Frank Frederick Borman NASA astronaut Date of Birth: 14.03.1928 Country: USA

Biography of Frank Frederic Borman

Frank Frederic Borman is a former astronaut of NASA. He was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. In 1946, he graduated from high school in his hometown. Borman went on to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point and graduated in 1950. He then pursued a master's degree in aeronautical engineering at the California Institute of Technology, which he completed in 1957.

After obtaining his degree, Borman remained in the military and became a professor of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics at the United States Military Academy. In 1969, he left the military and joined Eastern Airlines as a consultant. Within a year, he was promoted to Vice President of Operations and later became the Executive Vice President and General Manager of Production. In 1975, Borman was elected as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Eastern Airlines. He held various positions in the company, including Chairman of the Board, until he left in 1986.

In 1986, Borman became the Vice Chairman and Director of Texas Air Corp. He also served as a marketing consultant for Aerospatiale General Aviation in Texas and as the Chief Executive Officer of Patlex Corp. in California. Throughout his career, Borman held several military ranks, including Second Lieutenant, First Lieutenant, Captain, and Major in the United States Air Force. He retired as a Colonel in July 1970.

Borman joined NASA in September 1962 as part of the second group of astronauts. He specialized in rocketry and emergency escape systems. Borman worked closely with Werner Von Braun on the development of an emergency detection system for spacecraft. He also trained as a pilot and instructor at the Aerospace Research Pilot School. Borman piloted his first space mission, Gemini 7, from December 4 to 18, 1965. This mission set a record for the longest duration in space, lasting 13 days, 18 hours, 35 minutes, and 1 second.

Borman was later assigned to the Apollo program and was set to command the third manned mission. However, after the Apollo 1 incident, which resulted in the deaths of three astronauts, all flights were temporarily suspended. When the missions resumed, Borman was initially assigned to Apollo 9 but eventually swapped places with James Lovell and became the commander of Apollo 8. This mission became the first to orbit the Moon, and Borman and his crew spent a total of 6 days, 3 hours, 42 minutes, and 42 seconds in space.

Borman retired from NASA in July 1970. He had accumulated approximately 6,000 hours of flight time throughout his career. In 1988, he co-authored an autobiography titled "Countdown: An Autobiography of Frank Borman" with Robert J. Serling. Borman received numerous awards and honors, including the Air Force Distinguished Flying Cross, the Congressional Space Medal of Honor, the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, and the NASA Exceptional Service Medal.

Borman is married to Susan Bugbee, and they have two sons named Frederick Pierce and Edwin Sloan. In addition to his passion for space and aviation, Borman enjoys playing American football, hunting, water skiing, handball, jogging, weightlifting, and hiking. He also has an interest in country music and reading.