In memory of astronaut Frank Borman, a pioneer of the space age

The world lost a pioneering space age astronaut when Frank Bowman, commander of Apollo 8, the historic first manned mission to the moon, passed away in Montana last week. At 95 years old, Bowman is the oldest living astronaut, and his legacy now goes to Apollo 8 command module pilot James Lovell, also 95.

Born March 14, 1928 in Gary, Indiana, Bowman was an only child who suffered from sinus infections in Indiana’s relentlessly cold and humid climate. This forced his parents to move to warmer Tucson, Arizona, where Bowman learned to fly airplanes at the age of 15. His passion for flying led Bowman to several jobs, including fighter pilot, experimental test pilot, and assistant professor of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics at Western University. Point Military Academy.

record with gemini 7

Around that time, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) completed its Mercury program, which sends astronauts into space, and recruited candidates for its Gemini program, which aims to understand maneuverability and spacewalks in Earth orbit. I was there. The agency noted Bowman’s experience and expertise and selected him for the second group of astronauts. Thus, in 1962, Bowman became one of the so-called “New Nine” Gemini astronauts, which included, among others, LaBelle Armstrong and Neil Armstrong.

In December 1965, Bowman and Lovell made their space debut on Gemini 7. This cramped capsule, smaller than the back seat of an autorickshaw, further increased the fatigue of the astronaut, who spent his two weeks in orbit around the Earth. This was a record at the time. The longest manned spaceflight. Bowman, piloting Gemini 7, also successfully docked with Gemini 6, piloted by Wally Schirra and Thomas P. Stafford, a key maneuver for future lunar missions. Before Gemini 7, NASA wasn’t even sure humans could survive in space for this long.

twin disaster

At the time, the space race between the Soviet Union and the United States was intensifying, and NASA was following President John F. Kennedy’s goal of “landing humans on the moon and safely returning to Earth within 10 years.” was in a hurry to achieve. Sadly, 1967 was a disastrous year for both the Soviet Union and the United States. In January, Gus Grissom, Roger Chafim, and Edward White launched the Apollo He died in a fire that broke out in his capsule. In April, Vladimir Komarov died when his Soyuz spacecraft crashed due to parachute failure.

The team that investigated the Apollo disaster included Bowman, who was the first to enter the burning capsule. His selection to the team also recognized his uncompromising commitment to protocol and his no-nonsense approach to the job, which was almost worshipful. The report blamed NASA management and private contractors like North American Aviation for shocking negligence in causing the disaster. Bowman was tasked with touring North American’s manufacturing facilities in California to rein in unruly workers, a mission he successfully completed, leading to the redesign of the Apollo program’s command module. .

Apollo 8 and “Earthrise”

Apollo 8 was originally planned as an Earth orbit mission rather than a lunar mission. But when the Central Intelligence Agency warned that the Soviet Union was planning a manned mission to the moon, NASA was forced to gamble on sending Apollo 8 to the moon. Bowman’s leadership qualities and lightning reflexes once again earned him the commanding position on this mission, which in some ways was arguably a greater accomplishment than the Apollo 11 moon landing mission. It can be said that

Bowman, Lovell, and Anders were the first humans to travel to another world 55 years ago when they blasted off toward the moon aboard a giant, untested Saturn V rocket. When they became the first humans to leave Earth’s gravitational field and orbit the Moon, this was the farthest distance humans had ever traveled.

The high point of their flight came on Christmas Eve 1968, when they captured the iconic “Earthrise” photo of the Earth rising from behind the moon. It is considered the most powerful environmental image in history, reminding humanity of the precious heritage this planet represents. As Bowman later recalled, “Earth seemed so alone in the universe. It was the only thing that had color.”

While flying 100 km above the Moon and preparing to return to Earth, the astronauts read aloud a passage from Genesis, which was broadcast live to a fascinating world 3,85,000 km away. Ta. At the end of the telecast, Bowman famously said: “And from the crew of Apollo 8, I wish you good night, good luck, and Merry Christmas. And God bless you all and everyone on this good Earth.”

Offer to command Apollo 11

Apollo 8 was probably the best of all Apollo flights in terms of its precise flight path and lack of glitches. This characteristic led Flight Crew Operations Director Deke Slayton to select the Apollo 8 crew for Apollo 11. This meant appointing Bowman to Apollo 11. The commander would have been the first man to actually set foot on the moon. But Bowman, the typical test pilot he was, declined the offer, choosing flight tests over science. In fact, he did not participate in any space missions after Apollo 8.

In 1970, Bowman left the astronaut corps due to his wife’s alcoholism and later joined Eastern Airlines. After retiring as airline CEO in 1986, this highly decorated space hero lived a quiet life on a ranch in New Mexico, rebuilding World War II and Korean War aircraft. I made it fly.

The author is a science writer.