Biographical Data |
National Aeronautics and Space Administration |
Lyndon
B. Johnson Space Center Houston, Texas 77058 |
NAME:
Richard F. Gordon, Jr. (Captain, USN, Ret.)
NASA Astronaut (former)
PERSONAL DATA: Born October 5, 1929, in Seattle, Washington. Married to the former Barbara J. Field of Seattle, Washington. Two daughters and four sons (one deceased). He enjoys water skiing and golf.
EDUCATION: Graduated from North Kitsap High School, Poulsbo, Washington; received a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry from the University of Washington in 1951.
ORGANIZATIONS: Fellow, American Astronautical Society; Associate Fellow, Society of Experimental Test Pilots; and Navy League.
SPECIAL HONORS: Awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal, NASA Exceptional Service Medal, two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses, Navy Astronaut Wings, the Navy distinguished Service Medal, Institute of Navigation Award for 1969, Godfrey L. Cabot Award in 1970, the Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress, 1970; Phi Sigma Kappa Merit Award, 1966; NASA MSC Superior Achievement Award; NASA Group Achievement Award; FAI Record.1961 (Transcontinental Speed Record); and FAI World Record (Altitude Record, Gemini XI).
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES: Gordon has served as Chairman and co-Chairman of the Louisiana Heart Fund, Chairman of the March of Dimes (Mother's March), Honorary Chairman for Muscular Dystrophy, and Board of Directors for the Boy Scouts of America and Boys' Club of Greater New Orleans.
TECHNICAL PAPERS:
Gordon, R. F., F4H-1 NAVY PRELIMINARY EVALUATION, Phase I, NAS Patuxent River,
Maryland, September 1958.
Gordon, R. F., F4H-1 NAVY PRELIMINARY EVALUATION, Phase I Supplement, October
1958
Gordon, R. F., FJ-4B FUEL CONSUMPTION AND PERFORMANCE REPORT, Flight Test, NAS
Patuxent River, Maryland, 1958.
Gordon, R. F., F11F FUEL CONSUMPTION AND PERFORMANCE REPORT, Flight Test, NAS
Patuxent River, Maryland, 1958.
Gordon, R. F., REVISED ROLL PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS FOR MIL-SPEC-F-8785. All
Aircraft in Configuration PA, Flight Test, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, 1958.
Gordon, R. F., F8U SPIN EVALUATION REPORT, Flight Test, NAS Patuxent River,
Maryland, 1959.
Gordon, R. F., GEMINI XI, GEMINI PROGRAM MISSION REPORT, NASA Manned Spacecraft
Center Report, October 1966.
Gordon, R. F., APOLLO XII MISSION REPORT, NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Report,
December 1969.
EXPERIENCE: Gordon, a Navy Captain, received his wings
as a naval aviator in 1953. He then attended All-Weather Flight School and jet
transitional training and was subsequently assigned to an all-weather fighter
squadron at the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville, Florida.
In 1957, he attended the Navy's Test Pilot School at Patuxent River, Maryland,
and served as a flight test pilot until 1960. During this tour of duty, he did
flight test work on the F8U Crusader, F11F Tigercat, FJ Fury, and A4D Skyhawk,
and was the first project test pilot for the F4H Phantom II. He served with
Fighter Squadron 121 at the Miramar, California, Naval Air Station as a flight
instructor in the F4H and participated in the introduction of that aircraft
to the Atlantic and Pacific fleets. He was also flight safety officer, assistant
operations officer, and ground training officer for Fighter Squadron 96 at Miramar.
Winner of the Bendix Trophy Race from Los Angeles to New York in May 1961, he
established a new speed record of 869.74 miles per hour and a transcontinental
speed record of 2 hours and 47 minutes.
He was also a student at the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School at Monterey, California.
He has logged more that 4,500 hours flying time--3,500 hours in jet aircraft.
NASA EXPERIENCE: Captain Gordon was one of the third
group of astronauts named by NASA in October 1963. He served as backup pilot
for the Gemini 8 flight.
On September 12, 1966, he served as pilot for the 3-day Gemini XI mission--on
which rendezvous with an Agena was achieved in less than one orbit. He executed
docking maneuvers with the previously launched Agena and performed two periods
of extravehicular activity which included attaching a tether to the Agena and
retrieving a nuclear emulsion experiment package. Other highlights accomplished
by Gordon and command pilot Charles Conrad on this flight included the successful
completion of the first tethered station-keeping exercise, establishment of
a new altitude record of 850 miles, and completion of the first fully automatic
controlled reentry. The flight was concluded on September 15, 1966, with the
spacecraft landing in the Atlantic--2 1/2 miles from the prime recovery ship
USS GUAM.
Gordon was subsequently assigned as backup command pilot for Apollo 9.
He occupied the command module pilot seat on Apollo 12, November 14-24, 1969.
Other crewmen on man's second lunar landing mission were Charles Conrad, spacecraft
commander, and Alan L. Bean, lunar module pilot. Throughout the 31-hour lunar
surface stay by Conrad and Bean, Gordon remained in lunar orbit aboard the command
module, "Yankee Clipper," obtaining desired mapping photographs of
tentative landing sites for future missions. He also performed the final re-docking
maneuvers following the successful lunar orbit rendezvous which was initiated
by Conrad and Bean from within "Intrepid" after their ascent from
the moon's surface.
All of the mission's objectives were accomplished and Apollo 12 achievements
include: The first precision lunar landing with "Intrepid's" touchdown
in the moon's Ocean of Storms; the first lunar traverse by Conrad and Bean as
they deployed the Apollo Lunar Surface Experiment Package (ALSEP), installed
a nuclear power generator station to provide the power source for these long-term
scientific experiments, gathered samples of the lunar surface for return to
earth, and completed a close up inspection of the Surveyor III spacecraft.
The Apollo 12 mission lasted 244 hours and 36 minutes and was concluded with
a Pacific spashdown and subsequent recovery operations by the USS HORNET.
Captain Gordon has completed two space flights, logging a total of 315 hours
and 53 minutes in space--2 hours and 44 minutes of which were spent in EVA.
He served as backup spacecraft commander for Apollo 15.
Captain Gordon retired from NASA and the USN in January 1972.
Since then he has served as Executive Vice President of the New Orleans Saints
Professional Football Club in the National Football League (1972); was General
Manager of Energy Developers, Limited (EDL), a Texas Partnership involved in
a joint venture with Rocket Research Corporation for the development of a liquid
chemical explosive for use in the oil and gas industry (1977); President of
Resolution Engineering and Development Company (REDCO) which provided design
and operational requirements for wild oil well control and fire fighting equipment
onboard large semi-submersible utility vessels (1978); following REDCO merger
with Amarco Resources, Gordon assumed the additional duties of Vice President
of Marketing, Westdale, an oil well servicing subsidiary of AMARCO operating
in North Central Texas and Oklahoma, and also served as Vice President for Operations,
Texas Division (1980); served as Director, Scott Science and Technology, Inc.,
Los Angeles Division (1981-1983). In March 1982 he became President of Astro
Sciences Corporation. This company provides a range of services including engineering,
project management, project field support teams, to software and hardware system
design for control room applications. In the Summer of 1984, Gordon was a Technical
Advisor for and played the part of "Capcom" in the CBS mini-series
'Space' by James A. Michener.
AUGUST 1985
This is the only version available from NASA. Updates must be sought direct from the above named individual