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John Young dead: Apollo astronaut who walked on the moon dies, aged 87 | |
(35 minutes later) | |
The astronaut John Young, who walked on the moon and flew the first space shuttle mission, has died aged 87. | |
He visited space six times including on Apollo and Gemini missions, Nasa said. | He visited space six times including on Apollo and Gemini missions, Nasa said. |
In a statement, the agency tweeted: “We’re saddened by the loss of astronaut John Young, who was 87. | |
“Young flew twice to the Moon, walked on its surface & flew the first Space Shuttle mission. | |
“He went to space six times in the Gemini, Apollo & Space Shuttle programs.” | |
Mr Young’s career at Nasa stretched for 42 years, during which he became the first human to fly in space six times. | |
When he retired in 2004, Nasa administrator Sean O’Keefe said that “when you need a job done and you want it done right, John’s the person to go to,” calling Mr Young a “true American treasure”. | |
Paying tribute, astronaut and space shuttle pilot Terry Virts tweeted: “You were one of my heroes as an astronaut and explorer and your passion for space will be missed.” | |
Mr Young's first space flight was in 1965, aboard the first manned Gemini flight. Following a further Gemini mission he orbited the moon in 1969, two months before the Apollo 11 landing. | |
He returned to the satellite in 1972, when he landed on its surface to collect samples. | |
Mr Young also helmed the space shuttle Columbia on its first flight in 1981. His final mission came in 1983. | |
The former US Navy captain was born in San Francisco in September 1930. |