"But it just didn't work out that way. [71][72], In Cooper's autobiography, Leap of Faith, co-authored with Bruce Henderson, he recounted his experiences with the Air Force and NASA, along with his efforts to expose an alleged UFO conspiracy theory. [78], Cooper claimed until his death that the U.S. government was indeed covering up information about UFOs. According to his accounts, later that morning they returned to report to Cooper that they saw a "strange-looking saucer" like aircraft that did not make a sound either on landing or take-off. There he met his first wife, TrudyB. Olson (19271994) of Seattle, through the local flying club. His death occurred on the 47th anniversary of the Sputnik 1 launch and the same day that SpaceShipOne made its second official qualifying flight, winning the Ansari X-Prize. She continually served as an advocate, a supporter and a volunteer with ASF through the years, and she will truly be missed, as part of the Foundation and as part of the ASF family. he decided to enlist in the Marine Corps. He entered flight training at Perrin Air Force Base in Texas and Williams Air Force Base in Arizona in 1949. Who were the people in Janita's life? After divorcing his first wife Trudy, Cooper married Suzan Taylor in 1972. [2][64] Loss of this command placed Cooper further down the flight rotation, meaning he would not fly until one of the later flights, if ever. He graduated from college and law school, and became a state district judge. [69] They had two daughters: Colleen Taylor, born in 1979; and Elizabeth Jo, born in 1980. He joined the Oklahoma National Guard, flying a Curtiss JN-4 biplane, despite never having formal military pilot training. The news was shared by Caroline Schumacher, executive director of the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. later remarried to the former Suzan Taylor on May 6, 1972. He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public," said NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe, according to the agency's Web site. Partner in the GCR Corporation racing team that competed in the USAC Series in 1966 and 1967. susan taylor gordon cooper susan taylor gordon cooper. [51] Cooper and Conrad then came up with the idea of a mission patch, similar to the organizational emblems worn by military units. Apollo 12 command module pilot Richard F. Gordon relaxes with his wife, Barbara and children (standing, left to right: Carleen, 15; Richard, 14; and Thomas, 10; kneeling, left to right,. The cause of death could not be learned immediately. School until 1957. The following was published in the Big Spring Daily Herald in Texas on May 12th 1963: Janita's immediate relatives including parents, siblings, partnerships and children in the Cooper family tree. Postflight inspections and analyses studied the causes and nature of the electrical problems that had plagued the final hours of the flight, but no fault was found with the performance of the pilot. During the mission, Cooper became the first person to make a second orbital flight and proved that astronauts could survive in space for a trip to the moon and back. [8], On completion of his flight training in 1950, Cooper was posted to Landstuhl Air Base, West Germany, where he flew F-84 Thunderjets and F-86 Sabres for four years. [10][11], Exceptional Women in Publishing presented Taylor its fifth annual Exceptional Woman in Publishing award in 2003. During his Mercury flight, Mr. Cooper converted a technical problem into a personal triumph. [1] During the 1980s, she attended night school and earned a B.A. which statements describe italian renaissance art? for two more years while he continued his studies at the Maya works as a hair and makeup artist at a local salon. He went through test pilot school and later, when NASA advertised for astronaut trainees, he volunteered; he said it was "pure curiosity.". we begin to Show & Tell who they were during particular moments in their lives. He expected that there would be a follow-up investigation, since an aircraft of unknown origin had landed at a classified military installation, but never heard about the incident again. He died on October 4, 2004 in Ventura, California, USA. NASA public affairs officers could see the newspaper headlines if the spacecraft were lost at sea: "NASA loses Faith". The patch was intended to commemorate all the hundreds of people directly involved, not just the astronauts. [45] Was a member of NASA's Mercury 7 project, introduced in April 9, 1959, only six months after the agency was established (together with Wally Schirra, Deke Slayton, John Glenn, Scott Carpenter, Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom). Colin O'Donoghue is portraying Gordon Cooper. Gordon is a Scottish Actor and Voice Over artist who trained at The Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama. And it was a massive night for Netflix as Maggie Gyllenhaal's "The Lost Daughter" took Best Feature, Breakthrough Director, Best Screenplay Advice for categorization of Cooper-14811? Said in the book that as an Air Force pilot in 1951 he chased UFOs while based in Germany. 