Richard F. Gordon Jr.
American astronaut, Apollo 12 pilot

Born
October 5th, 1929
95 years ago
Died
November 6th, 2017
7 years ago — 88 years old
Category
Scientists & Innovators
Country
United States
Links & References
Served as a naval officer and test pilot before joining NASA in 1963. Participated as the command module pilot for Apollo 12, which successfully landed on the Moon in November 1969. Also flew on Gemini 11, where orbital rendezvous was demonstrated, contributing to future missions to the Moon. His career included involvement in various space program activities, including test pilot evaluations and training of future astronauts.
Piloted Apollo 12 on its lunar mission
Served as command module pilot on Apollo 12
Participated in Gemini 11 mission
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