Gordon Cooper, 77, Astronaut
This article is from the archive of The New York Sun before the launch of its new website in 2022. The Sun has neither altered nor updated such articles but will seek to correct any errors, mis-categorizations or other problems introduced during transfer.
Gordon Cooper, one of the original Mercury astronauts who were pioneers in human space exploration, has died. He was 77.
Cooper died yesterday at his home in Ventura, Calif., NASA officials said in a statement.
“As one of the original seven Mercury astronauts, Gordon Cooper was one of the faces of America’s fledgling space program,” said NASA Administrator Sean O’Keefe. “He truly portrayed the right stuff, and he helped gain the backing and enthusiasm of the American public, so critical for the spirit of exploration. My thoughts and prayers are with Gordon’s family during this difficult time.”
Cooper piloted the final flight of the Mercury program, America’s first manned spaceflight program that had the primary goal of putting a man in orbit around Earth.
Born March 6, 1927, in Shawnee, Okla., Cooper was selected as a Mercury astronaut in April 1959.
The astronauts became heroes in the space race between America and the Soviet Union.
