NASA has paid its respects to one of its former faithful servants, astronaut Richard (Dick) Gordon, who has passed away at the age of 88 during November. Gordon was the command module pilot on Apollo 12, the second lunar landing mission in late 1969. That happy and harmonious crew was known for its joker but ultimately professional style. For as Charles “Pete” Conrad and Alan Bean made an exceptionally accurate landing the Sea of Storms very close to its target – an old Surveyor unmanned lander – Gordon had to stay in lunar orbit in charge of the Apollo Command and Service modules – their way of return. Alone he had to entertain himself with some nude girlie pictures slipped into his notes to cheer him up by his fellow crew mates.
Gordon had himself flown into orbit before as one of the two crew on Gemini 11 in 1966, on which he performed two spacewalks.
Astronaut Dick Gordon. Courtesy: NASA
Gordon had been a US Naval aviator before he became an astronaut in 1963. He had a degree in Chemistry and from his navy background became a test pilot during which he flew the F-4H prototype version of what became the world beating F-4 Phantom fighter jet, with only the Soviet Mig-21 and later F-16 beating it for production numbers. Since retiring from NASA in 1972, Gordon served as Executive Vice President of the New Orleans Saints Professional Football Club in the National Football League and held executive positions at several companies in the oil and gas, engineering and technology industries.
We salute Dick Gordon for all his efforts and achievements and give our condolences to his family and friends.
