As part of the tribute, Grammy-nominated artist Eric Brace, with some video assistance from NASA, honors Armstrong with an original composition, “Tranquility Base.”
