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Author Topic: Another Hero Gone  (Read 1579 times)

Offline Dan McEntee

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Another Hero Gone
« on: January 06, 2018, 03:28:25 PM »
   I just read that astronaut John Young has passed away today. Another hero of mine has gone on to his reward. He definitely fit the mold and description of a man with "The Right Stuff." Navy test pilot, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle program veteran, six space flights with three separate programs, and looked on as our most experienced astronaut. He was 87 years old.
   God Speed John Young,
    Dan McEntee
   
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Offline Brett Buck

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Re: Another Hero Gone
« Reply #1 on: January 06, 2018, 03:52:11 PM »
   I just read that astronaut John Young has passed away today. Another hero of mine has gone on to his reward. He definitely fit the mold and description of a man with "The Right Stuff." Navy test pilot, Gemini, Apollo, and Space Shuttle program veteran, six space flights with three separate programs, and looked on as our most experienced astronaut. He was 87 years old.

     By far the most experienced and respected astronaut, and just missed flying in every manned US spacecraft with a tentative schedule for the very last Mercury flight before the program was terminated early after it was clear that long-duration flights were going to have a lot of problems with reliability. He also just missed flying back-to-back moon flights when Gene Cernan crashed a helicopter showing off before Apollo 17, they seriously considered replacing him with the backup - John Young, who had just gotten back from Apollo 16 and had taken the otherwise dead-end Apollo 17 backup slot that originally went to Dave Scott (who was removed after the stamp incident).  As it happened, Cernan went anyway.

     He got in trouble with NASA after the Challenger incident and the semi-whitewash they attempted - mostly unsuccessfully due to the efforts of several people, Richard Feynman and Roger Boisjoly in particular. In Boisjoly's case, Thiokol was ordered not to punish him for candor - so they "promoted" him to the head of Quality Assurance - which is the ultimate dead-end job in engineering, and gave him next to no power to do anything. Young was unofficially "grounded". There was nothing they could do to Feynman. 

      I was introduced once to John Young and rode in an elevator with him in Houston. He reminded me at the time of my dad - a tiny, wiry, old guy.

    Not many of these guys left - the Gemini/Apollo groups were all my heros as a boy, Mercury being a little before my time.

      Brett

Offline Ted Fancher

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Re: Another Hero Gone
« Reply #2 on: January 06, 2018, 04:59:54 PM »
Standing by history, Brett.  Doesn't get much better than that.

Ted

Offline Tim Chenevert

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Re: Another Hero Gone
« Reply #3 on: January 06, 2018, 06:49:35 PM »
I remember the whole space race to the moon! What a time it was to be an American. During the Apollo missions, my brother worked at NASA at the Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. We got to tour the facility and I was able to see the Saturn V booster up close! It saddens me that we have lost another hero. These guys flew Mercury into space and used Gemini to practice their duration, EVA’s and docking maneuvers which lead to the Apollo program which brought us to the moon. What really amazed me is the fact that the Wright Brothers achieved flight at Kitty Hawk in 1903? And we landed on the moon in July 1969! That is an achievement! Sorry for the ramble, Tim
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Offline wwwarbird

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Re: Another Hero Gone
« Reply #4 on: January 06, 2018, 08:56:38 PM »
 I caught this notice in a news headline earlier today. I know practically zero about specifics of our early space programs but at the same time still have a huge appreciation and respect for the history along with all involved in the accomplishments that were made. Godspeed Mr. Young, a true and proven American Hero.   
Narrowly averting disaster since 1964! 

Wayne Willey
Albert Lea, MN U.S.A. IC C/L Aircraft Modeler, Ex AMA member

Offline Brett Buck

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Re: Another Hero Gone
« Reply #5 on: January 06, 2018, 09:07:30 PM »
I caught this notice in a news headline earlier today. I know practically zero about specifics of our early space programs but at the same time still have a huge appreciation and respect for the history along with all involved in the accomplishments that were made. Godspeed Mr. Young, a true and proven American Hero.   

    A hero, and also, be brought a corned beef sandwich along on Gemini 3, reportedly at the behest of Wally Schirra.

     Brett

Offline Steve Fitton

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Re: Another Hero Gone
« Reply #6 on: January 07, 2018, 04:55:10 AM »
Not old enough to remember Young from the Apollo days, but I remember him from commanding STS-1 when I was in 7th grade.  He lived in a time in our history when great things could (and did) happen.
Steve

Offline Brett Buck

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Re: Another Hero Gone
« Reply #7 on: January 07, 2018, 01:09:50 PM »
Standing by history, Brett.  Doesn't get much better than that.

    I consider myself to be somewhat blessed in regard to being the right places at the right times, most of which I can't say much about.

     Brett


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