Astronaut John Young Dies At Age 87

CBS News reports:

Legendary astronaut John Young — who twice ventured into space in pioneering two-man Gemini capsules, orbited the moon and then walked on its cratered surface before commanding two space shuttle missions, including the program’s maiden flight — has died, ending one of the most storied careers in space history. NASA said he died Friday night following complications from pneumonia. He was 87.

A veteran Navy test pilot and Georgia Tech graduate who brought an engineer’s keen eye to three generations of spacecraft and NASA management, Young was the first man to fly in space six times and the only astronaut to fly aboard Gemini and Apollo capsules and the space shuttle. He served as chief of NASA’s astronaut corps from 1974 to 1987, overseeing 25 shuttle flights during the program’s formative years.

Across a 42-year career at NASA, Young was a relentless advocate for flight safety, firing off countless memos that occasionally made him a thorn in the side of NASA management, especially in the wake of the 1986 Challenger disaster. Throughout it all, he brought a dry wit and ready smile that belied a near photographic memory and encyclopedic knowledge of complex space systems.

John Young is one of my heroes, an astronaut’s astronaut, a fearless individual and a good friend. Godspeed. https://t.co/SzqxXOVVqT

— Chris Hadfield (@Cmdr_Hadfield) January 6, 2018

We're saddened by the loss of astronaut John Young, who was 87. Young flew twice to the Moon, walked on its surface & flew the first Space Shuttle mission. He went to space six times in the Gemini, Apollo & Space Shuttle programs. pic.twitter.com/l4nSwUCMIq

— NASA (@NASA) January 6, 2018