We salute @nasa #astronaut #DickGordon as it was announced today that he passed away at age 88. A child born amidst the Great Depression in 1929, Gordon's ambitions weren't driven toward #aeronautics. He actually wanted to be a priest or professional baseball player! After entering the @usnavy @americasnavy flight school he fell in love with flying, receiving his wings as a naval #aviator in 1953, eventually becoming a #testpilot, winning the 1961 Bendix trophy race, setting a new transcontinental speed record of 2 hours and 47 minutes. Gordon was selected in the third group of #astronauts in 1963, flying aboard the three-day #Gemini11 mission of 1966 with commander Pete Conrad, performing critical tasks necessary for the @apolloprogram as well as two spacewalks. In 1969, Dick Gordon took to #space again on #Apollo12, this time as command module pilot with fellow #Navy crew members Conrad and Alan Bean. Gordon spent 42 hours orbiting the moon, conducting experiments and shooting photography while Conrad and Bean carried out their respective missions on the lunar surface. While enjoying his solitude in the weightlessness of space, Gordon had this to say about gazing out the window at Earth: "Makes you think about the fragility of our Earth and the things we do to it to make you realize how fragile it is." We sincerely thank Officer Richard Francis "Dick" Gordon Jr. for his bravery, service, and contributions to #humanspaceflight. #perasperaadastra ✨ #rip
