Astronauts

[Ulitzer95 12,621]

13 minutes ago, TomTomTelekom said:

Michael Collins, pilot of Apollo 11 who went on to become the director of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, died at 90 years:

https://choice.npr.org/index.html?origin=https://www.npr.org/2021/04/28/509599284/forgotten-astronaut-michael-collins-dies

He was a part of the Gemini 10 mission as well.

QO, courtesy of The Herald.

Picked by 6 teams in the DDP.

[maryportfuncity 10,646]

40 minutes ago, Drewsky1211 said:

Buzz Aldrin is now the last surviving member of the Apollo 11 mission.

 

Aye, you'd have got long odds on that during the worst days of his alcoholism. The oldest member of the crew as well. 

[gcreptile 10,972]

I feel, the last man living to have been on the moon, is going to be a "Thomas Jefferson survives" kind of situation.

[Slackhurst Broadcasting 374]

13 minutes ago, gcreptile said:

I feel, the last man living to have been on the moon, is going to be a "Thomas Jefferson survives" kind of situation.

Only four are still with us, and the youngest is 85. Any chance of a new moon mission in the next 15 years or so?

[Ulitzer95 12,621]

5 minutes ago, Slackhurst Broadcasting said:

Only four are still with us, and the youngest is 85. Any chance of a new moon mission in the next 15 years or so?

*Only four surviving who have walked on the moon.

 

There are over a dozen astronauts from the Apollo programme still alive.

[RoverAndOut 4,746]

30 minutes ago, Slackhurst Broadcasting said:

Only four are still with us, and the youngest is 85. Any chance of a new moon mission in the next 15 years or so?

 

As Ulitzer says, there are plenty from the Apollo missions still alive (Collins himself never walked on the Moon), but to answer your question, the intention from NASA is to put the next man and first woman on the Moon by 2024. This is under the next space program, Artemis.

 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-55253932

 

And Rest in Peace Colonel Collins, a gent by all accounts.

[arghton 6,739]

On 28/04/2021 at 21:26, Ulitzer95 said:

There are over a dozen astronauts from the Apollo programme still alive.

True,

List (ones who walked on the moon underlined)

 

Apollo 1: None

Apollo 7: 0/3

Walter Cunningham (1932-2023)

Apollo 8: 1/3

Jim Lovell (b. 1928)

Frank Borman (1928-2023)

William Anders (1933-2024)

Apollo 9: 2/3

James McDivitt (1929-2022)

David Scott (b. 1932)

Rusty Schweickart (b. 1935)

Apollo 10: None

Thomas P. Stafford (1930-2024)

Apollo 11: 1/3

Buzz Aldrin (b. 1930)

Apollo 12: None

Apollo 13: 2/3

Jim Lovell (b. 1928)

Fred Haise (b. 1933)

Apollo 14: None

Apollo 15: 1/3

David Scott (b. 1932)

Apollo 16: 1/3

Ken Mattingly (1936-2023)

Charles Duke (b. 1935)

Apollo 17: 1/3

Harrison Schmitt (b. 1935)

 

From the Soviet Vostok program (1961-1963) only one pilot is alive, Valentina Tereshkova (b. 1937). All the Voshkod program (1964-1965) flight crews are now dead. From the Soviet Soyuz program (1967-1991) a ton of people are still alive and will be for years as it had 66 missions. I'll list the early Soviet mission survivors here:

 

Vostok:

Vostok 6: Valentina Tereshkova (b. 1937)

 

Voshkod: None alive

 

Early Soyuz (1967-1971)

Soyuz 1: None

Soyuz 3: None

Soyuz 4: 1/3:

Vladimir Shatalov (1927-2021)

Aleksei Yeliseyev (b. 1934)

Soyuz 5: 2/3

Boris Volynov (b. 1934)

Aleksei Yeliseyev (b. 1934)

Soyuz 6: None

Soyuz 7: None

Anatoly Filipchenko (1928-2022)

Soyuz 8: 1/2

Vladimir Shatalov (1927-2021)

Aleksei Yeliseyev (b. 1934)

Soyuz 9: None

Soyuz 10: 1/3

Vladimir Shatalov (1927-2021)

