John Young passes
Bobo sends the sad news that astronaut John Young has passed at the age of 87. From Space.com;
John Young, NASA’s longest-serving astronaut, who walked on the moon and flew on the first Gemini and space shuttle missions, has died.
The first person to fly six times into space — seven, if you count his launch off of the moon in 1972 — and the only astronaut to command four different types of spacecraft, Young died on Friday (Jan. 5) following complications from pneumonia.. He was 87.
Young was a Navy officer, commissioned through Navy ROTC at Georgia Tech, and he began his career during the Korean War as a fire control officer on USS Laws. After the war, he became a helicopter pilot and then he became a fighter pilot flying Grumman F-9 Cougars from USS Coral Sea and Vought F-8 Crusaders from USS Forrestal before entering the United States Naval Test Pilot School which led him to the space program. He retired from the Navy in 1976 as a Captain.
Category: We Remember
Rest In Peace sir, what an extraordinary life.
Rest in Peace indeed, I wonder why only a captain? I would have thought much higher??
Captain in the Navy is O-6.
Wow, what a wonderful career. It’s ‘funny’ how after getting past Glenn and a few others, we sometimes don’t know much about the astronauts who came later. He is certainly a courageous man. RIP, Sir, and thank you for your service.
I posted some info on him yesterday in the Jerry Van Dyke thread:
http://valorguardians.com/blog/?p=76987#comment-3072690
One of my heroes growing up…
During my brief and abortive first attempt at college back in the day, his picture and profile was prominent in the GT Navy ROTC building.
Rest easy, sir.
Don’t forget, he also got yelled at by some asshat in Congress after his Gemini mission.
His “crime”? Taking unauthorized material into space: specifically, a corned beef sandwich.
I’m sure Young had a bit of a smile on his face during the asschewing and was thinking, “Fuck you very much, Congresspuke!”
I am always amazed at the early Astronauts. Every one of those men has lived a truly incredible life. It makes sense, too considering that the Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo spacecraft were so complicated that every man who went up in one had to be a test pilot, engineer, innovator, navigator, and general badass all rolled into a single manly package, plus the stones it took to leave the atmosphere in a craft that ran on vacuum tubes and a slide rule. I consider it generous to even call myself a lesser man in comparison.
Godspeed, Captain Young.
AND built by the lowest bidder! 😉
Fair winds and following seas, Capt. Young.
Navy Captain Bruce McCandless passed away in December. In a distinguished career in the Navy & NASA he was most famous for performing the first untethered spacewalk. Captain McCandless was also a classmate of Sen. John McCain & VADM John Poindexter (NSA for Pres. Reagan) at the Naval Academy class of ’58. RIP to Captains Young & McCandless.
https://www.mccain.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/press-releases?ID=FAA26F7F-E7FC-4E95-B6A3-D627E16D2535
I met Captain McCandless at a science-fiction convention in Georgia in 1995, and even have a photo of him from the costume ball – he was dressed as a sort-of “Lone Ranger.” He was a wonderful man to talk to and, at least at that convention, took as much time as needed to visit with fans of the space program. A treasured memento is his autograph on the classic photo of him in the special space suit in which he performed that untethered spacewalk.
I don’t know how many of you have ever actually seen a Mercury or Apollo capsule? It had to take balls of steel to go into outer space in not much more than a garbage can! Those things were not much bigger than one? I can’t believe what courage that must have taken? True Heroes!!!
Rest in Peace, Captain Young.
What a life, huh? I think it’s people like this that actually lead amazing, accomplished lives that make some people pretend to be more than they actually are. We’ve seen a few of those guys around here from time to time.
Godspeed, sir!
Entry statement upon arrival in Valhall;
‘CORNED BEEF SANDWICHES FOR EVERYONE, YOU BASTARDS!’
FW&FS, Astronaut.
Whenever I heard of/read about our older Astronauts, I think of and watch this excellent commercial by Audi. The flashback between his son and his fellow Astronaut is an especially nice touch;