L. Gordon Cooper
| Gordon Cooper | |
|---|---|
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| NASA Astronaut | |
| Nationality | United States |
| Born | Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. March 6, 1927 Shawnee, Oklahoma, U.S. |
| Died | October 4, 2004 (aged 77) Ventura, California, U.S. |
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Other occupation
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Test pilot |
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University of Hawaii University of Maryland AFIT, B.S. 1956 |
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| Rank |
 Colonel, USAF
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Time in space
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9d 09h 14m |
| Selection | 1959 NASA Group 1 |
| Missions | Mercury-Atlas 9 (Faith 7), Gemini 5 |
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Mission insignia
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| Retirement | July 31, 1970 |
| Awards |
 
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Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. (March 6, 1927 – October 4, 2004), (Col, USAF), better known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aerospace engineer, test pilot, United States Air Force pilot, and one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space program of the United States.
Cooper piloted the longest and final Mercury spaceflight in 1963. He was the first American to sleep in space during that 34-hour mission and was the last American to be launched alone to conduct an entirely solo orbital mission. In 1965, Cooper flew as Command Pilot of Gemini 5.
Cooper was born on March 6, 1927, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to parents Leroy Gordon Cooper Sr. (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) and Hattie Lee (née Herd) Cooper. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America where he achieved its second highest rank, Life Scout. Cooper attended Jefferson Elementary School and Shawnee High School in Shawnee, Oklahoma, and was involved in football and track. He moved to Murray, Kentucky, about two months before graduating with his class in 1945 when his father, Leroy Cooper Sr., a World War I veteran, was called back into service. He graduated from Murray High School in 1945.
After he learned that the Army and Navy flying schools were not taking any candidates the year he graduated from high school, he decided to enlist in the United States Marine Corps. Cooper left for MCRD Parris Island as soon as he graduated. However, World War II had ended before he could get into combat. He was assigned then to the Naval Academy Preparatory School and was an alternate for an appointment to Annapolis, Maryland. The man who was the primary appointee made the grade so Cooper was reassigned in the Marines on guard duty in Washington, D.C. He was serving with the Presidential Honor Guard in Washington when he was released from duty along with other Marine reservists.
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