Aleksei Yeliseyev (b. 1934)

Soyuz 11: None

 

 

1973-1980:

 

Soyuz 12: None

Soyuz 13: 2/2

Valentin Lebedev (b. 1942)

Pyotr Klimuk (b. 1942)

Soyuz 14: None

Soyuz 15: None

Soyuz 16: None

Anatoly Filipchenko (1928-2022)

Soyuz 17: None

Soyuz 18a: None

Soyuz 18: 1/2

Pyotr Klimuk (b. 1942)

Soyuz 19: None

Soyuz 20 was unmanned

Soyuz 21: 2/2

Boris Volynov (b. 1934)

Vitaly Zholobov (b. 1937)

Soyuz 22: None

Vladimir Aksyonov (1935-2024)

Soyuz 23: 1/2

Vyacheslav Zudov (b. 1942)

Soyuz 24: None

Soyuz 25: 1/2

Vladimir Kovalyonok (b. 1942)

Valery Ryumin (1939-2022)

Soyuz 26 and 27: 2/4

Vladimir Dzhanibekov (b. 1942)

Yuri Romanenko (b. 1944)

Soyuz 28: 1/2

Vladimir Remek (b. 1948) Czech

Soyuz 29 and 31: 2/4

Vladimir Kovalyonok (b. 1942)

Aleksandr Ivanchenkov (b. 1940)

Soyuz 30: 1/2

Pyotr Klimuk (b. 1942)

Mirosław Hermaszewski (1941-2022) Polish

Soyuz 32: 0/2

Valery Ryumin (1939-2022)

Soyuz 33: 1/2

Georgi Ivanov (b. 1940) Bulgarian

Soyuz 34: 0/2

Valery Ryumin (1939-2022)

Soyuz 35: 1/4

Leonid Popov (b. 1945)

Valery Ryumin (1939-2022)

Bertalan Farkas (b. 1949) Hungarian

Soyuz 36: 2/4

Bertalan Farkas (b. 1949) Hungarian

Phạm Tuân (b. 1947) Vietnamese

Soyuz T-2: 0/2

Vladimir Aksyonov (1935-2024)

Soyuz 37: 2/4

Leonid Popov (b. 1945)

Phạm Tuân (b. 1947) Vietnamese

Valery Ryumin (1939-2022)

Soyuz 38: 2/2

Yuri Romanenko (b. 1944)

Arnaldo Tamayo (b. 1942) Cuban

[RoverAndOut 4,746]

I first published this list back in 2016,  thought I'd bring it back up to present given Collins's death and the new interest. List of prominent early astronauts (US):

1. Neil Armstrong - Apollo 11, b.1930, d.2012
2. Edwin 'Buzz' Aldrin - Apollo 11, b.1930 (aged 91)
3. Pete Conrad - Apollo 12, b.1930, d.1999
4. Alan Bean - Apollo 12, b.1932, d. 2018
5. Alan Shepard - Apollo 14, b.1923, d.1998
6. Edgar Mitchell - Apollo 14, b.1930, d.2016
7. David Scott - Apollo 15, b.1932 (aged 88)
8. James Irwin - Apollo 15, b.1930, d.1991
9. John W. Young - Apollo 16, b.1930, d. 2018
10. Charles Duke - Apollo 16, b.1935 (aged 85)
11. Eugene Cernan - Apollo 17, b.1934, d. 2017
12. Harrison Schmidt - Apollo 17, b.1935 (aged 85)

Men who flew to the moon (or intended to), but didn't get out:

1. Frank Borman - Apollo 8, b.1928 (aged 93) - 11 days older than Lovell
2. Jim Lovell - Apollo 8 and 13, b.1928 (aged 93)
3. Bill Anders - Apollo 8, b.1933 (aged 87)
4. Tom Stafford - Apollo 10, b.1930 (aged 90)
5. Michael Collins - Apollo 11, b.1930, d. 2021
6. Dick Gordon - Apollo 12, b.1929, d. 2017
7. Jack Swigert - Apollo 13, b.1931, d.1982
8. Fred Haise - Apollo 13, b.1933 (aged 87)
9. Stu Roosa - Apollo 14, b.1933, d.1994
10. Al Worden - Apollo 15, b.1932, d. 2020
11. Ken Mattingley - Apollo 16, b.1936 (aged 85)
12. Ron Evans - Apollo 17, b.1933, d.1990
(John W. Young and Eugene Cernan also flew on Apollo 10, the test run for the Moon landing, but are included among the moonwalkers)

