Official portrait of astronaut Jim A. McDivitt, taken in 1971. McDivitt has passed away at the age of 93.
NASA
hide captions
switch captions
NASA
Official portrait of astronaut Jim A. McDivitt, taken in 1971. McDivitt has passed away at the age of 93.
NASA
Jim McDivitt, an astronaut who played a key role in making America’s first spacewalk and landed on the moon possibly dead. He is 93 years old.
NASA confirmed his death to NPR on Monday, adding that he was surrounded by family and friends when he passed away on Thursday.
Known as a brave test pilot and devoted leader, McDivitt commanded two of the most important flights in the early space race – Gemini 4 and Apollo 9.
McDivitt was selected by NASA to become an astronaut in 1962. He was selected to pilot the Gemini 4 – becoming the first NASA rookie to command a mission.
Considered by NASA most ambitious flight At the time of 1965, the Gemini 4 mission was the first time the United States conducted a spacewalk and also the longest time a US spacecraft remained in Earth orbit: 4 days.
Four years later, McDivitt commanded Apollo 9 – a 10-day mission orbiting the Earth in March 1969 that involved testing a spacecraft that landed on the moon – four months before NASA’s successful landing. man on the moon.
Apollo 9 was his last trip into space. He would become the manager of NASA’s Lunar Landing Operations and served as the manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program from 1969 to 1972. He is retired in 1972 both NASA and the Air Force as generals brigade.
Russell Lewis contributed reporting. This story will be updated.
