Astronauts

[Summer in Transylvania 2,174]

On 05/11/2022 at 07:04, TheSpinosaurus said:

Samuel Durrance was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a year ago and in recent photos he is definitely frail and appears to only be able to walk short distances, using a wheelchair otherwise. Samuel is a payload specialist who flew on two Shuttle missions.

Samuel T. Durrance dead at 79.

[The Immortal 634]

The annual Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony just happened, probably the best event around for getting status updates on the older astronauts as there's always plenty in attendance. Quite a few surprise names attended this time, including 91 year old Skylab astronaut Joe Kerwin and Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart who I don't believe have attended in a very long time, both looked in good shape for their age though. John Blaha is frail, but seems to be in better shape compared to what I've heard earlier. Loren Shriver was probably the most frail astronaut in attendance at the event, not surprising as he's been frail for a while now. More concerning though is the absence this time of some regular names who've attended for years like Brewster Shaw and Jeffrey Hoffman. 

 

But my personal lesser known astronaut pick for deadpools though since Sam Durrance is dead now, would be Loren Acton. Loren is 87 years old and looked very frail physically back in 2021.

[Comped 526]

6 hours ago, TheSpinosaurus said:

The annual Astronaut Hall of Fame induction ceremony just happened, probably the best event around for getting status updates on the older astronauts as there's always plenty in attendance. Quite a few surprise names attended this time, including 91 year old Skylab astronaut Joe Kerwin and Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart who I don't believe have attended in a very long time, both looked in good shape for their age though. John Blaha is frail, but seems to be in better shape compared to what I've heard earlier. Loren Shriver was probably the most frail astronaut in attendance at the event, not surprising as he's been frail for a while now. More concerning though is the absence this time of some regular names who've attended for years like Brewster Shaw and Jeffrey Hoffman. 

 

But my personal lesser known astronaut pick for deadpools though since Sam Durrance is dead now, would be Loren Acton. Loren is 87 years old and looked very frail physically back in 2021.

Wouldn't be surprised if some of the older astronauts are still in covid avoidance mode though, especially with big events like this one. Especially if travel is involved.

[The Immortal 634]

On 28/11/2022 at 12:41, TheSpinosaurus said:

 

James van Hoften - Again no news for years, last info I could find of him was back in 2009 where he moved to the UK to work in the board of directors for Gatwick Airport. 

 

Update on James van Hoften. I've just discovered that he resigned from Gatwick Airport's board of directors on May 13th, 2019. Absolutely no idea on his current whereabouts though, we don't know if he's moved back to the USA or he still lives here in the UK.

[YoungWillz 21,033]

On 28/11/2022 at 07:11, TheSpinosaurus said:

After some time and effort, I have finished my early Space Shuttle era Astronaut status investigation.

 

The early Space Shuttle era astronauts in my definition are those from NASA Astronaut Group 7 to NASA Astronaut Group 9, the "Class of 1980" as they were all selected before the actual first flight of the Space Shuttle and flew during the early flights. Also included will be payload specialists that were selected by certain organizations to deliver specific payloads.

 

NASA Astronaut Group 7

 

Out of 7 people in this group, only 3 are alive.

 

Karol Bobko - From a rather recent public appearance I would say he is in decent shape.

Bob Crippen - Doing very well for his age, still quite active and involved, appears to be the healthiest of the 3 too.

Richard Truly - Has not been around much, did appear in the Challenger Final Flight documentary where another DeathLister said he seemed frail.

Karol Bobko reportedly headed for the great beyond yesterday: 

 

[YoungWillz 21,033]

I'll add, @TheSpinosaurus said he looked in decent shape at the end of last year.

 

I'll say again, stop judging longevity by appearances. 

[The Immortal 634]

12 hours ago, YoungWillz said:

I'll add, @TheSpinosaurus said he looked in decent shape at the end of last year.

 

I'll say again, stop judging longevity by appearances. 

 

The info I get on astronauts are primarily from events and public appearances which I keep track on, as well as the multiple space/spaceflight related group chats that I am a part of, which include a few insiders and people who've met or even known them personally. It's not necessarily accurate, but at least it's better than not knowing anything at all.

[YoungWillz 21,033]

5 hours ago, TheSpinosaurus said:

 

The info I get on astronauts are primarily from events and public appearances which I keep track on, as well as the multiple space/spaceflight related group chats that I am a part of, which include a few insiders and people who've met or even known them personally. It's not necessarily accurate, but at least it's better than not knowing anything at all.

