The only one I really remember is Tammy Jernigan, but that's for obvious reasons...:-)
Posted on 12/08/2004 8:22:10 AM PST by af_vet_rr
CAPE CANAVERAL -- John Young, who walked on the moon and later commanded the first space shuttle mission, is retiring from NASA this month at 74 years old.
The Orlando native first flew to space in 1965 on a Gemini mission with the late Gus Grissom. In 1972, he walked on the moon in the next-to-last Apollo flight. Almost a decade later, Young and pilot Bob Crippen took Columbia on its maiden voyage.
The National Air and Space Museum in Washington plans a special celebration in Young's honor on Tuesday.
(Excerpt) Read more at space.com ...
ping
I saw the man at JSC one afternoon, and he's one of those people that has an authentically electric appeal. He is one of the astronauts that truly demands the respect he has so richly deserved, and it is a little sad to see him go.
He's very well known in FL, although I don't think the citrus growers ever quite forgave him for his open-mike stunt on Apollo 16.
As in: "I've got the ______ again. I gottem' again Charlie." (?)
Hand Salute.............two
Gee, I remember when the shuttle was just a paper display in a corner at Johnson Space Center.
An astronaut that has done everything but crew a space station flight. Four earth-orbiting (Gemini 3&10, STS-1 & STS_9), one lunar orbiting (Apollo 10), and one lunar landing (Apollo 16). He would have been commander for the Hubble Space Telescope launch mission. That was scrapped due to the Challenger disaster. He was walking on the moon when he and Charlie Duke got the word that the Space Shuttle funding was approved. He would later go on to command the first-ever flight of the shuttle. What a remarkable person, pilot, & astronaut. IIRC, he was still on active flight status as of his retirement. He was asked if he would fly again, and he said his wife would kill him if he even considered accepting a flight assignment. The last of the second astronaut group to retire. I wish him well.
I remember thinking he was the grand old man when I saw pictures of him on the Columbia flight deck with the "grandpa glasses" reading his checklists.
Young was from the "New 9" set of astronauts, selected right after the Mercury Seven.
We miss men the likes of Gordo, Pete Conrad, Alan Shepard, Deke, Jack Swigert. Those other pioneers will be joining them one by one of the next decade or two.
I grew up when space exploration was a big deal and the astronauts were household names; now hardly anyone - including myself - can name any of the current astronauts.
I met and spoke with Deke Slayton in college, oh, sixteen (!) years ago, and he wasn't as "electric" as the guys you mentioned, but he was a gruff, natural leader with no illusions of bullsh*t. Too bad the big "C" got him...
it's to bad because none of their like will pass this way again. I knew all their names and had all the models. and launched quite a few in my youth.
"It's to bad because none of their like will pass this way again."
Oh ye of little faith... There are still heroes to come, and some will be rocketmen... ;)
And NASA got their money's worth out of that trip - one of my best buddies in grad school went on to join him in the Astronaut Corps and flew four Shuttle missions.
Ramblin' Wreck BUMP.
Oh I know, it's to bad that the kids of today don't know anything of that time and all the excitement. I hope we will see that know of hero again.
The only one I really remember is Tammy Jernigan, but that's for obvious reasons...:-)
But, you're right, it's a shame this stuff isn't taught in schools. These people are genuine heroes. They've done things many of us would never have the guts to do. Sometimes when I think about the achievement of this country in making it all the way to the moon and back, it's like a dream, you can hardly believe it happened in our lifetimes. And those who did it are slowly fading away. I for one will remember them and their exploits.
Oh i agree, My grandkids don't even know there is a space station. let alone when we went to the moon... sigh.. I try to get them interested.. guess I'll have to pull out the old reel to reel tape of apollo 11 and let them listen.
Do you care to mention who your buddy is? Is he still active as an astronaut?
Scott Horowitz. He just retired.
