Dick Gordon, an astronaut who helped pilot the Apollo 12 mission to the moon in 1969, has passed away. He was 88 years old.
“NASA and the nation have lost one of our early space pioneers. We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of Gemini and Apollo astronaut Richard Gordon, a hero from NASA‘s third class of astronauts,” NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot said in a statement.
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Gordon is one of only 24 people that have ever made it to the moon. Before deciding on becoming an astronaut, Gordon had dreams of becoming either a priest or a professional baseball player. His ambitions changed upon entering Navy flight school.
“Once I found out what that airplane could do for me or I could do forit, it was love at first sight,” he said, according to the New York Post.
In a 1999 interview, Gordon said that going to the moon felt like he and the other Apollo astronauts felt like they had discovered planet Earth.
“From 240,000 miles away, it’s very beautiful…a very delicate planet sitting out there in the blackest — it’s the blackest black you’ll ever see! It’s just devoid of any color whatsoever. And it’s been described like a Christmas tree ornament hanging out there. You can’t see how it’s suspended or anything. It’s — philosophically you could emote about it, I’m sure, for quite some time. But it is a startling picture to look at the Earth coming back from being around the moon,” he said, according to NBC.
Gordon is survived by six children and two stepchildren.
