I met John Young (and Bob Crippen) back in 1979 when I was a software developer on the first Space Shuttle program:
The “Mercury Seven” Astronauts:
– Scott Carpenter
– Gordon Cooper
– John Glenn
– Gus Grissom
– Wally Schirra
– Alan Shepard
– Deke Slayton
The “New Nine” Astronauts:
– Neil A. Armstrong (1930–2012), civilian (retired U.S. Navy) (2 flights)
– Frank F. Borman, II (born 1928), U.S. Air Force (2 flights)
– Charles “Pete” Conrad, Jr (1930–1999), U.S. Navy (4 flights)
– James A. Lovell, Jr (born 1928), U.S. Navy (4 flights)
– James A. McDivitt (born 1929), U.S. Air Force (2 flights)
– Elliot M. See, Jr (1927–1966), U.S. Navy
– Thomas P. Stafford (born 1930), U.S. Air Force (4 flights)
– Edward H. White, II (1930–1967), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)
– John W. Young (born 1930), U.S. Navy (6 flights)
John W. Young:
- Gemini 3 — March 1965 —
– Pilot — First manned Gemini mission; first manned mission to change orbital plane - Gemini 10 — July 1966 —
– Command Pilot — First double rendezvous (first orbital docking) - Apollo 10 — May 1969 —
– Command Module Pilot — “Dress rehearsal” for Apollo 11
– First lunar orbital flight of Lunar Module (first lunar module orbit moon, @ 50K ft. from the moon’s surface)
– First person to orbit the Moon alone
– Highest speed attained by a manned vehicle (24,791 mph) - Apollo 16 — April 1972 —
– Commander — Fifth manned lunar mission
– Young became the ninth person to walk on the Moon - STS-1 Columbia — April 1981 —
– Commander — First Space Shuttle mission (first reusable space shuttle to fly into earth’s orbit)
– Maiden flight of Columbia - STS-9 Columbia — November 1983 —
– Commander — First Spacelab mission
– Young became the first person to travel into space six times
– First six-person crew