Documents for "Space Exploration: Biographies":

• Aldrin, Buzz (Edwin Eugene Aldrin, Jr.), 1930-, American astronaut, b. Montclair, N.J. After graduating from West Point (1951), Aldrin joined the U.S. air force and flew 66 combat missions during the Korean...

• Armstrong, Neil Alden 1930-, American astronaut, b. Wapakoneta, Ohio, grad. Purdue Univ. A U.S. Navy fighter pilot during the Korean War, Armstrong became a test pilot for what was then the National Advisory Committee...

• Carpenter, Malcolm Scott 1925-, American astronaut, b. Boulder, Colo. The second American to go into orbital flight around the earth, he made his historic and suspenseful flight on May 24, 1962. In his three-orbit trip he...

• Gagarin, Yuri Alekseyevich 1934-68, Russian astronaut (cosmonaut), b. near Gzhatsk, RSFSR. He was the first in history to be rocketed into orbital space flight. His flight on Apr. 12, 1961, lasted 1 hr. 48 min. and circled...

• Glenn, John Herschel, Jr. 1921-, American astronaut and politician, b. Cambridge, Ohio. On Feb. 20, 1962, he became the first American and the third person to orbit the earth, circling the globe three times in a vehicle...

• Goddard, Robert Hutchings 1882-1945, American physicist and rocket expert, b. Worcester, Mass., grad. Worcester Polytechnic Institute (B.S., 1908), Ph.D. Clark Univ., 1911. From 1914 he was associated with Clark Univ.,...

• Korolev, Sergei Pavlovich 1907-66, Soviet rocket designer. His role as chief designer of the Soviet space program was revealed only after his death. After he successfully launched two intercontinental ballistic missiles in...

• Leonov, Aleksei Arkhipovich 1934-, Soviet cosmonaut. While serving as copilot of Voskhod 2 (Mar. 18-19, 1964), he became the first person to perform extravehicular activity. Leonov was also command pilot for Soyuz 19 in the...

• Ride, Sally K. 1951-, American astrophysicist and astronaut, b. Encino, Calif. With a Ph.D. in physics from Stanford Univ., she joined NASA in 1978, where she was an astronaut (1979-87) and helped design the...

• Shepard, Alan Bartlett, Jr. 1923-98, American astronaut, b. East Derry, N.H., grad. Annapolis, 1944. He served on a destroyer during World War II and later had extensive experience as a test pilot. On May 5, 1961, under the...

• Tereshkova, Valentina Vladimirovna 1937-, Soviet cosmonaut. She was the first woman to orbit the earth, in Vostok 6 on June 16-19, 1963. She left the Soviet space program soon after and married cosmonaut Andriyan Nikolayev. She was president of the Committee of Soviet Women (1968-86) and a member of the Central...

• Tsiolkovsky, Konstantin Eduardovich 1857-1935, Russian inventor and rocket expert. He lost his hearing in childhood, and, as he could not attend the usual schools, he educated himself. His most important work was concerned with the...

• von Braun, Wernher 1912-77, German-American rocket expert, b. Germany, grad. Berlin Technological Institute (B.S., 1932), Ph.D. Univ. of Berlin, 1934. After 1930, von Braun assisted Hermann Oberth in early...

• White, Edward Higgins, 2d 1930-67, American astronaut, b. San Antonio. While serving as pilot of Gemini 4 (June 3-7, 1965), he became the first American to perform extravehicular activity. He had been selected to be command-module pilot for the first manned Apollo flight, but was killed with crewmates...

• Young, John Watts 1930-, American astronaut, b. San Francisco. Young served as pilot of Gemini 3 (Mar. 23, 1965), command pilot of Gemini 10 (July 18-21, 1966), command-module pilot of the Apollo 10 lunar-orbit...