John Watts Young US astronaut Date of Birth: 24.09.1930 Country: USA

Content:

1. Early Life and Education
2. Military Service and Flight Training
3. NASA Career
4. Apollo Program (1969-1972)
5. Space Shuttle Program (1981-1983)
6. Leadership Roles (1974-1996)
7. Retirement and Legacy
8. First member of NASA's astronaut corps to fly in space five times

Early Life and Education

John Watts Young, born on September 24, 1930, in Orlando, Florida, graduated high school and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering with honors from the Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952.

Military Service and Flight Training

After graduating, Young joined the U.S. Navy and was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center. He became a Navy test pilot in 1959.

NASA Career

Gemini Program (1962-1966)

Young was selected as an astronaut in 1962. He made his first spaceflight on March 23, 1965, as a pilot on the Gemini 3 mission. He later commanded Gemini 10 (1966).

Apollo Program (1969-1972)

Young was the Command Module Pilot of Apollo 10 (1969), the final lunar module test before the Apollo 11 mission that landed on the Moon. In 1972, he commanded Apollo 16, becoming the ninth astronaut to walk on the Moon.

Space Shuttle Program (1981-1983)

Young commanded the first Space Shuttle mission, STS-1 (1981), aboard the Columbia. He later commanded STS-9 (1983) with the first German astronaut, Ulf Merbold.

Leadership Roles (1974-1996)

From 1974 to 1987, Young served as Chief of the Astronaut Office. He then became Deputy Director of the Johnson Space Center (1987-1996) and later the center's Technical Director (1996-2004).

Retirement and Legacy

After 42 years at NASA, Young retired in 2004. He had logged over 15,100 flight hours and has been recognized for numerous achievements, including:

First member of NASA's astronaut corps to fly in space five times

First member of NASA's astronaut corps to fly in space six times
First astronaut to command both a Gemini and Apollo mission
First astronaut to command a Space Shuttle mission
Ninth astronaut to walk on the Moon

Cosmos

Benjamin Alvin Drew	Tyler Hague	Tom Stafford
Catherine Coleman	Andry Allen	Harrison Schmitt