God Speed Gordo!

[airtwardo 6]

Astronaut Gordon Cooper Dies


On Monday, Oct 4, astronaut Gordon Cooper Jr., 77,
died at his home in Ventura, Calif.

He was one of the original seven Mercury astronauts.
"He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain
the backing and enthusiasm of the American public,
so critical for the spirit of exploration," said NASA Administrator Sean O'Keefe.
"Gordo was one of the most straightforward people I have ever known," recalled fellow astronaut John Glenn.
"What you saw was what you got." Another of the
"Original Seven," Wally Schirra, added,
"We seven were bonded like brothers, maybe even closer if that's possible."

The youngest of the original seven astronauts, Cooper's Mercury flight set a U.S. endurance record at the time,
and he became the first astronaut to sleep in space during
his 34-hour, 22-orbit mission. In 1965, Cooper commanded the Gemini 5 mission alongside Pete Conrad, establishing a new space endurance record at the time,
travelling 3,312,993 miles in 190 hours and 56 minutes.

Cooper was backup command pilot of Gemini 12, launched in November 1965. He also served as backup command pilot for Apollo 10, which flew in May 1969. Cooper left NASA and retired from the Air Force as a colonel on July 31, 1970. In 1983, the movie "The Right Stuff," based on Tom Wolfe's novel, reintroduced the seven Mercury astronauts to a new generation.

Cooper was played by Dennis Quaid.

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~

[diverdriver 5]

Quote

Cooper was played by Dennis Quaid.

.....come on babe... who's the best pilot you ever saw?

Chris Schindler
www.diverdriver.com
ATP/D-19012
FB #4125

[airtwardo 6]

Quote

.....come on babe... who's the best pilot you ever saw?

***

I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Mr. Cooper at the Oshkosh airshow about ten years ago.

It seemed that Quaid's portrayal of him was most likely
right on in a lot of respects.

He was at the air show performers briefing that's held every morning to go over the schedule for the day.

Following that main briefing, we jumpers have our team briefing in the seating area nearby.

Gordo stopped by our little briefing to autograph some logbooks and chat for a bit...
as he handed me my log back and shook my hand,
I couldn't help but smile and ask...

So...who IS the best pilot you ever saw!?

Gordo smiled and winked...looked over my shoulder
and said, "I'm lookin' at him!"

I turned around...
and who is sitting behind me grinning ear to ear but,

Mr. Robert A. (Bob) Hoover !!!





(Come on Trudy...it's me isn't it!)

~ If you choke a Smurf, what color does it turn? ~