While he never got the chance to walk on the moon, Gordon spent more than 315 hours in space on two missions. "From 240,000 miles away, it's very beautiful a very delicate planet sitting out there in the blackest -- it's the blackest black you'll ever see," he said. For his moon voyage, Gordon got to fly again with his Gemini 11 crewmate Conrad as well as rookie flyer Alan Bean. Apollo 18-20: Lunar Module Names - collectSPACE: Messages We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of Gemini and Apollo astronaut Richard Gordon, a hero from NASAs third class of astronauts., Dick Gordon is an American hero, and a true renaissance man by any measure. Molly Wasser [4], After leaving NASA, Gordon served as executive vice president of the New Orleans Saints Professional Football Club in the National Football League (19721976);[2] was general manager of Energy Developers, Limited (EDL), a Texas partnership involved in a joint venture with Rocket Research Corporation for the development of a liquid chemical explosive for use in the oil and gas industry (1977); president of Resolution Engineering and Development Company (REDCO), which provided design and operational requirements for wild oil well control and fire fighting equipment on board large semisubmersible utility vessels (1978); following REDCO merger with Amarco Resources, Gordon assumed the additional duties of vice president of marketing, Westdale, an oil well servicing subsidiary of AMARCO operating in North Central Texas and Oklahoma, and also served as vice president for operations, Texas Division (1980); served as director, Scott Science and Technology, Inc., Los Angeles Division (19811983). He was passed by for the 1962 astronaut selection, but was accepted for the 1963 selection. The transfer complete, Intrepid was separated from the mother ship and jettisoned to crash land on the Moons surface. Want CNET to notify you of price drops and the latest stories? He spent more than 316 hours in space on two missions. [4], Gordon served as chairman and co-chairman of the Louisiana Heart Fund, chairman of the March of Dimes (Mother's March), honorary chairman for Muscular Dystrophy, and on the boards of directors for the Boy Scouts of America and Boys' Club of Greater New Orleans. And that was a lesson we brought back from that EVA," he said, adding that more restraint systems are required when working in microgravity. Where will you be for the 2023 and 2024 solar eclipses in the United States? [16][17] In 2020, Gordon was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio. Elizabeth first got interested in space after watching the movie Apollo 13 in 1996, and still wants to be an astronaut someday. It was like trying to tie a shoelace with one hand, he explained. Richard F. "Dick" Gordon was a NASA astronaut who flew in orbit around the moon during Apollo 12. NASA sent up foot restraints for future spacewalkers, thanks to the experiences of Gordon and other early astronauts. He earned a . . Richard F. Gordon Jr. - Wikipedia Richard F. "Dick" Gordon was a NASA astronaut who flew in orbit around the moon during Apollo 12. In 1969, Gordon and crewmates Conrad and Alan Bean flew to the moon on Apollo 12. Lori Glaze NASA and the nation have lost one of our early space pioneers. They came back so damn filthy that I wouldnt let them in the command module. Throughout the 31-hour lunar surface stay by Conrad and Bean, Gordon remained in orbit around the moon on the command module, "Yankee Clipper.". Click or tap to view photos with captions. View larger image without labels, http://www.nasa.gov/centers/kennedy/about/history/Apollo_18.html. "Every time you change something, youre talking evaluation of delays and costs and those kinds of things. Joining the US Navy, Gordon received his wings as a naval aviator in 1953 and was assigned to an all-weather fighter squadron at Jacksonville, Florida. "We are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of . Richard Gordon, the American astronaut, who has died aged 88, piloted the command module of Apollo 12, the second manned lunar mission, and was one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon. Astronaut Richard F. Gordon Jr., Apollo 12 command module pilot, participates in simulation training at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC). Richard Francis Gordon Jr. (October 5, 1929 November 6, 2017) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut, and a football executive. Follow Stephen Clark on Twitter: @StephenClark1. He struggled to attach a 100-foot cable between the Gemini and Agena spacecraft for a planned artificial gravity experiment. He was 88. First man on moon Neil Armstrong has died, Astronaut Gene Cernan, last man on moon, dies at 82, John Glenn, first American to orbit Earth, dies at 95, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. One of the main objects of the mission was to rehearse space rescue techniques. End of chapter. Scientists have discovered shaded locations within pits on the Moon that always hover around a comfortable 63 degrees F (about 17 C). in Space Studies from the University of North Dakota, a Bachelor of Journalism from Canada's Carleton University and a Bachelor of History from Canada's Athabasca University. Richard F. Gordon Jr. was born in Seattle on Oct. 5, 1929. Richard Gordon. At the time of the flight, Gemini 11 set the world altitude record of 850 miles. After missing the