Former NASA astronaut, James McDivittwho commanded the Gemini IV and Apollo 9 missionsdied on October 13 at the age of 93, leaving an unforgettable space legacy.
McDivitt, a native of Chicago, passed away peacefully in his sleep surrounded by family and friends in Tucson, Arizona, perhaps remembering all that he experienced as an astronomer.
He was born on June 10, 1929. His first studies were at Kalamazoo Central High School in Michigan before receiving a Bachelor of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Michigan, graduating at the top of his class in 1959.
Before coming to NASA, he joined the Air Force in 1951 and retired with the rank of Brigadier General. He flew 145 combat missions during the Korean War in F-80 and F-86 aircraft and is a graduate of the US Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School and the Air Force Aerospace Research Pilot course. .
After serving as an experimental test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, California and achieving more than 5,000 flight hours during his piloting career, NASA knocked on his door.
Destined to go to space
McDivitt was selected as an astronaut by NASA in September 1962 as part of the space agency’s second class of astronauts.
He first flew into space as commander of the Gemini IV mission in June 1965 and was on the program’s most ambitious flight to date..
The mission’s four-day duration nearly doubled NASA astronauts’ previous time in space up to that point and the longest US spaceflight was previously the 34-hour Mercury 9 mission.
McDivitt’s second spaceflight as commander was in apollo 9, a mission in which he played a key role in landing the first humans on the Moon. This was the first flight of the complete Apollo hardware suite and was the first flight of the Lunar Module.
The mission launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on March 3, 1969, with Commander McDivitt, Command Module Pilot David Scott, and Lunar Module Pilot Russell Schweickart. After launch, Apollo 9 entered Earth orbit and the crew performed an engineering test of the first manned lunar module, dubbed “Spider,” from start to finish.
Apollo 9 was key to the simulation of maneuvers that would be carried out during the actual lunar missions. The astronauts on board performed flight tasks and their highest priority was the rendezvous and docking of the lunar module with the command and service module.
Retirement from the Air Force
After Apollo 9, James McDivitt became lunar landing operations manager and led a team that planned the lunar exploration program and redesigned the spacecraft to accomplish this task.
In August 1969, he became manager of the Apollo Spacecraft Program, directing the program through Apollo 12, 13, 14, 15 and 16. McDivitt retired from the US Air Force and left NASA in June 1972 to serve as executive vice president of corporate affairs for Consumers Power Company, one of many positions he held following his space adventure.
To say that he left a mark and a space legacy is an understatement, that is why we leave the list of awards and recognitions he received during his career.
- Two NASA Distinguished Service Medals.
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal.
- Two Air Force Distinguished Service Medals.
- Four Distinguished Flying Crosses.
- Five Air Medals and Air Force Astronaut Wings
- Chong Moo Medal of South Korea.
- Air Force Systems Command Aerospace Primus Award
- Arnold Air Society JFK Trophy
- Loyola’s Sword
- Michigan Wolverine Frontiersman Award.
Have a safe trip, Commander McDivitt.