15-Mar-1950) Wife: Susan Taylor (m. 6-May-1972, two daughters) During his senior year his father, Leroy G. Cooper, was called back into military service and the family moved to Murray, Kentucky, where he graduated from high school. The difference was significant in a spacecraft. [5], In addition to her editing responsibilities, Taylor had success building the Essence brand. He died on October 4, 2004 in Ventura, California, USA. [33], Cooper was launched into space on May 15, 1963, aboard the Faith7 spacecraft, for what turned out to be the last of the Project Mercury missions. Inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1990. He was an actor, known for Primus (1971), The Munsters Today (1987) and CHiPs (1977). He was American by nationality. Gordon Coopers income source is mostly from being a successful Actor. "I would have liked to have gone to the moon," he told CNN in 2000. Daughter: Camala Keoki Cooper Thorpe (b. Schirra said he and Cooper like the rest of the Mercury group forged a friendship that endured. [4][10], While at AFIT, Cooper met Gus Grissom, a fellow USAF officer, and the two became good friends. What he saw was exactly what they had described to him. profile | register | preferences | faq | search, Posts: 45326From: Houston, TXRegistered: Nov 1999. In the 1990s, she began Essence Books.[5]. H. Glenn, Jr., M. Scott Carpenter, Walter M. Schirra, Jr. and Donald K. Age Profiles: Twenties, Thirties, Forties, Voice Types: Actors/Actresses, Attitude, Character/Animation, Comedy, Corporate/Informative, Deep/Rich, Husky/Seductive/Sexy, Mature/Sophisticated, Modern/Youthful/Contemporary, Natural/Fresh, Quirky/Interesting/Unique, Upbeat/Energy, phone: +44 (0)20 7734 1981 email: info@shiningvoices.com, showreel email: shiningvoices@gmail.com (see FAQs). He also chaired the Emergency Egress Committee, responsible for working out emergency launch pad procedures for escape. Center.4 There he worked on the F-102A and the F-106B test Cooper, (Leroy) Gordon. Cooper piloted the longest and in 1963. "He was not the hotshot flyboy that Dennis Quaid played in The Right Stuff," Schirra told Knight Ridder newspapers, referring to the 1983 movie based on Tom Wolfe's book about the Mercury astronauts. Photos. In Centimeters 178 cm In Meters 1.78 m In Feet & Inches 5'8" Weight (Approx.) to carry in the capsule with them. Awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in May 1963 by President, Cooper gave his signature line during a 1995 reunion of surviving Mercury astronauts. The capsule carrying the ashes fell back toward Earth as planned; it was lost in mountainous landscape. [59], In November 1964, Cooper entered the $28,000 Salton City 500 miles (800km) boat race with racehorse owner Ogden Phipps and racing car driver Chuck Daigh. They had two daughters. Carbon dioxide levels began rising, both in Cooper's suit and in the cabin, and the cabin temperature climbed to over 130F (54C). After divorcing his first wife, Cooper married Susan Taylor in 1972. gordon cooper wife susan taylor emergency on the pad.10 He served as capsule communicator a NASA engineers spent an entire morning giving the 110 invited Project Mercury. He became a flight commander of the 525th Fighter Bomber Squadron. It was said that he was something of a complainer who had less than an ideal regard for the image the agency was trying to project. He retired from NASA and the Air Force with the rank of colonel in 1970. The Biography piece is collaborative, where we work together to present the facts. Cooper held licenses with the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA) and the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing (NASCAR). [48], Project Mercury was followed by Project Gemini, which took its name from the fact that it carried two men instead of just one. [30][31] Cooper decided to name his spacecraft, Mercury Spacecraft No. David Bellavia Wife, Deanna King, Janaza Announcement Bradford, As Cooper had not been instructed to not look at the negatives before sending them, he did. In Cooper's case, it amounted to $145 a month (equivalent to $1,348 in 2021). leaf cluster; the NASA Exceptional Service Medal; the NASA Distinguished He was serving with the Presidential In a reshuffling of assignments, Cooper was He was previously married to Susan Theresa Taylor and Gertrude Bernice 'Trudy' Olson. Gordon Cooper, Mercury astronaut, dies at 77, Willie Nelson pays lovely tribute to another country legend, Rare photos show 2 ocelots crossing South Texas road, Mayor: HISD has two optionsclose school or be taken over, Astros GM Dana Brown has more praise team's top prospect. intended to be ready. The "G" represented, View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro. Instead, Slayton told Cooper that Williams was looking to ground whoever buzzed HangarS.