Last Updated: 02 Mar, 2023 | Views: 393
Age: 68
Profession: Astronaut
Other Profession(s): Engineer, Fighter Pilot
Famous For: NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office
Higher Education: Bachelor's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering
About (Profile/Biography):
Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton was a test pilot, aeronautical engineer in the United States Air Force. He was chosen as one of the initial NASA Mercury Seven astronauts. He later rose to the position of Director of Flight Crew Operations, in charge of assigning NASA crew, and the first Chief of the Astronaut Office at NASA. Slayton enlisted in the American Army Air Forces and performed missions over the Pacific and Europe during World War II. He left the Army following the conclusion of World War II. He then attended the University of Minnesota and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering in 1949. He then went on to work as an aerospace engineer for Boeing before joining the Minnesota Air National Guard.
Career:
In 1943: Slayton was given the B-25 Mitchell, which was his last preferred aircraft, after completing his flying training.
In 1944: Slayton returned to the United States after 56 combat sorties.
In 1949: After earning his Bachelor of Science, he obtained a position as an engineer at the Boeing Aircraft Corporation in Seattle, Washington.
In 1959: He was chosen as one of the applicants for Project Mercury, the first crewed space travel programme in the United States.
In 1973: He served in the Apollo–Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) alongside Vance Brand and Thomas Stafford in the docking module module.
Achievements and Awards:
In 1975: He was awarded the Gold Medal by the National Institute of Social Sciences.
In 1976: Slayton received the National Space Award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
In 1977: He was awarded the Special Presidential Citation by AIAA.
Unknown Facts:
A former Project Mercury astronaut, Dean Kent Slayton made his first space trip in 1975 after becoming one of the original seven astronauts in 1959.
He co-authored a book with fellow astronaut Alan Shepard on America's race to the moon in 1994, called Moon Shot: The Inside Story.
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