GORDON COOPER
Name: Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr.
Born: 6 March 1927 Shawnee, Oklahoma
Died: 4 October 2004 Ventura, California
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., also noted as Gordo Cooper, (6 March 1927 - 4 October
2004) was an American astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts
in Project Mercury, the first manned-space effort by the United States.
Cooper was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He grew up there and in Murray, Kentucky
where he attended public schools. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and
achieved the second highest rank of Life Scout. Cooper served in the Marine
Corps in 1945 and 1946, then received an Army commission after completing three
years of coursework at the University of Hawaii. Cooper met his first wife Trudy
(the only wife of a Mercury astronaut with a private pilot's license) while in
Hawaii and they married in 1947. Cooper transferred his commission to the Air
Force in 1949, was placed on active duty and received flight training at Perrin
AFB, Texas and Williams AFB, Arizona.
Cooper's first flight assignment came in 1950 at Landstuhl, West Germany where
he flew F-84 Thunderjets and F-86 Sabres for four years. While in Germany he
also attended the European Extension of the University of Maryland. Returning to
the United States, he studied for two years at the Air Force Institute of
Technology in Ohio and in 1957 completed his bachelor's degree in aerospace
engineering. Cooper was then assigned to the Experimental Flight Test School at
Edwards Air Force Base in California and after graduation was posted to the
Flight Test Engineering Division at Edwards where he served as a test pilot and
project manager testing the F-102A and F-106B.[1] Cooper logged more than 7,000
hours of flight time, with 4,000 hours in jet aircraft. He flew all types of
commercial and general aviation airplanes and helicopters.
While at Edwards Cooper was intrigued to read an announcement saying a contract
had been awarded to McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri to build a space
capsule. Shortly after this he was called to Washington, D.C. for a NASA
briefing on Project Mercury and the part astronauts would play in it. Cooper
went through the selection process with the other 109 pilots and was not
surprised when he was accepted as one of the first seven American astronauts.
Name: Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr.
Born: 6 March 1927 Shawnee, Oklahoma
Died: 4 October 2004 Ventura, California
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr., also noted as Gordo Cooper, (6 March 1927 - 4 October
2004) was an American astronaut. Cooper was one of the seven original astronauts
in Project Mercury, the first manned-space effort by the United States.
Cooper was born in Shawnee, Oklahoma. He grew up there and in Murray, Kentucky
where he attended public schools. He was active in the Boy Scouts of America and
achieved the second highest rank of Life Scout. Cooper served in the Marine
Corps in 1945 and 1946, then received an Army commission after completing three
years of coursework at the University of Hawaii. Cooper met his first wife Trudy
(the only wife of a Mercury astronaut with a private pilot's license) while in
Hawaii and they married in 1947. Cooper transferred his commission to the Air
Force in 1949, was placed on active duty and received flight training at Perrin
AFB, Texas and Williams AFB, Arizona.
Cooper's first flight assignment came in 1950 at Landstuhl, West Germany where
he flew F-84 Thunderjets and F-86 Sabres for four years. While in Germany he
also attended the European Extension of the University of Maryland. Returning to
the United States, he studied for two years at the Air Force Institute of
Technology in Ohio and in 1957 completed his bachelor's degree in aerospace
engineering. Cooper was then assigned to the Experimental Flight Test School at
Edwards Air Force Base in California and after graduation was posted to the
Flight Test Engineering Division at Edwards where he served as a test pilot and
project manager testing the F-102A and F-106B.[1] Cooper logged more than 7,000
hours of flight time, with 4,000 hours in jet aircraft. He flew all types of
commercial and general aviation airplanes and helicopters.
While at Edwards Cooper was intrigued to read an announcement saying a contract
had been awarded to McDonnell Aircraft in St. Louis, Missouri to build a space
capsule. Shortly after this he was called to Washington, D.C. for a NASA
briefing on Project Mercury and the part astronauts would play in it. Cooper
went through the selection process with the other 109 pilots and was not
surprised when he was accepted as one of the first seven American astronauts.