Last Updated: 04 Mar, 2024 | Views: 456
Age: 77
Profession: Astronaut
Other Profession(s): Test pilot
Famous For: Former NASA Astronaut
Higher Education: Aeronautical Engineering
About (Profile/Biography):
Gordon Cooper, a well-known American aerospace engineer and test pilot, was born in California. Cooper began flying the family plane at the age of eight, and by the time he was twelve, he was flying by himself. To pay for his flights, Cooper had a job at the airport. Famous aviators frequented the establishment since the aviation world was so close-knit. This way, he met notable figures in aviation history like Amelia Earhart, Roscoe Turner, and Wiley Post. In addition to running sprints and the quarter-mile in track, Cooper was a halfback for the Shawnee High football team.
Career:
Gordon finished his pilot training in the American Air Force before being recalled to active duty in 1949. He served as a German fighter pilot between 1950 and 1954.
Gordon later finished test pilot training at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Until he was chosen as a Mercury astronaut, he worked as a test pilot.
Cooper assisted fellow Oklahoman astronaut Thomas Stafford on Apollo 10 in 1969 as his backup commander.
When all automatic systems failed during reentry and Gordon was forced to steer the spaceship physically, he demonstrated the importance of having humans in space.
Cooper and Conrad used this flight to test fuel cells, a brand-new power source for the upcoming.
Achievements and Awards:
Gordon was appointed vice president of R&D for Walter E. Disney Enterprises Inc., a Walt Disney Productions company based in Glendale, California, in 1975.
Gordon was the first member of the military on active service to twice address joint sessions of Congress.
Unknown facts:
Cooper resigned as a colonel from the U.S. Air Force and his job at NASA in 1970 after spending 222 hours in space.
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