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Who was Thomas Stafford? Exploring the life and career of NASA's astronaut as he passes away at 93
Thomas P. Stafford, an astronaut who oversaw the first space link between the United States and the Soviet Union and led a practice mission for the 1969 moon landing, passed away on Monday.
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NASA astronaut Tom Stafford, commander of Apollo 10 lunar mission passed away at 93
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Tom Stafford's wife Linda confirmed that he had passed away in a retirement home
TRIGGER WARNING: This article contains references to an individual's death.
Thomas P. Stafford, an astronaut who oversaw the rehearsal mission for the 1969 moon landing and the first space communication between the US and the USSR, passed away on Monday. His wife Linda confirmed that he had passed away in a retirement community and he had recently been diagnosed with liver cancer.
Bill Nelson mourns the loss of Thomas Stafford
NASA Administrator Bill Nelson wrote on X, "Today General Tom Stafford went to the eternal heavens which he so courageously explored as a Gemini and Apollo astronaut as well as a peacemaker in Apollo Soyuz. Those of us privileged to know him are very sad but grateful we knew a giant.”
Once Stafford put away his flight suit, NASA knew he was the person to go for impartial counsel on anything from safety concerns to human Mars missions to resuming flying following the 2003 space shuttle Columbia disaster. He oversaw an investigation team that looked into how to improve the then-defective Hubble Space Telescope, earning a NASA public service award.
Who was Thomas Stafford?
Thomas Patten Stafford was born in Weatherford on September 17, 1930. After World War II, Stafford developed an interest in flying since there was an Army Air Corps training base in the adjacent city of El Reno. At the age of 14, Stafford took a Piper Cub for his first flight. He then started building model airplanes.
Stafford was commissioned in the US Air Force after completing his studies at the US Naval Academy. He flew the F-86 Sabre before transitioning into test flying. After being chosen in 1962 to become an astronaut, he flew on Gemini 6A in 1965 and Gemini 9A in 1966.
Stafford led the first combined U.S.-Soviet space mission, the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project (ASTP) flight, in 1975. He was the first general officer to fly in space, having been promoted to brigadier general at the time. He wore the first, second, and third stars of a general officer before anybody else in his class at the Naval Academy. He flew 507 hours in orbit and completed six rendezvous.
Stafford flew three different types of spacecraft in addition to over 120 different fixed-wing and rotating aircraft. He was the final crew member of Gemini 6A, Gemini 9A, and Apollo 10 to survive.
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