Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. (March 6, 1927 - October 4, 2004), also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space program of the United States.
Cooper piloted the longest and final Mercury spaceflight in 1963. He was the first American to sleep in space during that 34-hour mission and was the last American to be launched alone to conduct an entirely solo orbital mission. In 1965, Cooper flew as command pilot of Gemini 5.
Read more about Gordon Cooper: UFO Sightings, Memorial Spaceflights, Awards and Decorations, Cultural Influence
Famous quotes containing the words gordon and/or cooper:
“Between two worlds life hovers like a star,
‘Twixt night and morn, upon the horizon’s verge.”
—George Gordon Noel Byron (1788–1824)
“The common faults of American language are an ambition of effect, a want of simplicity, and a turgid abuse of terms.”
—James Fenimore Cooper (1789–1851)