And finally, the pre-Apollo astronauts:

The Mercury Seven
Virgil 'Gus' Grissom, b.1926, d.1967
John Glenn - First American to orbit the Earth, b.1921, d. 2016
Scott Carpenter - Second orbital Mercury flight, b.1925, d.2013
Walter 'Wally' Schirra, Third orbital Mercury flight, b.1923, d.2007
Gordon 'Gordo' Cooper, Last American to fly in space alone, b.1927, d.2004
Donald 'Deke' Slayton, b.1924, d.1993
(Alan Shepard already listed above)

Project Gemini
16 astronauts took part, 3 Mercury veterans, 11 who took part in Apollo missions to the moon. The only others were:
James A. McDivitt - also part of Apollo 9, b.1929 (aged 91)
Edward H. White - first American to walk in space, b.1930, d.1967

Early Apollo missions
Roger B. Chaffee - Apollo 1, b.1935, d.1967
Walt Cunningham - Apollo 7, b.1932 (aged 89)
Donn Eisele - Apollo 7, b.1930, d.1987
David Scott - Apollo 9, b.1932 (aged 88)
Rusty Schweikart - Apollo 9, b.1935 (aged 85)
(Gus Grissom, Edward H. White and 'Wally' Schirra also involved but included elsewhere)
 

Down to just 4 moonwalkers now, 6 who flew to the Moon but never got off, James A. McDivitt is the only remaining Project Gemini recruit who didn't go to the Moon but flew on the Apollo 9 test flight, as are his two crewmates recruited specifically for Apollo, as well as Walt Cunningham from the first successful manned Apollo flight, Apollo 7 (Apollo 1 went up in flames on the launch pad during training, killing Grissom, White and Chaffee instantly).

[The Red Death 87]

17 hours ago, maryportfuncity said:

 

Aye, you'd have got long odds on that during the worst days of his alcoholism. The oldest member of the crew as well. 

I'm now getting some Betty White from The Golden Girls moments and vibes too!

[RoverAndOut 4,746]

As per the American list, I also did a list of the early cosmonauts who were still alive. While the Russian programs were smaller, it's more complicated as the Soviets started out with 20 candidates, of which 12 went into space on various programs, along with 3 who weren't in original 20.

 

From tests, 20 candidates were put forward to go to 'Star City' and train and, of these, 6 were selected for accelerated training and were known as the 'Vanguard Six', the Soviet equivalent of America's 'Mercury Seven'. During training, 2 of the 6 were replaced. The eight selected were:

 

Yuri Gargarin - First man in space on Vostok 1, b. 1934, d. 1968

Gherman Titov - First manned mission lasting a full day on Vostok 2, b. 1935, d. 2000

Andriyan Nikolayev - Part of first simultaneous manned flights on Vostok 3, Soyuz 9, b. 1929, d. 2004

Pavel Popovich - Part of first simultaneous manned flights on Vostok 4, b. 1930, d. 2009

Anatoly Kartashov - Suffered minor haemorrhaging in a centrifuge test and was replaced, never flew in space, b. 1932, d. 2005

Valentin Varlamov - Injured a cervical vertebra in a swimming accident during training and was replaced, never flew in space, b. 1934, d. 1980

Valery Bykovsky - Replaced Kartashov; longest solo orbital flight on Vostok 5, also flew on Soyuz 22 and 31, b. 1934, d. 2019

Grigori Nelyubov - Replaced Varlamov; dismissed from program in 1963 for drunk and disorderly conduct and committed suicide three years later, b. 1934, d. 1966

 

Of the remaining 12, 7 more went into space on various programs, as listed below:

 

Vladimir Komarov - Voskhod 1, Soyuz 1, first cosmonaut to go into space more than once, first man to die on a space mission when Soyuz 1 crash landed, b. 1927, d. 1967