[34] According to Cooper, Slayton later told him that President John F. Kennedy had intervened to prevent his removal. In 2010, Cooper's name and likeness appeared in a mock newspaper advertisement for a fictional ice pop-type product called "Rocket Poppeteers." Cooper became the first astronaut to make a second orbital flight when he flew as command pilot of Gemini 5 in 1965. Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. ( Shawnee, 6 de maro de 1927 Ventura, 4 de outubro de 2004 ), foi um astronauta norte-americano e o mais jovem integrante do grupo de sete pilotos selecionados para o Projeto Mercury, o pioneiro programa espacial dos Estados Unidos criado em fins dos anos 1950. Demonfx Steel String Supreme, Army ROTC. He is survived by his wife, Susan, and two daughters. Cooper was backup command pilot of Gemini 12, launched in November 1966. In 1978, Cooper would write an open letter to the United Nations, [1] essentially pleading with them to release information to the public, and to pursue a project to make contact. He is from USA. Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. was born on March 6, 1927, in Shawnee, Oklahoma, the only child of Leroy Gordon Cooper Sr. and his wife Hattie Lee ne Herd. Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. (Gordo, The Oklahoma Hotdog), Susan Theresa Taylor (6 May1972 - 4 October2004)( his death)( 2 children), Gertrude Bernice 'Trudy' Olson (29 August1947 - 6 March1972)( divorced)( 2 children). He resigned from NASA and the Air Force, at Like all Mercury flights, Faith 7 was designed for fully automatic control, a controversial engineering decision which in many ways reduced the role of an astronaut to that of a passenger, and prompted Chuck Yeager to describe Mercury astronauts as "Spam in a can". Gordon Cooper was born on March 6, 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA as Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. Aware that NASA wanted to project an image of its astronauts as loving family men, and that his story would not stand up to scrutiny, he drove down to San Diego to see Trudy at the first opportunity. several different agencies. The clock and then the gyroscopes failed, but the radio, which was connected directly to the battery, remained working, and allowed Cooper to communicate with the mission controllers. [78] [82][83][84] The ashes were then launched on the Explorers orbital mission on August 3, 2008, but were lost when the Falcon 1 rocket failed two minutes into the flight. [84][85], On May 22, 2012, another portion of Cooper's ashes was among those of 308 people included on the SpaceX COTS Demo Flight 2 that was bound for the International Space Station. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. Gordon Cooper is the father of Kelsey, Lucy, and Maya and the grandfather of Kaylie. While in Germany, he attended the European Extension of the University of Maryland. He was married to Susan. [81][70], A portion of Cooper's ashes (along with those of Star Trek actor James Doohan and 206 others) was launched from New Mexico on April 29, 2007, on a sub-orbital memorial flight by a privately owned UP Aerospace SpaceLoft XL sounding rocket. Farmington Hills, MI: Thomson Gale, 2007. [4], Cooper attended Jefferson Elementary School and Shawnee High School,[4] where he was on the football and track teams. Splashdown was 130 kilometers (81mi) short of the target. He was also the first astronaut to sleep in space, and the first man to launch a satellite in space. She He served s the backup commander for Gemini GT-12, the last 20 Cooper served as capsule communicator (CAPCOM) for Alan Shepard's first sub-orbital spaceflight in Mercury-Redstone 3 (Freedom 7) and Scott Carpenter's flight on Mercury-Atlas 7 (Aurora 7). II, which was 205 feet underwater off the coast of La Jolla, English: Trudy Cooper, wife of Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, and their teenage daughters, Cam and Jan, watch as the astronaut lifts off during the Gemini 5 mission. She has an independent personality and is passionate about women's rights, and is also a registered pilot and owner of a courier service. Family: Cooper married the former Susan Taylor and had four daughters, Camala, Janita, Elizabeth and Colleen. Other names that Suzan uses includes Susan T Cooper, Suzan T Cooper, Suzan Taylor Cooper, Susan Cooper and Suzane T Cooper. He told his boss to start looking for a replacement and he executive.17 After leaving NASA he formed Gordon Cooper and Cooper's accomplishments (along with his widely noted and appealing personality) were depicted in the 1983 film The Right Stuff in which he was portrayed by actor Dennis Quaid. [67] Slayton