It wasn't a dig at you in any way. In fact, grateful for the information.

 

There's a more general assumption here that if they look ok, they have a decent chance of longer survival (esp in the over 80s). Which is the lie given by the immortals thread which is where you see the sickest frailest people outliving their healthier looking counterparts. 

 

So I don't care how much tap dancing Dick Van Dyke does and how great he looks, anything can happen at an advanced age. That's all I'm saying. 

[Toast 16,132]

[The Old Crem 3,583]

Oldřich Pelčák, Czech cosmonaut who was one of the first men in space who was not American or Soviet, has died aged 79. Obit (In Czech). 

[drol 11,933]

8 minutes ago, The Old Crem said:

Oldřich Pelčák, Czech cosmonaut who was one of the first men in space who was not American or Soviet, has died aged 79. Obit (In Czech). 

16 days ago....

[YoungWillz 21,033]

On 25/05/2018 at 22:05, gcreptile said:

I was a bit sad to have to realize today, that there will soon be no more people alive who were on the moon.

 

After Alan Bean, there are:

 

Those who walked on the moon:

Buzz Aldrin, of course (the favorite to be the last man standing)

Charles Duke

Harrison Schmitt

and David Scott.

 

Those who stayed inside or only flew above the ground:

Frank Borman

Jim Lovell (unlucky Apollo 13)

Bill Anders

Tom Stafford

Michael Collins

Fred Haise (unlucky Apollo 13)

Al Worden

and Ken Mattingly

 

DDP pick Ken Mattingly reported dead by NASA: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-administrator-remembers-apollo-astronaut-thomas-k-mattingly-ii/

[ThereWillBeDeaths7 720]

Charles Duke now the last surviving crew member of Apollo 16. He is also the youngest surviving crew member of all of the Apollo missions at 88 years old, Mattingly was 87.

 

Really shows they are part of a dying breed: there are nine crew members left, aged 88-95.

 

(Apollo missions 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17 have one surviving member; infamous mission Apollo 13 has two living crew members while Apollo 8 has all three of them still living.

Apollo 12 and 14 have died out in 2018 and 2016)

[Octopus of Odstock 2,187]

2 hours ago, ThereWillBeDeaths7 said:

Charles Duke now the last surviving crew member of Apollo 16. He is also the youngest surviving crew member of all of the Apollo missions at 88 years old, Mattingly was 87.

 

Really shows they are part of a dying breed: there are nine crew members left, aged 88-95.

 

(Apollo missions 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17 have one surviving member; infamous mission Apollo 13 has two living crew members while Apollo 8 has all three of them still living.

Apollo 12 and 14 have died out in 2018 and 2016)

I can't see Borman and Lovell going on for much longer unfortunately.

[Charles De Gaulle 484]

2 hours ago, ThereWillBeDeaths7 said:

Charles Duke now the last surviving crew member of Apollo 16. He is also the youngest surviving crew member of all of the Apollo missions at 88 years old, Mattingly was 87.

 

Really shows they are part of a dying breed: there are nine crew members left, aged 88-95.

 

(Apollo missions 10, 11, 15, 16 and 17 have one surviving member; infamous mission Apollo 13 has two living crew members while Apollo 8 has all three of them still living.

Apollo 12 and 14 have died out in 2018 and 2016)

The good news is if any group is likely to have contenarians then it would be astronauts. Won't surprise me if 2 of then or even 3 make it to triple digits.

[The Immortal 634]

7 hours ago, Octopus of Odstock said:

I can't see Borman and Lovell going on for much longer unfortunately.

 

Yup. Borman stopped making public appearances a while ago and I've heard he is in poor health, while Lovell lost his wife recently.

[Teniente William Kmacho 15]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna123496 

Thomas K. Mattingly dies

 

[The Red Death 87]

3 minutes ago, Teniente William Kmacho said:

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/rcna123496 

Thomas K. Mattingly dies

 

[ladyfiona 2,577]

Sky News has it.

[YoungWillz 21,033]

On 27/06/2022 at 17:51, TheSpinosaurus said:

Current status of the Apollo astronauts from what I know.

Frank Borman (Apollo 8) - No longer appears in public since his wife's death, also the oldest living astronaut currently
 

 

Overall I would watch out for Aldrin, Borman and Stafford, maybe Lovell, McDivitt and Scott too.

