PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — When the original 7 astronauts were chosen for the Mercury program in 1959, they all became international stars. When the US first sent chimpanzees into space in test flights, legendary test pilot Chuck Yeager said the astronauts were just “Spam in a can.”
Alan Shepard went first, then John Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth. One by one they went until the last of the original 7 took off.
Gordon Cooper.
On May 15, 1963, Gordo — as he was known — blasted off from Cape Canaveral on Faith 7 for a 34-hour mission. He became the first astronaut to sleep while in orbit, and also famously slept while awaiting liftoff.
Cooper later flew in the Gemini program and was picked for Apollo, but retired in 1970 after being passed over for a slot on Apollo 13.
He was married twice, and his first wife, Trudy, was born in Seattle. He died October 4, 2004 at the age of 77.
But it’s quite possible that if you know anything at all about Gordon Cooper, you remember him from this scene in “The Right Stuff” when he’s asked who was the best pilot he ever saw.