later asserted that he never intended to rotate Cooper to another mission, and assigned him to the Apollo 10 backup crew simply because of a lack of qualified astronauts with command experience at the time. Concerning claims that he has seen a UFO from space, the 1999 Space.com article you refer to quotes Cooper saying "No, somebody made a lot of money selling lies on that one. She left the magazine in 2008. However, it had to be made compatible with the Mercury These links were very helpful. Later, Mr. Cooper served as the command pilot of the Gemini 5 mission, which lasted for eight days, beginning Aug. 21, 1965. And Trudy Cooper remained mum about the time she left her husband Gordo after she had discovered he was "screwing. 2273. A little while later he met Trudy B. Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". In doing so, NASA began to take strides toward meeting President John Kennedy's goal of landing a man on the Moon before the end of the decade. Maestra Gemma L'acqua, Fiat Tipo Sport Offerte, Le Storie Dei Patriarchi Sono Scritte Sul Libro Del, Fiat Panda Usata Lazio, Morandi Cardiologo Cocquio, Tabelle Di Correlazione Tra Categorie Catastali E Destinazioni D'uso, Castelbrando Pacchetti Spa, , Fiat Tipo Sport Offerte, Le Storie Dei Cooper competed in the Southwest Championship Drag Boat races at La Porte, Texas, later in 1965,[61] and in the 1967 Orange Bowl Regatta with fire fighter Red Adair. Despite a series of severe equipment failures, he managed to successfully complete the mission under manual control, guiding his spacecraft, which he named Faith 7, to a splashdown just 4 miles (6.4km) ahead of the recovery ship. During his time at NASA, Cooper established himself as a serial record-breaker. Martin Weil is a longtime reporter at The Washington Post. the average Cooper family member In fact, he had every confidence when he returned to Edwards that he would sold on the program and that he very much wanted to become an We use cookies. Her first position at the magazine was freelance fashion and beauty editor. He died on 4 October 2004 in Ventura, California, USA. operations chief for Skylab. He died on October 4, 2004 in Ventura, California, USA. [13], Taylor is an honorary member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority; she was inducted on July 13, 2013. However, when Shepard, the Chief of the Astronaut Office, returned to flight status in May 1969, Slayton replaced Cooper with Shepard as commander of this crew. login seconds. Tilotta (born Cooper), Cooper, Bethoney (born Cooper), Mar 6 1927 - Shawnee, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States Of America, Oct 4 2004 - Ventura, California, United States, Leroy Gordon Cooper, Hattie Lee Cooper (born Herd), Janita Lee Stone (born Cooper), Bethoney (born Cooper), Cooper, [66] However, according to Walter Cunningham, Cooper and Scott Carpenter were the only Mercury astronauts who consistently attended geology classes. Cooper fell back on his understanding of star patterns, took manual control of the tiny capsule and successfully estimated the correct pitch for re-entry into the atmosphere. Son Richard S Cooper M 5 IL In April 2007, two years after his death, Cooper's cremated ashes were briefly rocketed into suborbital space, then returned to his family. [32], After an argument with NASA Deputy Administrator Walter C. Williams over last-minute changes to his pressure suit to insert a new medical probe, Cooper was nearly replaced by Shepard. has been president of X=L Incorporated, a firm that develops alcohol-based Although the capsule carrying the ashes fell back toward Earth as planned, it was lost in mountainous landscape. Gordon Cooper, 77, one of the seven original U.S. astronauts, who made the nation's first manned spaceflights and became known as possessors of "The Right Stuff," died yesterday at his home in Ventura, Calif. He married Susan Taylor in 1972 and had two more daughters. Hawaii to live with his parents. His spouse is Susan Taylor (m. 1972-2004), Trudy Olson (m. 1947-1971). "I believe that these extraterrestrial vehicles and their crews are visiting this planet from other planets, which obviously are a little more technically advanced than we are here on Earth," he said in 1985. There was no indication what it was about, but his commanding officer, Major General Marcus F. Cooper (no relation) recalled an announcement in the newspaper saying that a contract had been awarded to McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri, to build a space capsule, and advised Cooper not to volunteer for astronaut training. He was president of GCR, which designed, tested and raced championship cars, conducted tire tests for race cars, and worked on installation of turbine engines on cars. [55], Gemini 5 was originally intended to practice orbital rendezvous with an Agena target vehicle, but