On this record-setting day for commercial astronautics, we have also lost one of the Original Seven.
Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper, Jr. passed away today at the age of 77.
Here's his spacesuit from Mercury 9, worn aboard the Faith 7 capsule, now located at the Astronaut Hall of Fame near Kennedy Space Center, Florida.I took this photo on our recent anniversary trip with my wife. If you take the Kennedy Space Center tour, it's worth the extra amount to include the Astronaut Hall of Fame. I loved the G-Force trainer, and all of the exhibits!
Gordo had The Right Stuff. When asked who was the greatest fighter pilot he ever saw, Cooper answered, "You're looking at him!"
Godspeed, Mr. Cooper.
See also: Space