That's pretty much what the manned space program in the US is today - a paper model sitting in the corner. Sure, we rent space on Russian ships to send a guy up to the space station every few months, but the US has no present operational manned lift capacity.
Jim Irwin had had heart irregularities on Apollo 15, and the flight surgeons decided to load the Apollo 16 astronauts with potassium just in case. They put the potassium supplement in an orange drink. Massive doses of potassium cause raging flatulence, and John Young correctly identified the juice as the source of his problems. Unfortunately, he had just signed a contract with the Florida citrus growers to endorse their product, and they were not amused. I gather they did get over it.
All that orange juice that gave them the winds on Apollo.
The "f" words (both 'farting' and the other famous 'f' word) were used vociferously by the Astronauts on the flight, and Flight Controller or CAPCOM had to tell them to knock it off, because it was going out over the air on live US broadcasts. Hilarious. Once a rough, hot-shot pilot, always a rough, hot-shot pilot I 'spose, despite nervous NASA PR.
I think John Young was one of the Corvette boys, too. Most of the 7 and the 9 had Corvettes (except Schirra, who had a Triumph), and the FL cops pretty much left them do their thing. I also recall that he was undefeated at handball. The other astronauts used to try to beat him, but he was so good that after a while nobody would play him. Those guys were driven.
I always respected Young for sticking with NASA and not seeking a big $ figurehead chairmanship or a beer distributorship somewhere, like most of the guys.
Some did, some didn't. Neil Armstrong did a 7-year stint at the Univ. of Cincinnati, but since he didn't have his "union ticket" he wasn't going to get tenure. So he retired to a farm in Lebanon, OH (about 70 miles from me). If you drive up his lane and he's out and about, he'll shoot the breeze with you like a normal person (just don't get mushy-gushy with the "hero" stuff, he doesn't think of himself like that). Just a good old Ohio farm boy...
Neil did do a turn on the BoD of Cincinnati Milicron (as it was known then, a good machine tool manufacturer). Since he left, the company and it's stock have gone in the tank.
Oh I'am sure he would, I guess I was just pineing for the "good old" days, I can't wait for the first commerical orbital flight, that will be very cool
And to his credit, he never became a Socialist U.S. Senator (like Glenn) either.
Amen!
John Glenn was my Senator for years and was an immense disappointment. It broke my heart to see him carry Clinton's water in the Senate whenever Clinton got himself in a jam (which was quite often). Glenn threw away a decent record of service to his country to become a political hack. But it got him a ride on the shuttle to cap his career. I hope it was worth it, but selling your soul is never a good bargain.
"Okay, John. We have a hot mike."
Look at this site, Debrief and Goodnight . They have transcripts and audio. Recommended.
128:50:45 Young: (Laughing) I mean, I haven't eaten this much citrus fruit in 20 years! And I'll tell you one thing, in another 12 fucking days, I ain't never eating any more. And if they offer to sup(plement) me potassium with my breakfast, I'm going to throw up! (Pause) I like an occasional orange. Really do. (Laughs) But I'll be durned if I'm going to be buried in oranges.
Dave Scott on Apollo 15 has the honor of being the first driver on the lunar surface. Remember they bumped Apollo 15 up to be the first "J" mission when the budget got ripped for the later missions. The "J" missions featured more science emphasis, the rover, an upgraded LM, more powerful Saturn V (main stage thrust up to 7.6 million lbs.), and a PLSS capability enhanced for extended surface activities. The latter caused problems, as noted in posts above, with dehydration and electrolyte imbalance on Apollo 15, so they overcompensated for that on 16.
The 15-17 missions were probably the most brilliantly planned and executed spaceflights in terms of scientific yield. The emphasis, of course, was on planetary geology and the haul there was impressive, with the "Genesis Rock" of Apollo 15, the famous "orange soil" on 17, and a new understanding of the lunar highlands from Apollo 16. Those crews did yeoman's work on those flights. Again, unfortunately, but for the few either working or interested in those subjects, it is largely unknown by the general public.
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