The month of April is busy for those interested in
space history. Not only did the first spaceflight in human history occur in
this month, but the first launch of the space shuttle also lifted off.
Additionally, the Apollo 13 accident and the Apollo 16 Moon landing occurred. Even with all of that history, this month clearly belongs to one
astronaut, and he also happens to be the greatest in history. Well, according to me.
John W. Young (I didn't leave you hanging for long) is the ultimate American astronaut, and
he practically owns the month of April in space history. Two of his six
missions, Apollo 16 and STS-1, launched during April. Although these are his
most famous missions, his legacy extends far beyond those flights.
John Young's 1986 NASA portrait. (Credit: NASA)
Captain Young graduated from the Georgia Institute of
Technology in 1952 earning a degree in aeronautical engineering with highest
honors. After graduation, he entered the U.S. Navy and eventually began flight
training. By 1959, he had graduated from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School, which
allowed him to test the F-8 Crusader and the F-4 Phantom. Young set
time-to-climb records in the Phantom before entering NASA.
In 1962, John Young was selected as an astronaut.
Three years later Young joined Gus Grissom for the Gemini 3 mission, which was
to test the crewed Gemini capsule in space. Later in the Gemini program, Young
would become the Commander of Gemini 10 with pilot Mike Collins. This mission
tested rendezvous and docking procedures along with an EVA by his pilot. These
missions honed the spaceflight skills he would need during Project Apollo and
beyond.
John Young in the Gemini flight suit. (Credit: NASA)
John Young’s first Apollo mission came with the lunar
landing dress rehearsal of Apollo 10. For this important test, Captain Young
served as the command module pilot while Tom Stafford and Gene Cernan flew the
lunar module around the Moon. Years later, his chance to land on the Moon would
come during his command of Apollo 16. Ken Mattingly and Charlie Duke would join
him, with Duke helping land the Lunar Module Orion. Their mission explored the Descartes Highlands, where the
lunar explorers gathered over 200 pounds of rocks and drove over 16 miles with
a lunar rover. Nearly two years after returning from the Moon, Young became the
Chief of the Astronaut Office—serving in that position until 1987.
Young's famous flag salute on Apollo 16. (Credit: NASA)
However, going into administrative duties didn’t
ground Young. In 1981, he took command of the world’s greatest test flight with
STS-1. He flew Space Shuttle Columbia along with Pilot Bob Crippen to a picture-perfect
landing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Flying Columbia on that very
first mission was one of the riskiest flights in spaceflight history because
the vehicle had not been partially tested in space before a crew was placed aboard. John Young’s legendary career would come to a close with STS-9—his
sixth spaceflight. Space would put Young to the test on that mission. Just before
reentry, two general purpose computers on Columbia failed. After that problem
was resolved, two auxiliary power units caught fire during landing. With all of
these issues, Young still guided Columbia home.
Young would go on to serve in administrative roles at
NASA during the 1990s before retiring in 2004. Throughout Captain Young’s
career he pushed the boundaries of space exploration proving his skills as a
commander and pilot time after time. His famous Southern drawl and quiet demeanor
served as a cornerstone for the NASA Astronaut Office through many years. John Young has
and will continue to inspire countless others to continue his legacy of exploration
to objects far beyond the Moon. He may not be a household name in America or
around the world like Neil Armstrong or John Glenn—but he should be.
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Sources:
“Into the Black: The Extraordinary Untold Story of the
First Flight of the Space Shuttle Columbia and the Astronauts Who Flew Her.” By
Rowland White
