Post a coin in memory of Richard Gordon (1929 - 2017)
SkyMan
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Dick was a friend of mine. He was selected in NASA's 3rd group of astronauts, in 1963. He was a pilot on Gemini 11, in 1966, where he became the 4th American to walk in space. On that flight he and mission commander, Pete Conrad, also docked multiple times with 2 Agena target vehicles, and achieved the first (planned) artificial gravity in space, by connecting a tether from the Gemini spacecraft to the Agena, disconnecting the Gemini from the Agena, and then spinning up the two attached spacecraft. They also essentially doubled the altitude record to ~ 850 miles by using the rocket in one of the Agenas (it is still the highest record for a spacecraft orbiting the Earth).
In November 1969 Dick flew on Apollo 12 on the second manned lunar landing. He was the Command Module pilot, the guy who orbited the Moon while the other two astronauts landed. He was the backup commander for Apollo 15 in 1971, and was the commander of Apollo 18, which unfortunately got cut due to budgetary constraints.
Dick was a naval aviator and had a GREAT sense of humor. One example of this occurred on the Apollo 15 flight. As mentioned, Dick was the backup commander. The prime crew of Apollo 15 were all Air Force personnel. On the cover of the Apollo 15 Flight Plan (THE checklist for the entire mission) just under the printed words FLIGHT PLAN is a small blue and yellow sticker that says "Fly Navy" that was put there by Dick.
Please post a coin that either was minted in 1929, 1966 or 1969 or one that has a nautical motif on it, in memory of Richard Gordon.
Comments
Thanks for the post - those guys definitely had the "right stuff".
So sorry for your loss of a friend, and our loss of a national hero. Here's my coin.
Jim
When a man who is honestly mistaken hears the truth, he will either quit being mistaken or cease to be honest....Abraham Lincoln
Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and your government when it deserves it.....Mark Twain
RIP, Richard.
My condolences- he's a true national treasure.
Condolences to family and friends...... A hero indeed.... Cheers, RickO
You sure got that correct.
please, tell us a little about how you guys met and any insight you wish to share about where his dedication and raw courage came from. to go where no man has gone before and do what no man has done are special traits that only a few among us possess.
Can you imagine the wings he has now?
RIP
bob
I met Dick at a space convention. I had recently purchased the first picture of a playmate to go to the Moon (it was on Apollo 12), and brought it to the convention where I asked him about it. Not surprisingly it was a prank played on Dick by the backup crew of Apollo 12, as Dick was known to be a ladies man. In fact, his nickname from that era was "Manimal", and one of his gigs among friends was that if you said, "animal", he'd say, "magnetism". Anyhow, needless to say, bringing along the first playmate picture to the Moon got me an entree that an average person would not have. Over time I got to know him much better as we worked together as volunteers at a space museum, and then finally socially. Dick was the sort of person that when he was focused on something, he was totally focused, and then when it was time to relax he knew how to enjoy himself.
Dick was an aviator. He Loved to fly. He'd be happy to tell you about his favorite sorts of aircraft to fly, whether it was propellor, slower than the speed of sound jet, or supersonic jet. He became a naval aviator and then a test pilot. He applied for NASA astronaut group 2, didn't make it, and had the confidence and moxie to reapply for astronaut group 3, where he was accepted.
He will be missed.
U.S. Type Set
Heartwarming story and tribute, Skyman. Thanks for that.
Lance.
Amazing Story, you honored him well.
Skyman, I just got to make one of the trips I waited for retirement to allow --- in mid-October me and my girlfriend went to Wright-Patterson. the most exciting thing for me was to see the Apollo 15 capsule. it's hard to imagine spending that much time in that small space, I'd go nuts!! they also had an un-flown Gemini test capsule. WOW!!!
He was born the same year as my dad. Here is my belt buckle with my dad's birth year on it and your friends.
My condolences to you for the your loss of a friend.
Donato
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As a kid i used to love the TV coverage of the space program. Wish I had a chance to go to Cape Canaveral/Kennedy to watch a launch.
These days we can't get a man into orbit and seem to be limited to fancy probes sent to faraway locations. More like reality video games than anything.
“In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson
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Sorry about your friend. Here's a neat piece (part of a set) I recently acquired.
Click on this link to see my ebay listings.
I'm sorry to hear about your friend.
It sounds like he was able to live the life that he wanted. There's a lot to be said for that.
Mr. Gordon may he RIP.
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