October 04

Gordon Cooper joined the U.S. Air Force and flew combat missions in Korea before becoming a test pilot. In 1959, he was selected as one of NASA's first seven astronauts under Project Mercury. He commanded the Faith 7 mission in 1963, becoming the first American to sleep in space and completing a record 22 Earth orbits. Later, he piloted Gemini 5 in 1965, setting a new space endurance record along with fellow astronaut Pete Conrad. After leaving NASA, Cooper worked as an aerospace consultant and participated in public speaking on space exploration. He was honored with the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal and continued to advocate for human spaceflight until his death in 2004.