Crew
| Position | Astronaut | |
|---|---|---|
| Commander | Alan B. Shepard, Jr. Second spaceflight |
|
| Command Module Pilot | Stuart A. Roosa Only spaceflight |
|
| Lunar Module Pilot | Edgar D. Mitchell Only spaceflight |
|
Shepard was the oldest U.S. astronaut when he made his trip aboard Apollo 14. He is the only astronaut from Project Mercury (the original Mercury Seven astronauts) to reach the Moon. Another of the original seven, L. Gordon Cooper, had (as Apollo 10's backup commander) tentatively been scheduled to command the mission, but according to author Andrew Chaikin, his casual attitude toward training, along with problems with NASA hierarchy (reaching all the way back to the Mercury-Atlas 9 flight), resulted in his removal.
The mission was a personal triumph for Shepard, who had battled back from Ménière’s disease which grounded him from 1964 to 1968. He and his crew were originally scheduled to fly on Apollo 13, but in 1969 NASA officials switched the scheduled crews for Apollo 13 and 14. This was done to allow Shepard more time to train for his flight, as he had been grounded for 4 years.
As of 2012, Mitchell is the only surviving member of the crew; Roosa died in 1994 from pancreatitis and Shepard in 1998 from leukemia.
Read more about this topic: Apollo 14
Famous quotes containing the word crew:
““10 April 1800—
Blacks rebellious. Crew uneasy. Our linguist says
their moaning is a prayer for death,
ours and their own.”
—Robert Earl Hayden (1913–1980)