“True American Hero” Frank Borman, a NASA astronaut who oversaw the first lunar orbit, passed away at the age of 95

"True American Hero" Frank Borman, a NASA astronaut who oversaw the first lunar orbit, passed away at the age of 95
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At the age of 95, Frank Borman, a former NASA astronaut who commandeered Apollo 8 to the moon, passed away.

NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a statement released on NASA’s website on Thursday that Borman passed away in Billings, Montana, on November 7. He praised the space travel pioneer for his achievements and called him “one of NASA’s best.”

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Nelson proclaimed, “Astronaut Frank Borman was a true American hero.” “One of his many achievements was leading the Apollo 8 mission, which was the first mission by humans around the Moon, in 1968.”

He continued, saying that his love for his wife Susan was the only thing that could top his lifelong passion for travel and aviation.

As per his biography on NASA’s official website, Borman was born in Gary, Indiana, raised in Tucson, Arizona, and fell in love with aviation at the age of fifteen. In 1950, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and in 1957, he received a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the California Institute of Technology.

His professional career started out as an officer in the United States Air Force. He used his abilities in a variety of capacities there, such as fighter pilot, operational pilot, instructor, experimental test pilot, and assistant professor of fluid mechanics and thermodynamics at West Point. After completing his work with the Air Force, he was eventually hired by NASA.

In his statement, Nelson said, “His extraordinary experience and expertise led NASA to select him to join the second group of astronauts.”

As part of the 1965 project Gemini 7, Borman accomplished the “first rendezvous in space, coming just a few feet of the Gemini 6 spacecraft” and spent “14 days in low-Earth orbit,” according to Nelson.

Two years later, Borman participated in the Apollo 204 Fire Investigation Board, helping to determine what started the fire that resulted in the deaths of three astronauts on board an Apollo spacecraft. In due course, he rose to the position of Apollo Program Resident Manager, led the Apollo spacecraft re-engineering team, and was NASA’s Space Station Task Force’s Field Director.

The US President awarded Borman the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in recognition of his achievements with NASA. In addition, he received the Hubbard Medal from the National Geographic Society, the Tony Jannus Award, the Robert J. Collier Trophy, and the Harmon International Aviation Trophy. He was admitted into the International Aerospace Hall of Fame in 1990, along with two other astronauts from the Apollo 8 mission. He was also inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame three years later.

After leaving the Air Force in 1970, Borman took his aviation expertise to Eastern Airlines, where he started as an advisor in 1969, worked his way up to CEO in 1975, and was appointed chairman of the board the following year. In the end, he left the airline in 1986.

Nelson stated, “When Frank said, ‘Exploration is really the essence of the human spirit,’ he knew the power exploration held in uniting humanity.” “The Artemis Generation will surely be fueled by his service to NASA and our country to reach new cosmic shores.”

Frederick and Edwin, his two sons, and his wife Susan survive him.

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