Pavel Belyayev - Voskhod 2, b. 1925, d. 1970

Alexey Leonov - Voskhod 2, first spacewalk, Soviet commander of Apollo-Soyuz mission 1975, b. 1934, d. 2019

Yevgeny Khrunov - Soyuz 5/4, b. 1933, d. 2000

Boris Volynov - Soyuz 5, 21, b. 1934 (aged 86)

Georgy Shonin - Soyuz 6, b. 1935, d. 1997

Viktor Gorbatko - Soyuz 7, 24 and 37, b. 1934, d. 2017

 

The remaining 5 selected for initial cosmonaut training were:

 

Ivan Anikeyev - Dismissed from program in 1963 for drunk and disorderly conduct, never flew in space, b. 1933, d. 1992

Valentin Bondarenko - Died due to injuries sustained in a fire during a low pressure isolation experiment, never flew in space, b. 1937, d. 1961

Valentin Filatyev - Dismissed from program in 1963 for drunk and disorderly conduct, never flew in space, b. 1930, d. 1990

Mars Rafikov - Dismissed from program in 1962 for "a variety of offenses, including womanizing and 'gallivanting' in Moscow restaurants, and so forth", never flew in space, b. 1933, d. 2000

Dmitri Zaikin - Backup commander for Voskhod 2, left the space service in 1969 due to stomach ulcers while training for the Soyuz program, never flew in space, b. 1932, d. 2013

 

In addition to this, 3 cosmonauts went into space who were not part of the original 20. These were:

 

Valentina Tereshkova, Vostok 6, first woman in space, b. 1937 (aged 84)

Konstantin Feoktistov - Voskhod 1, first civilian in space, b. 1926, d. 2009

Boris Yegorov - Voskhod 1, first physician in space, b. 1937, d. 1994

 

Knowing where to stop the cosmonaut list is tricky, since the next program, Soyuz, started in 1967 and has continued ever since. I to list the first stage of Soyuz, up to the Soyuz 11 disaster in 1971, after which there was a 2 year gap. This roughly correlates with Apollo 17, the last pre-Space Shuttle astronaut mission.

 

(Vladimir Komarov, Soyuz 1 mentioned elsewhere)

Georgy Beregovoy - Soyuz 2, b. 1921, d. 1995

Vladimir Shatalov - Soyuz 4, 8 and 10, b. 1927 (aged 93)

Aleksei Yeliseyev - Soyuz 5/4. 8 and 10, b. 1934 (aged 86)

(Boris Volynov, Soyuz 5/4, 21 mentioned elsewhere)

Valeri Kubasov - Soyuz 6 and 19 (Apollo-Soyuz mission), b. 1935, d. 2014

(Georgy Shonin, Soyuz 6 mentioned elsewhere)

Anatoly Filipchenko - Soyuz 7 and 16, b. 1928 (aged 93)

Vladislav Volkov - Soyuz 7 and 11, b. 1935, d. 1971

(Viktor Gorbatko, Soyuz 7, 24 and 37 mentioned elsewhere)

Vitaly Sevastyanov - Soyuz 9 and 18, b. 1935, d. 2010

(Andriyan Nikolayev, Soyuz 9 mentioned elsewhere)

Nikolay Rukavishnikov - Soyuz 10, 16 and 33, b. 1932, d. 2002

Georgy Dobrovolsky - Soyuz 11, b. 1928, d. 1971

Viktor Patsayev - Soyuz 11, b. 1933, d. 1971

 

Soyuz 11 was the first craft to successfully dock with the Salyut space station. While re-entry was successful, all three cosmonauts were found dead in the capsule after a malfunction caused the capsule to depressurise.

 

The last year or two has seen the last member of the Vanguard Six pass away, and most of the other early survivors: only one of the original intake of 20 cosmonauts in 1959 is still going (Boris Volynov), plus Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space, who was part of the programme but not from the original intake. Only 4 cosmonauts from the first 11 Soyuz missions are still alive, which includes Volynov, and this takes the program up to 1972.

 

In early 2016, when I first did these lists, there were 21 Americans and 8 Soviets alive from missions up to 1972, this has now reduced in the past 5 years to just 13 Americans and only 5 Soviets. Still, who says communism isn't good for your health, eh?