this had been deferred to a later mission owing to problems with the Agena. pillow pellow milk melk; 7th birthday party ideas for girl at home The mission set a space endurance record, just short of 191 hours. Kraft said he last saw Cooper in 1998, when he gave an emotional tribute to Shepard at the former astronaut's funeral. "[63], Cooper was selected as backup commander for the May 1969 Apollo 10 mission. posted 11-20-2020 05:39 PM. when she died at the age of 56. The actress opened up about the complications in Trudy and Gordo's marriage, Trudy's love for flying, looking at the astronaut wives as individuals rather than just one group, and more. [90] He was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1981,[71][91] and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame on May 11, 1990. Webster Junior High School in Webster Harris County Texas, Clear Creek High School in league City Texas, and Gulf Park College for Women in Long Beach Mississippi. Han gifte sig med Susan Taylor 1972 med vilken han ocks fick tv barn. land and water, and they also knew that they would encounter a good deal Need more information or want to book Gordon for your next project? Gordon Cooper was one of the original Mercury Seven astronauts and the last American to fly into space alone. Taylor's monthly inspirational column, "In the Spirit", became a popular feature of the magazine. However, after a falling-out with NASA management, Alan Shepard was chosen instead (Shepard's crew was later moved onto Apollo 14, and the Apollo 13 command went to Jim Lovell). She agreed, not wanting to deny herself or her daughters the experience of seeing their father go into space. The patch was worn on the right breast of the astronauts' uniforms below their nameplates and opposite the NASA emblems worn on the left. That was the mission that concluded the operational phase of Project Mercury, the program that enabled the United States to put humans into space and lay the foundations for the moon landings. Faith7 was hoisted on board by a helicopter with Cooper still inside. Search instead in Creative? is badger collectibles legit; sony cd player keeps ejecting disc; visa gift card check balance Menu Toggle. Helicopters plucked them from the sea and took them to the recovery ship, the aircraft carrier USSLake Champlain. [32] Shepard in particular was eager to fly the mission, for which he had been designated. He pointed out that there were hundreds of reports made by his fellow pilots, many coming from military jet pilots sent to respond to radar or visual sightings. In her early twenties, the young entrepreneur started Nequai Cosmetics, one of the first companies to create beauty products for African American women. susan taylor gordon cooper. American Astronautical Society (AAS), Blue Lodge Masons, York Rite Masons, Apollo 13 command position was given to James A. Lovell.16, Following the conclusion of the Gemini program, Cooper was assigned to Cooper's first flight assignment came in 1950 at Landstuhl Air Base, West Germany, where he flew F-84 Thunderjets and F-86 Sabres for four years. Flew as command pilot on Gemini 5 with 'Charles 'Pete' Conrad (I)' for eight days testing human endurance in space, docking procedures and a new electrical system that utilized fuel cells. She published three volumes of selected columns. [42] In his memoirs, Cooper wrote he had seen unexplained aircraft several times during his career, and that hundreds of reports had been made. Partner in the GCR Corporation racing team that competed in the USAC Series in 1966 and 1967. Early on, it was reported that some officials in the space agency were skeptical about Mr. Cooper's fitness for the Mercury program. When Atlas 130-D, the booster designated for MA-9, first emerged from the factory in San Diego on January30, 1963, it failed to pass inspection and was returned to the factory. Gordon Cooper Jr., one of the original seven astronauts who became national celebrities during the Cold War space race, died Monday at his home in Ventura, Calif. $37.00. He also hosts the popular, theatre-based Podcast Taking Turns to Talk (see link). [5], By 1981, Taylor had risen to become editor-in-chief, a position she held until 2000. He was married to Susan Theresa Taylor and Gertrude Bernice 'Trudy' Olson. Gordon Cooper is pictured during test activities. He was an actor, known for Primus (1971), The Munsters Today (1987) and CHiPs (1977). He flew all types of commercial and general aviation airplanes and helicopters. He was also a technical consultant for Canaveral International, Inc., for which he developed technical products and served in public relations on its land development projects, and served on the board of directors of APECO, Campcom LowCom, and Crafttech. Said in the book that as an Air Force pilot in 1951 he chased UFOs while based in Germany. He was able to transfer