Trigger
10-05-2004, 03:36 PM
Oct. 4 (Bloomberg) -- L. Gordon Cooper Jr., one of the seven astronauts selected by the U.S. space program for NASA's first space project in 1959, has died at his Ventura, California home. He was 77.
In 1963, Cooper orbited the earth 22 times in the Faith 7 mission and spent 34 hours in space, more the three times the longest space flight up until that time, according to a statement on the NASA Web site. On that flight, Cooper became the first person to sleep in space, NASA said.
Two years later, Cooper, with Charles ``Pete'' Conrad Jr., set a space endurance record when they spent 191 hours aboard Gemini 5, NASA said in the statement.
NASA chose Cooper, along with Alan Shepard Jr., John Glenn, Virgil ``Gus'' Grissom, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra and Deke Slayton as the first seven astronauts for its Project Mercury program. Grissom died in 1967, Slayton in 1993 and Shepard in 1998.
Cooper, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1927, served in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1945 and 1946, NASA said in the statement.
from (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a_vSnORNF7Z8&refer=us)
http://www.nasm.si.edu/getinvolved/membership/images/cooper.jpg
"...Who's the best pilot you ever saw?"
http://members.chello.at/marius.werner/cooper.JPG
Godspeed
In 1963, Cooper orbited the earth 22 times in the Faith 7 mission and spent 34 hours in space, more the three times the longest space flight up until that time, according to a statement on the NASA Web site. On that flight, Cooper became the first person to sleep in space, NASA said.
Two years later, Cooper, with Charles ``Pete'' Conrad Jr., set a space endurance record when they spent 191 hours aboard Gemini 5, NASA said in the statement.
NASA chose Cooper, along with Alan Shepard Jr., John Glenn, Virgil ``Gus'' Grissom, Scott Carpenter, Wally Schirra and Deke Slayton as the first seven astronauts for its Project Mercury program. Grissom died in 1967, Slayton in 1993 and Shepard in 1998.
Cooper, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, in 1927, served in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1945 and 1946, NASA said in the statement.
from (http://quote.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=10000103&sid=a_vSnORNF7Z8&refer=us)
http://www.nasm.si.edu/getinvolved/membership/images/cooper.jpg
"...Who's the best pilot you ever saw?"
http://members.chello.at/marius.werner/cooper.JPG
Godspeed