America Lost An Astronaut Monday... Even As It Gained
Another
NASA tells ANN that
Gordon Cooper Jr., the astronaut who piloted the sixth and last
flight of the Mercury program and later commanded Gemini 5, died
early Monday at his home in Ventura, Calif. He was 77 years
old.
"As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Gordon Cooper
was one of the faces of America's fledgling space program. He truly
portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and
enthusiasm of the American public, so critical for the spirit of
exploration. My thoughts and prayers are with Gordon's family
during this difficult time," said NASA Administrator Sean
O'Keefe.
"Cooper's efforts and those of his fellow Mercury astronauts,
Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Wally
Schirra and Deke Slayton, serve as reminders of what drives us to
explore. They also remind us that to succeed any vision for
exploration needs the support of the American people."
NASA veterans at the Kennedy Space Center are remembering Cooper
as someone who "always had a smile on his face."
"He never said 'you can't do it.' He was gung ho on everything,"
said Norris Gray, the NASA Fire Chief and Emergency Preparedness
Officier during the Mercury days. Sam Beddingfield, then Mechanical
Engineer for Project Mercury added, "He knew what he was doing and
could always make things work."
"Gordon Cooper's legacy is permanently woven into the fabric of
the Kennedy Space Center as a Mercury Seven astronaut," said
Kennedy Space Center director Jim Kennedy. "His achievements helped
build the foundation of success for human space flight that NASA
and KSC have benefited from for the past four decades.
"While the KSC family mourns the loss of this space pioneer, we
honor his contributions and rest easy knowing his imprint on KSC
will last forever. I consider it a privilege to have known Gordon
Cooper. On behalf of the KSC family, I extend condolences to the
Cooper family and our prayers are with them in their trying days
ahead. "
The youngest of the original seven astronauts, Cooper's flight
in his Faith 7 capsule stretched the capabilities of the Mercury
spacecraft to the limits. The mission, May 15 and 16, 1963, lasted
more than 34 hours and 22 orbits. That was more than three times
the longest U.S. human space flight until that time, and far
exceeded the initial design capability of the capsule. During his
flight, Cooper also became the first astronaut to sleep in
space.
"NASA's astronauts extend their deepest sympathies to Gordon
Cooper's family," said Kent Rominger, chief of the astronaut office
at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "He was among the first
pioneers in space and his achievements inspired many of us to
pursue our dreams of exploring our universe. We salute his many
accomplishments as an astronaut and as a husband and father. He
will be truly missed."
Cooper and Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. flew the troubled and
suspenseful third flight of the Gemini program in August 1965. The
goal of the mission was to prove astronauts could survive in space
long enough to perform a lunar mission, which takes eight days.
During their eight-day mission, they experienced a number of
problems with power systems, thruster fuel, venting gas that caused
the spacecraft to roll, and more in a seemingly unending series.
But they stayed in orbit for almost 191 hours, 122 orbits in nearly
eight days, and got themselves and their spacecraft back intact. In
orbit, they accomplished a "shadow rendezvous" with an imaginary
spacecraft, an exercise demonstrating it could be done.
The Gemini 5 mission established a new space endurance record at
the time, travelling 3,312,993 miles in 190 hours and 56 minutes.
Cooper also became the first man to make a second orbital flight
and thus won for the United States the lead in man-hours in space
by accumulating a total of 225 hours and 15 minutes.
A Life of Service
Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr.
was born on March 6, 1927, in Shawnee, Okla. He served in the
Marine Corps in 1945 and 1946, then attended the University of
Hawaii where he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S.
Army.
In 1949 he was called to active duty and completed pilot
training in the U.S. Air Force. From 1950 to 1954 he was a fighter
pilot in Germany.
Cooper earned a bachelor's degree at the Air Force Institute of
Technology in 1956, then completed test pilot school at Edwards Air
Force Base, Calif. He served as a test pilot there until he was
selected as a Mercury astronaut.
In addition to his two flights, Cooper was backup command pilot
of Gemini 12, launched in November 1965. He also served as backup
command pilot for Apollo 10, which flew in May 1969. He left NASA
and retired from the Air Force as a colonel on July 31, 1970.
He founded Gordon Cooper and Associates that year and served as
president of the consulting firm that specialized in activities
ranging from aerospace to hotel and land development projects.
Cooper was a director of a number of other organizations, most
specializing in energy, advanced electronics systems, efficient
homes, boats and marine systems and equipment.
In 1975, he became vice president for research and development
for Walter E. Disney Enterprises Inc. of Glendale, Calif., the
research and development subsidiary of Walt Disney Productions.
Throughout his life, Cooper pursued a wide range of activities,
both professionally and as hobbies. A NASA biography lists his
hobbies as treasure hunting, archaeology, racing, flying, skiing,
boating, hunting and fishing. Among his numerous awards were the
Air Force Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross with
cluster, NASA's Exceptional Service Medal, the Collier Trophy and
the Harmon Trophy.
He was the first active-duty military man to address joint
sessions of Congress twice.
Cooper continued to design and test new aircraft in Southern
California, never giving up his passion for pushing the envelope.
Cooper told a reporter when he was 71, "I get cranky if I don't fly
at least three times a month."