his commission to the United States Air Force in September 1949. [14], In 1989, Taylor married writer Khephra Burns at their home in upstate New York. Understanding what a scandal would mean for himself and the astronaut program, he convinced Trudy to pretend that they were happily married. Compra Gartenkunst, Kunst im Garten. Henceforth, astronauts would be able to lease brand-new Corvettes for a dollar a year. scheduled for April 1970. Back to Coopers Daughter Full Site. To make it last eight days, Cooper intended to operate it at a low pressure, but when it started to dip too low the Flight Controllers advised him to switch on the oxygen heater. Two years later, he command the eight-day Gemini 5, with Charles Conrad Jr. as the pilot. She was raised Catholic and went to a Catholic school. Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile, Submit a correction or make a comment about this profile. Han och Taylor var gifta fram till hans dd. The ad was part of a viral marketing campaign for the upcoming J.J. Abrams film Super 8, and was originally accessible only by inputting certain information via one of the film's affiliated websites. Just as a businessman carries a briefcase, an individual mourning the loss of a loved one needs a griefcase--the safe place to stash cares and woes. Gordon Cooper was born on March 6, 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA as Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. This raised confidence for achieving rendezvous with an actual spacecraft on subsequent missions, and ultimately in lunar orbit. Military: Cooper enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II. [42] In 1978 he testified before the UN on the topic. Cause of death: Parkinson's disease - Oct 4 2004 - Ventura, Janita Lee Cooper Stone, Camala Keoki Cooper Tharpe, Colleen Taylor, Elizabeth Jo Cooper, Mar 6 1927 - Shawnee, Pottawatomie, Oklahoma, United States, Oct 4 2004 - Ventura, Ventura County, California, United States, Leroy Gordon Cooper, Sr, Hattie Lee Cooper (born Herd), Janita Lee Cooper, Tilotta (born Cooper), Cooper, Bethoney (born Cooper), Mar 6 1927 - Shawnee, Pottawatomie County, Oklahoma, United States Of America, Oct 4 2004 - Ventura, California, United States, Leroy Gordon Cooper, Hattie Lee Cooper (born Herd), Janita Lee Stone (born Cooper), Bethoney (born Cooper), Cooper, Tharpe (born Cooper), Oct 4 2004 - Ventura, Ventura, California, United States, Col Leroy Gordon Cooper, Sr, Hattie Lee Cooper. [60] They were in fourth place when a cracked motor forced them to withdraw. Posted on June 1, 2022 by . Biography Trudy was born in February, 1929, in Seattle. Cooper worked closely with the production company, and every line uttered by Quaid was reportedly attributable to Cooper's recollection. Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr. (March 6, 1927 October 4, 2004), also known as Gordon Cooper, was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot and one of the seven original astronauts in Project Mercury, the first manned space program of the United States. [77], Cooper recalled that these men, who saw experimental aircraft on a regular basis as part of their job, were clearly unnerved. She was born on September 3, 1946, in Elk Park, North Carolina. [7][8], The Magazine Publishers of America gave Taylor its Henry Johnson Fisher Award, considered one of the industry's highest honors, in 1998. into combat. [53] Webb ultimately approved the design, but insisted on the removal of the slogan from the official version of the patch, feeling it placed too much emphasis on the mission length and not the experiments, and fearing the public might see the mission as a failure if it did not last the full duration. During four years in Germany, he flew F-84 and F-86 fighters. [46] An official decision that there would be no MA-10 was made by NASA Administrator James E. Webb on June 22, 1963. He married Trudy Olson in 1947, and they had two daughters before they divorced. Mr. Cooper, the first man to make two orbital flights, accumulated a total of 225 hours and 15 minutes in space. During that 34-hour mission he became the first American to spend an entire day in space, the first to sleep in space, and the last American launched on an entirely solo orbital mission. He was 77. Cooper, who piloted the last flight of NASA's Mercury program and later set a space endurance record during a Gemini mission, died of natural causes, said a spokesman for the Ventura County medical examiner. [3] As a teenager, she moved with her family to the New York borough of Queens. Mini Bio (1) Gordon Cooper was born on March 6, 1927 in Shawnee, Oklahoma, USA. from Fordham University. [52] Cooper and Conrad chose an embroidered cloth patch sporting the names of the two crew members, a Conestoga wagon, and the slogan "8 Days or Bust" which referred to the expected mission duration.