second intake of astronauts, Gordon joined Nasa in 1963 with the third group, which included Buzz Aldrin, Michael Collins and Gene Cernan. The space race was real, Gordon said. While Bean and Conrad did work on the lunar surface, Gordon stayed in orbit, taking pictures and doing experiments of his own. And we were under some pressure because the edict that President [John F.] Kennedy sent down in 1961 that we were going to go to the moon before the decade was over.". The son of a woodcutter, Richard Francis Gordon Jr was born on October 5 1929 in Seattle, Washington, into a Roman Catholic family. Remembering Dick Gordon - Moon: NASA Science . For other people named Richard Gordon, see, Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress, "Richard Gordon, Astronaut Who Reached for Moon and Very Nearly Made It, Dies at 88", "Biographical Data: Richard F. Gordon Jr", "NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project", "Gordon, Richard Francis, Jr. (19292017)", "Richard Francis "Dick" Gordon Jr., Apollo Astronaut, Naval Aviator & 'Renaissance Man', Dies At 88", NASA Memorials and Burials at Arlington National Cemetery, "Agnew Confers Awards on Crews of 3 Apollos", "Footprints in the Dust University of Nebraska Press", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Richard_F._Gordon_Jr.&oldid=1150337519, This page was last edited on 17 April 2023, at 15:41. The mission was nearly cancelled as the craft was struck twice by lightning during launch, but backup systems allowed the engineers to restore its electrical power. He was supposed to be the commander of Apollo 18, but lost the chance to walk on the moon himself . Gordon was slated to make a moon walk as the commander of Apollo 18, but that mission was canceled due to budgetary cuts. He was 88. He had been a finalist for the second selection, in 1962. They set an altitude record of 850 miles above Earth. We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of Gemini and Apollo astronaut Richard Gordon, a hero from NASAs third class of astronauts. After completing his training as a naval test pilot, he became the first test pilot for the F-4H Phantom II project, and was instrumental in introducing the aircraft to the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. . Because of his expertise in geology, Schmitt was moved to Apollo 17 after Apollo 18, 19, and 20 were canceled. Richard Gordon, the American astronaut, who has died aged 88, piloted the command module of Apollo 12, the second manned lunar mission, and was one of only 24 people to have flown to the Moon. FarthestReaches.com Elizabeth is also a post-secondary instructor in communications and science since 2015. #RG/Apollo -385. When his right eye filledwith sweat and he became short of breath, he was ordered to return to the Gemini capsule. We just had a great time with each other, Gordon said in 1997. 2023 CNET, a Red Ventures company. Liste des astronautes par anne de slection Wikipdia NASA astronaut Dick Gordon, pilot of Apollo 12, dead at 88 Alan Bean was Apollo 12s lunar module pilot and joined Conrad on the descent to the lunar surface, touching down in a region dubbed the Ocean of Storms. In November 2005, NASA honored veteran Gordon with an Ambassador of Exploration award. When he was drafted, he decided to join the Navy and learn to fly. Gordon was alone in the Apollo 12 command module, named Yankee Clipper, while his two crewmates detached and landed on the moon. Richard Gordon, centre, with Pete Conrad, left, and Alan Bean in the quarantine capsule on board USS Hornet at the end of the Apollo 12 mission in 1969. He is survived by three sons and two daughters from his first marriage. View larger image with labels Youre not getting in here and dirtying up my nice clean Command Module.. View larger image with labels He was one of 24 people to have flown to the Moon, as the command module pilot of the 1969 Apollo 12 mission, which orbited the Moon 45 times. Astronaut Richard Gordon and Alan Bean discussing recently acquired satellite photographs of their Apollo 12 moon landing site. [2][7][11] He was survived by five of his children, Carleen Trevino, Richard, Lawrence, Thomas and Diane Briggs; his sisters Barbara Pethick and Mary Frederick, and brother Norman; and two stepchildren, Traci and Christopher, from his second wife Linda,[2] who died on September 12, 2017. Gordon left NASA in 1972 and subsequently held positions in industries spanning football to movies to natural resources. [8], Gordon logged a total of 315 hours and 53 minutes in space, of which 2 hours and 41 minutes were spent in EVA. Photo credit: NASA. Richard Gordon: Apollo 12 Command Module Pilot | Space Dick Gordon, a former Richard Gordon was a test pilot in the U.S. Navy. Opens in a new window or tab. Some of Gordon's more notable jobs included executive vice president of the New Orleans Saints professional football team, and an advisor for the miniseries "Space," which was based on a James A. Michener book. [11] His hobbies included water skiing and golf. He was the pilot for the three-day Gemini 11 mission in 1966 and performed two spacewalks. Last modified on Wed 14 Feb 2018 16.28 EST. Richard F. Gordon, Jr. | Biography, Gemini 11, & Facts After retiring as an astronaut and leaving Nasa, Gordon held executive posts in the chemical, oil and gas industries, and in 1978 became president of a company designing firefighting equipment for oil rigs.