The following is a statement from acting
NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot on the passing of former NASA astronaut
Richard Gordon:
“NASA and the nation have lost one of our
early space pioneers. We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of
Gemini and Apollo astronaut Richard Gordon, a hero from NASA’s third class of
astronauts.
“Naval officer,
aviator, chemist, test pilot, and astronaut were among the
many hats of this talented and daring explorer. Dick was pilot of Gemini XI
in 1966, on which he performed a spacewalk where he tethered the Gemini and
Agena together for the very first attempt at creating artificial gravity by
rotating spacecraft. He also was command module pilot of Apollo 12,
the second manned mission to land on the Moon. While his crewmates Pete
Conrad and Alan Bean landed in the Ocean of Storms, he
remained in lunar orbit aboard the Yankee Clipper, taking photos
for potential future landing sites and later performing final re-docking
maneuvers.
“An accomplished naval aviator, Dick tested
many new aircraft that later entered service and also won the Bendix Trophy
Race from New York to Los Angeles in 1961, setting a new speed record for the
time.
“Dick will be fondly remembered as one of
our nation’s boldest flyers, a man who added to our own nation’s capabilities
by challenging his own. He will be missed.”
For more information about Gordon’s NASA
career, visit:
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