Frank Borman reportedly dies: https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/frank-borman-who-led-historic-flight-around-the-moon-in-1968-dies-at-age-95-489afa09

[The Old Crem 3,583]

8 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

Frank Borman reportedly dies: https://www.wsj.com/business/airlines/frank-borman-who-led-historic-flight-around-the-moon-in-1968-dies-at-age-95-489afa09

DDP pick. Q/O likely I would imagine. 

[The Immortal 634]

Well, with Mattingly and Borman gone, here are the remaining survivors.

 

Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 and 13)

Bill Anders (Apollo 8)

Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9)

David Scott (Apollo 9 and 15)

Tom Stafford (Apollo 10)

Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11)

Fred Haise (Apollo 13)

Charles Duke (Apollo 16)

Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17)

 

Less than 10 survivors of the Apollo Program left. Additionally with Borman's death, every Apollo mission has at least 1 crew member dead.

[arghton 6,701]

Colonel, cosmonaut Valentina Ponomaryova dead at 90.

 

One of the 5 women selected to be trained for a Vostok programme spaceflight in 1962. Out of them only Valentina Tereshkova (first woman in space and only one of the five who ever got to fly) and Irina Solovyova left, both 86 years old.

 

Spoiler

List of the first Soviet cosmonauts - up until Khrushchev's replacement in Oct 1964:

(Those who got to fly are mentioned with bold)

 

Air Force Group 1 (March 1960)

Initial group of Soviet cosmonauts.

Ivan Anikeyev (1933-1992) Dismissed for disclipinary reasons - drunken and disorderly behavior. Later his car got stolen and the thief hit a pedestrian with it, Anikeyev was sent to jail. Died at 59 from cancer.

Pavel Belyayev (1925-1970) WWII pilot who participated in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria, Voskhod 2 commander in 1965. Died from peritonitis as a stomach ulcer surgery complication aged 44.

Valentin Bondarenko (1937-1961) Died from burns during a low-pressure endurance experiment at 24. His death was concealed until 1980 which is why he and Nelyubov are not on the 1971 Fallen Astronaut plaque.

Valery Bykovsky (1934-2019) Flew three space flights. Died at 84.

Valentin Filatyev (1930-1990) Dismissed with Anikeyev and Nelyubov for drunkenly behavior. Became a teacher, died from lung cancer at 60.

Yuri Gagarin (1934-1968) First human to journey into outer space. Died in a jet fighter crash at 34.

Viktor Gorbatko (1934-2017) Flew three missions. Died at 82 following a long battle with stomach cancer.

Anatoly Kartashov (1932-2005) One of best men in training but never went to space due to health reasons. Died from a "serious long-term illness" at 73.

Yevgeny Khrunov (1933-2000) Flew Soyuz4/5, died from a heart attack at 66.

Vladimir Komarov (1927-1967) Voskhod 1, Soyuz 1. First human to die in a space flight, aged 40.

Alexei Leonov (1934-2019) Originally selected to be the first Soviet person to land on the moon, but that never happened. Commanded the Soyuz capsule in the Apollo-Soyuz mission, which docked in space for two days with an American Apollo capsule. Quite a good friend of Putin in his later years like Tereshkova. Died from a long illness at 85, penultimate survivor of the group.

Grigory Nelyubov (1934-1966) Dismissed with Anikeyev and Filatyev for drunkenly behavior, went back to flew interceptors but died by suicide a few years later at 31.

Andriyan Nikolayev (1929-2004) Vostok 3, Soyuz 9. Husband of Tereshkova at one point. Died at 74 from a heart attack.

Pavel Popovich (1930-2009) Vostok 4, Soyuz 14, keen weightlifter. Died at 78 from a stroke.

Mars Rafikov (1933-2000) Dismissed for womanizing and "gallivanting in Moscow bars". Died at 66 from a heart attack.

Georgy Shonin (1935-1997) Soyuz 6. Died from a heart attack at 62.

Gherman Titov (1935-2000) Second human to orbit the Earth. Died at 65 from a heart attack in a sauna.

Valentin Varlamov (1934-1980) Dismissed for medical reasons. Died in an accident at 46.

Boris Volynov (1934-) Soyuz 5 and 21. First Jew in space and the last of the group.

Dmitry Zaikin (1932-2012) Left the space service for medical reasons. Died at 81.

 

Female Group (March 1962)

Tatyana Kuznetsova (1941-2018) Youngest ever to be selected in a govt human spaceflight program. Died at 77.

Valentina Ponomaryova (1933-2023) As mentioned, died at 90.

