L. Gordon Cooper Jr.

L. Gordon Cooper Jr.

L. Gordon Cooper Jr. (Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr.) was born on March 6th, 1927. L. Gordon passed away October 4th, 2004 at 77 years old. L. Gordon Cooper Jr. was born in Shawnee, OK, USA. Cooper Jr. attended Air University where he received a Bachelor of Science degree in Aerospace Engineering. He also attended the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and the University of Maryland, College Park.

L. Gordon Cooper Jr. was an American aerospace test pilot, engineer, and U.S. Air Force pilot. He was the youngest of the original astronauts in the first human space program of the United States nicknamed Project Mercury.

Cooper’s book Leap of Faith is an interesting book that includes several good photos. It's also an easy read that can be finished in one or two sittings. It begins with Gordon’s learning to fly his father’s plane at a very young age. He had to use blocks since he was too small. He later got a pilot’s license without much difficulty. As an adult, Gordon often took his mother on flights.

Gordon joined the Marines as a rifleman but only stayed for a short time before returning to school. He later joined the Air Force, where his prior flying experience made training much easier. He flew various fast jets and eventually became a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base. He was later given confidential orders to report to NASA, where he underwent a rigorous selection process and became one of the Mercury 7 astronauts.

He piloted the final Mercury mission and performed exceptionally well. He later flew in the Gemini program, though just before the mission, he argued with Williams, the third-ranking official at NASA. Frustrated, Gordon buzzed NASA headquarters in a jet, which nearly got him grounded, but he was ultimately cleared to fly. He encountered a serious issue during the Gemini mission when the spacecraft’s systems started shutting down. He was forced to manually land the spacecraft which he successfully did. After the mission, Williams acknowledged his skill, telling him, “You were the right person for the job.” Gordon received a ticker-tape parade and was celebrated as a hero.

Gordon became increasingly frustrated with NASA leadership as he was repeatedly sidelined from Apollo missions and was only assigned as a backup. Realizing he might never get another chance to fly, he decided to retire from NASA. He was offered the possibility of being promoted to Brigadier General if he stayed in the Air Force, but since regulations prohibited generals from flying single-seat jets, he retired as a Colonel instead.

Gordon later spoke about a UFO sighting he had while flying over Germany. But his allegations were of the sightings were officially dismissed as a weather balloon. However, he skeptically remarked, “That’s the first weather balloon I’ve ever seen with landing gear.” He also discussed Project Blue Book and UFO investigations. His open-minded approach continued as he suggested that extra-terrestrial intelligence may have already visited Earth.

Later in life, he worked with a company that discovered a 3,000-year-old archaeological site predating the Mayans and Incas. Instead of exploiting the artifacts, he ensured they were properly turned over to authorities. He then became a Vice President at Disney where he worked on advanced technology projects.

L. Gordon Cooper Jr.: F.A.Q