[arghton 6,739]

On 28/04/2021 at 22:06, arghton said:

Soyuz 8: 2/2

Vladimir Shatalov (b. 1927)

Aleksei Yeliseyev (b. 1934)

Soyuz 9: None

Soyuz 10: 2/3

Vladimir Shatalov (b. 1927)

Aleksei Yeliseyev (b. 1934)

Soyuz 11: None

https://www.mk.ru/social/2021/06/15/umer-kosmonavt-vladimir-shatalov.html

Shatalov is dead.

[arghton 6,739]

https://news.mn/r/2449916/

Soyuz 39 reserve pilot Maidarjavyn Ganzorig dead at 71.

Both the actual Soyuz 39 crew members are still alive:

Vladimir Dzhanibekov (b. 1942) and Jügderdemidiin Gürragchaa (b. 1947) who was later Mongolia's defence minister 2000-2004.

 

All the backup crew of Soyuz 39 are now dead. Vladimir Lyakhov died in 2018.

[gcreptile 10,972]

On 28/04/2021 at 20:19, Slackhurst Broadcasting said:

Only four are still with us, and the youngest is 85. Any chance of a new moon mission in the next 15 years or so?

So the news say that Project Artemis aims to send Americans to the moon, but not before 2024. There's currently a bidding war for the private contract between Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk, with the latter apparently winning.

I wonder if any current moon astronauts are going to last that long.

[The Immortal 634]

Hubble Space Telescope commander Loren Shriver is someone to consider for Death pools, not in a good shape anymore it looks like https://www.eptrail.com/2021/07/19/col-loren-shriver-honored-by-town-board/.

 

Plenty of early shuttle era astronaut appearances at this year's Spacefest convention and majority of them are going strong, especially Jack Lousma. However I noticed Mike Mullane, astronaut/author who is actually one of my favorite authors (I still have and read once in a while his book, Riding Rockets) looked a bit more frail in the convention. 

[Bentrovato 1,088]

5 hours ago, TheSpinosaurus said:

Hubble Space Telescope commander Loren Shriver is someone to consider for Death pools, not in a good shape anymore it looks like https://www.eptrail.com/2021/07/19/col-loren-shriver-honored-by-town-board/.

 

Plenty of early shuttle era astronaut appearances at this year's Spacefest convention and majority of them are going strong, especially Jack Lousma. However I noticed Mike Mullane, astronaut/author who is actually one of my favorite authors (I still have and read once in a while his book, Riding Rockets) looked a bit more frail in the convention. 

I presume someone is keeping an eye on him.

[Lafaucheuse 4,051]

 

new pics from Buzz Aldrin : he seems quite healthy and post daily on his twitter. I might drop him from my shadow list in 2022. Need your opinion : what do you all think ? 

 

ps : what the f is this watch with 2 dials ?

[msc 18,473]

1 hour ago, Lafaucheuse said:

what do you all think ? 

 

I'd rather pick Buzz than Alan Greenspan, but I'd rather pick Frank Field than either. 

[TomTomTelekom 3,727]

NASA astronaut and U.S. Army Aviator Michael Clifford, with over 3,400 hours of flying time and 12 hours of spacewalk time, died at 69 years:

http://www.collectspace.com/news/news-122821a-nasa-astronaut-rich-clifford-obituary.html

He has flown aboard the Discovery, Endeavour, and Atlantis.

[The Immortal 634]

X-15 Pilot and Shuttle era veteran Joe Engle in a wheelchair and seemingly frail in a recent pic.

[alt obits guy 3,371]

Bjarni Tryggvason, who was part of Canada's original six space voyageurs, has died. He was 76. Tryggvason joined the Canadian space program in 1983 and flew his one and only mission aboard the space shuttle Discovery in 1997.

 

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/former-canadian-astronaut-bjarni-tryggvason-dead-1.6410863

[arghton 6,739]

On 28/04/2021 at 22:06, arghton said:

Soyuz 25: 2/2

Vladimir Kovalyonok (b. 1942)

Valery Ryumin (b. 1939)

...

 

Soyuz 32: 1/2

Valery Ryumin (b. 1939)

...