Irina Solovyova (1937-) Backup for Tereshkova.

Valentina Tereshkova (1937-) First woman in space.

Zhanna Yorkina (1939-2015) Worked at the Yuri Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Center later. Died at 76 from a stroke.

 

 

Air Force Group 2 (January 1963)

Yuri Artyukhin (1930-1998) Soyuz 14, worked in space-related fields later. Died of cancer at 68.

Eduard Buinovski (1936-) Declared unfit for training in 1964.

Lev Dyomin (1926-1998) Soyuz 15. Died from cancer at 72.

Georgy Dobrovolsky (1928-1971) Died on Soyuz 11 at 43.

Anatoly Filipchenko (1928-2022) Soyuz 7 and 16, later OKB deputy director. Died at the age of 94!

Aleksei Gubarev (1931-2015) Soyuz 17 and 28. Worked for a Ministry of Defence research institute later. Died at 83.

Vladislav Gulyayev (1937-1990) Suffered a traumatic brain injury and a fracture of the cervical vertebra while diving on vacation in 1967, expelled the following year for health reasons. Returned to work but died at 52, possibly related to injuries suffered in that accident.

Pyotr Kolodin (1930-2021) Served non-flying assignments on several spaceflights. Died at 90.

Eduard Kugno (1935-1994) Retired from service the same year due to health issues, later becoming an air force instructor. Died at 58.

Anatoli Kuklin (1932-2006) Suffered a heart blockage in 1969 leading to his retirement. Died from a long term serious illness at 74 complicated by stroke.

Aleksandr Matinchenko (1927-1999) Dismissed 1975, worked in Aviapromservice until 1992 and died at 71.

Vladimir Shatalov (1927-2021) Flew three space missions and later the head of Gagarin Cosmonaut Training Centre. Died at 93.

Lev Vorobyov (1931-2010) Was going to fly on Soyuz 13. Died at 79.

Anatoly Voronov (1930-1993) Died at 63.

Vitaly Zholobov (1937-) Soyuz 21, president of the Aerospace Society of Ukraine 2002-2015.

 

Air Force Group 2 Supplemental (January 1964)

Georgy Beregovoy (1921-1995) WWII pilot, Soyuz 3 commander. Later a politician. Died at 74 during a heart surgery.

 

 

Voskhod Group – Medical Group 1 (May 1964)

Vladimir Benderov (1924-1973) Died in a Tupolev-144 crash during Paris Air Show aged 48.

Georgy Katys (1926-2017) Later worked at the Cosmonaut Training Center and was involved in the development of Lunokhod. Died at 90.

Vasily Lazarev (1928-1990) Soyuz 12, 18a, during the latter injured by the high acceleration of the abort and landing and died of complications from those injuries aged 62.

Boris Polyakov (1938-) Not much information on him.

Aleksei Soryakin (1931-1976) Died from leukemia at 44.

Boris Yegorov (1937-1994) Medical doctor on Voskhod 1. Died of a heart attack at 56.

 

Civilian Specialist Group 1 (June 1964)

Konstantin Feoktistov (1926-2009) Voskhod 1 engineer. Died at 84.

 

 

[YoungWillz 21,033]

On 28/11/2022 at 07:11, The Immortal said:

After some time and effort, I have finished my early Space Shuttle era Astronaut status investigation.

 

The early Space Shuttle era astronauts in my definition are those from NASA Astronaut Group 7 to NASA Astronaut Group 9, the "Class of 1980" as they were all selected before the actual first flight of the Space Shuttle and flew during the early flights. Also included will be payload specialists that were selected by certain organizations to deliver specific payloads.

 

NASA Astronaut Group 9 "Class Of 1980"

 

Majority of this group are still alive so once again filters are to be applied here.

 

John Blaha - As mentioned earlier, he is rather frail now and has mostly stepped down from public appearances and events.

Ronald Grabe - Looked okayish in photos many years ago, no recent news.

Bryan Daniel O'Connor - No relation to the far more famous Sandra Day O'Connor. There hasn't been any info on Bryan since he retired from his position as a safety chief in NASA back in 2011.

Mary Cleave - Looked frail in virtual appearance in 2020, no news since then.

Bob Springer - Looks okayish in recent appearances.

 

Mary Cleave has reportedly ascended: https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-remembers-trailblazing-astronaut-scientist-mary-cleave/

[InquilineKea 75]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7BC1VCkQuow&t=1706s

David Scott this year