Posted on 10/05/2004 12:41:51 PM PDT by Sthitch
LOS ANGELES - Gordon Cooper, who was the youngest and perhaps cockiest member of the original Mercury astronauts and set the space endurance record that helped clear the way for the first moon landing, has died. He was 77.
Cooper died Monday at his home in Ventura, NASA officials said in a statement. He died of natural causes, said Mitch Breese, of the county medical examiner's office.
''As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Gordon Cooper was one of the faces of America's fledgling space program,'' said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe. ''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.''
As one of the nation's first astronauts, Cooper became a hero to Americans in the early 1960s as the country tried to catch the Soviet Union in the space race.
On May 15, 1963, Cooper piloted Faith 7, the Mercury program's last flight, circling the globe 22 times in 34 hours and 20 minutes. The mission made him the last astronaut to orbit Earth alone and the first to take a nap during the journey.
Cooper became the first man to make a second orbital flight two years later during the Gemini 5 mission, when he and Charles Conrad established a space endurance record by traveling more than 3.3 million miles in 190 hours, 56 minutes.
The flight proved humans could survive in a weightless state for the length of a trip to the moon and tested a new power source for future flights - fuel cells. It also let the United States take the lead in the space race by surpassing the Soviet Union in man-hours in orbit.
Cooper's rambunctious attitude was immortalized in Tom Wolfe's book The Right Stuff and the 1983 movie of the same name.
Cooper gave his signature line during a 1995 reunion of surviving Mercury astronauts. When asked who was the greatest fighter pilot he ever saw, Cooper enthusiastically answered, ''You're looking at him!''
''Gordon Cooper's legacy is permanently woven into the fabric of the Kennedy Space Center as a Mercury Seven astronaut,'' said 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.''
Three of the original Mercury astronauts are still alive - John Glenn, Scott Carpenter and Wally Schirra.
Cooper, born March 6, 1927, in Shawnee, Okla., joined the Marines during World War II and transferred to the Air Force in 1949. He earned a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1956.
He then flew numerous flights as a test pilot in the Flight Test Division at Edwards Air Force Base near Los Angeles. Cooper was selected as a Mercury astronaut in April 1959.
Gordon is survived by his wife, Suzan, and their children
Scott Carpenter is very much alive - I see him occasionally at diving events.
Original Mercury 7:
Alan Shepard
Scott Carpenter
John Glenn
Gordon Cooper
Gus Grissom
Wally Schirra
Deke Slatyon
Next 9 (added for Gemini Program):
Neil Armstrong
Frank Borman
Pete Conrad
Jim Lovell
James McDivett
Elliot See
Tom Stafford
Ed White
John Young
Interesting that neither Aldrin nor Collins were among the Next Nine.
The Third Group:
Buzz Aldrin Jr
William Anders
Charles Bassett
Alan Bean
Gene Cernan
Roger Chaffee
Michael Collins
Walt Cunningham
Donn Eisele
Ted Freeman
Richard Gordon
Russ Schweikart
David Scott
Clifton Williams
He died on the anniversary of Sputnik, and on the day of Burt Rutan's X-Prize victory.
Gordo was the right stuff. The ziggurat was his.
Red
I was about 9 when he flew and lived in Edmond Oklahoma. A friend of mine went to Shawnee to see Gordo's homecoming parade after his flight. He got to shake his hand, and afterward said he'd "never wash his hands again".
We built home made model rockets together. Mixed the gunpowder at home.
What a time.
I highly recommend "The Right Stuff". The movie is a bit long, but Sam Shepard steals the show as Chuck Yeager. Tom Wolfe's book is also a great read, and downright funny.
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Ed White was the first to go E.V.A.
He proceeds to peel out, tear through Patrick AFB, and hit the road at high speed. Once on the highway, the driver turns to Gene and says, "Hi, I'm Gordon Cooper".
Godspeed, Gordo.
Every time an old astronaut passes on, this young man (with childhood memories of their achievements) feels a little older.
Some years after this picture, I flew in this very F-106 (90158) on a training mission "shooting down" other 6's.
At the time I flew in #158 I didn't know it was such a famous fighter!
America's original 7 astronauts pose with an F-106B Delta Dart. Pictured from left to right are M. Scott Carpenter, Leroy Gordon Cooper, John H. Glenn, Jr., Virgil I. Gus Grissom, Jr., Walter M. Wally Schirra, Jr., Alan B. Shepard, Jr., and Donald K. Deke Slayton.
I am fortunate to have personally autographed photograph of the earth taken by James Lovell from Apollo eight on 12/24/68. It is hanging in a promenent position on my office wall. He carefully restricts the number of copies of that photograph that are released to keeps it's value high.
Mr. Lovell also served as the command pilot on Apollo Thirteen that was featured in the film starring Tom Hanks. Mr.Lovell made an appearance in that film as an Admiral on the aircraft carrier that that welcomed the space capsule after it landed.
I was fortunate in that I worked at Centel in Chicago while Mr. Lovell was a board member there.
I was lucky enough to work with Pete Conrad for a few years. My first experience with him is something I'll treasure for the rest of my life.
I had never met him, even though we worked for the same company for several years. I had a customer who heard that Pete Conrad worked for the company and asked me if she could meet him, I told her I would try to make arrangements. I walked over to his office, introduced myself and asked him if it was OK if I brought a customer by for a few minutes at lunchtime so she could meet him. He said "Sure, bring her by!". This conversation took about 30 seconds, at most.
So, lunchtime rolls around and I escort my customer up to Conrad's office. What happens next blows me away.
I peek my head into his office and see him sitting behind his desk... he stands up and says, "SoCalRocket, how ya doin'? Come on in! Who ya got with ya?". He greeted me like I was his lifelong buddy. My customer, who was just expecting to shake his hand and say hello, was invited into his office and offered a seat.
For the next HOUR, Pete Conrad told stories about his 3 space flights, including his moon landing - it was utterly fascinating. I don't believe he said the word "I" or "me" once during the entire conversation. It was always "The team" or "the crew"... He showed her every picture he had up on his office wall (it was practically a shrine to the space program) and told her a story about each picture.
Pete Conrad was a small man, maybe 5'6" and 140 lbs... but in my book - he was a giant!
bump
I guess it got lost in the focus on the Veep's debate and Rodney Dangerfield's passing. I saw the headline this AM and, to borrow a phrase, was deeply saddened - but this time those words have actual meaning. Like others, I just saw the replay of "From The Earth To The Moon" so this really hit home.
Godspeed, Gordo.
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