Soyuz 34: 1/2

Valery Ryumin (b. 1939)

Soyuz 35: 3/4

Leonid Popov (b. 1945)

Valery Ryumin (b. 1939)

Bertalan Farkas (b. 1949) Hungarian

...

Soviet cosmonaut Valery Ryumin reportedly dead at 82:

 

[The Immortal 634]

Current status of the Apollo astronauts from what I know.

 

Walt Cunningham (Apollo 7) - In good shape and still actively involved in events and stuff
Frank Borman (Apollo 8) - No longer appears in public since his wife's death, also the oldest living astronaut currently
Jim Lovell (Apollo 8 and Apollo 13) - No recent updates but I believe he's still doing well
William Anders (Apollo 8) - Rarely appears in public so not sure of his status, seemed okay at the most recent Apollo 8 reunion.
Jim McDivitt (Apollo 9) - Physically frail, but still mentally sharp
Rusty Schweickart (Apollo 9) - Actively involved in public life, in excellent shape and will not be going anytime soon
David Scott (Apollo 9 and Apollo 15) - No updates in a long time so not sure of his current status, but seemed frail from the most recent appearances I could find
Thomas Stafford (Apollo 10) - Needed assistance walking in Alexei Leonov's funeral back in 2019 and looks to have clearly declined since then, looking extremely frail now and is clearly not standing straight
Buzz Aldrin (Apollo 11) - In decent shape, still active but definitely not as much as he used to be, has slowed down quite a bit now
Fred Haise (Apollo 13) - Still active and doing well
Charles Duke (Apollo 16) - In excellent shape for his age, still quite active and makes regular public appearances, won't be going anytime soon
Harrison Schmitt (Apollo 17) - Same as Charlie Duke but in even better shape, I'd say he's probably going to be the last moonwalker standing assuming we don't have any in the next 10-15 years

 

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

[Deathrace 1,171]

Photo of Charles Duke visiting UK Space Command yesterday. Looks pretty amazing for 86. 

[YoungWillz 21,047]

On 29/04/2021 at 19:41, RoverAndOut said:

As per the American list, I also did a list of the early cosmonauts who were still alive. While the Russian programs were smaller, it's more complicated as the Soviets started out with 20 candidates, of which 12 went into space on various programs, along with 3 who weren't in original 20.

 

SNIP

 

Knowing where to stop the cosmonaut list is tricky, since the next program, Soyuz, started in 1967 and has continued ever since. I to list the first stage of Soyuz, up to the Soyuz 11 disaster in 1971, after which there was a 2 year gap. This roughly correlates with Apollo 17, the last pre-Space Shuttle astronaut mission.

 

(Vladimir Komarov, Soyuz 1 mentioned elsewhere)

Georgy Beregovoy - Soyuz 2, b. 1921, d. 1995

Vladimir Shatalov - Soyuz 4, 8 and 10, b. 1927 (aged 93)

Aleksei Yeliseyev - Soyuz 5/4. 8 and 10, b. 1934 (aged 86)

(Boris Volynov, Soyuz 5/4, 21 mentioned elsewhere)

Valeri Kubasov - Soyuz 6 and 19 (Apollo-Soyuz mission), b. 1935, d. 2014

(Georgy Shonin, Soyuz 6 mentioned elsewhere)

Anatoly Filipchenko - Soyuz 7 and 16, b. 1928 (aged 93)

Vladislav Volkov - Soyuz 7 and 11, b. 1935, d. 1971

(Viktor Gorbatko, Soyuz 7, 24 and 37 mentioned elsewhere)

Vitaly Sevastyanov - Soyuz 9 and 18, b. 1935, d. 2010

(Andriyan Nikolayev, Soyuz 9 mentioned elsewhere)

Nikolay Rukavishnikov - Soyuz 10, 16 and 33, b. 1932, d. 2002

Georgy Dobrovolsky - Soyuz 11, b. 1928, d. 1971

Viktor Patsayev - Soyuz 11, b. 1933, d. 1971

Not sure how reliable, but report of Anatoly Filipchenko having died: 

 

[Bibliogryphon 9,582]

46 minutes ago, YoungWillz said:

Not sure how reliable, but report of Anatoly Filipchenko having died: 

 

 

On Euronews website