Famous Test Pilots

Neil Armstrong was born August 5, 1930, in Wapakoneta, Ohio. He developed a strong interest in aviation as a child. This led him to get his student pilot's license before driving. He sharpened his piloting skills while getting an aeronautical engineering degree from Purdue University. Armstrong flew 78 combat missions as a naval aviator in the Korean War. His space journey started when he began his mission.

Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr. (June 2, 1930 – July 8, 1999) served as a Captain in the USN. He was an American NASA astronaut, aeronautical engineer, naval officer, aviator, and test pilot. During the Apollo 12 mission, Conrad became the third person to walk on the Moon. NASA selected Conrad for its second astronaut class. Conrad set an eight-day space endurance record with Command Pilot Gordon Cooper on the Gemini 5 mission. Conrad also commanded the Gemini 11 mission. Conrad became the third human to walk on the moon during Apollo 12. After Apollo, he commanded Skylab 2, the first.

Virgil Ivan "Gus" Grissom (April 3, 1926 – January 27, 1967) was one of the seven original National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Project Mercury astronauts. Grissom was the first of the Mercury Seven to die. He also flew on Project Gemini and Apollo programs. Grissom was the second American to fly in space. He was the first member of the NASA Astronaut Corps to fly in space twice. Grissom served as a World War II and Korean War veteran. He was a U.S. Air Force test pilot and a mechanical engineer. Grissom earned the Distinguished Flying Cross and the Air Medal with an oak leaf.

Rear Admiral Alan Bartlett Shepard Jr. (November 18, 1923 – July 21, 1998) was an astronaut, naval aviator, test pilot, and businessman. In 1961, Shepard became the first American to travel into space. He walked on the Moon in 1971. Shepard graduated from the United States Naval Academy at Annapolis. He saw action with the surface navy during World War II. He became a naval aviator in 1946 and a test pilot in 1950. Shepard was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts in 1959. In May 1961, he made the first crewed Project Mercury flight, MR-3, in a spacecraft he named Fre.

James Lovell was a hero in the American space program. He piloted NASA's Gemini 7 mission and commanded Gemini 12 before facing the challenge of commanding Apollo 13. He returned safely to Earth after a system failure nearly took everyone aboard. Lovell's actions on the Apollo 13 mission formed the basis for Ron Howard's 1994 Oscar-winning film of the same name. This preserved Lovell's status as a top figure in space history, a status he held since 1962.

William Reid Pogue (January 23, 1930 – March 3, 2014), a Colonel in the USAF, was an American astronaut, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot, and test pilot. He also taught, spoke publicly, and wrote books. Pogue grew up and got his education in Oklahoma. He went to college and joined the United States Air Force. He served 24 years. Pogue flew combat during the Korean War with the elite USAF Thunderbirds. He served as a flight instructor and a mathematics professor. Pogue also served as a test pilot, including two years with the RAF in the UK. Colonel Pogue was an Air Force instructor.

Eileen Marie Collins (born November 19, 1956) retired as a NASA astronaut and a United States Air Force colonel. Collins was a former military instructor and test pilot. She became the first female pilot and first female commander of a Space Shuttle. She earned several medals for her work. Colonel Collins logged 38 days, 8 hours, and 20 minutes in outer space. Collins retired on May 1, 2006, to pursue private interests, including serving on the USAA board.

Frank Frederick Borman II (March 14, 1928 - November 7, 2023) was an American retired United States Air Force (USAF) colonel. He was an aeronautical engineer, NASA astronaut, test pilot, and businessman. Borman commanded Apollo 8, the first mission to circle the Moon. Borman, along with crewmates Jim Lovell and William Anders, became the first of 24 humans to complete that mission. The Congressional Space Medal of Honor went to him for this achievement.

Walter Marty Schirra Jr. (March 12, 1923 – May 3, 2007), a USN Captain (Ret.), was an American naval aviator and NASA astronaut. In 1959, he became one of the original seven astronauts for Project Mercury, the United States' first human space effort. On October 3, 1962, he flew the six-orbit, nine-hour, Mercury-Atlas 8 mission in a spacecraft he called Sigma 7. During his mission in Sigma 7, Schirra became the fifth American and ninth human to travel into space. In the Gemini program, he achieved the first space rendezvous and station-keeping.

Lisa Marie Nowak (née Caputo, born May 10, 1963) is an American former naval flight officer and NASA astronaut. Nowak was born in Washington, D.C. NASA selected her in 1996 and qualified her as a mission specialist in robotics. Nowak flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery during the STS-121 mission in July 2006. She operated the shuttle's robotic arms and the International Space Station. On February 5, 2007, Nowak was arrested in Orlando, Florida. She faced charges for attempting to kidnap U.S. Air Force Captain Colleen Shipman, who was romantically involved.

Leroy Gordon "Gordo" Cooper Jr. (March 6, 1927 – October 4, 2004) was an American aerospace engineer and test pilot. He served as a United States Air Force pilot. Cooper was the youngest of the seven original Project Mercury astronauts. Cooper learned to fly as a child. He served in the United States Marine Corps during World War II. Cooper joined the United States Air Force in 1949. After fighting as a fighter pilot, he became a test pilot in 1956. The U.S. selected him as an astronaut in 1959. Cooper piloted the longest and last Mercury mission in 1963.

Sunita Pandya Lyn Williams (born September 19, 1965) is an American astronaut and a United States Navy officer of Indo-Slovenian descent. Williams held the records for the most spacewalks by a woman (seven) and the most spacewalk time by a woman (50 hours, 40 minutes). Williams served on the International Space Station as a member of Expedition 14 and Expedition 15. In 2012, she acted as a flight engineer on Expedition 32 and then commander of Expedition 33.

Joseph Albert Walker (February 20, 1921 – June 8, 1966) (Capt, USAF) was an American World War II pilot, experimental physicist, NASA test pilot, and astronaut. Walker flew the North American X-15, an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA. In 1963, Walker made three flights above 50 miles, qualifying as an astronaut by the United States definition of space. X-15 Flights 90 and 91 also surpassed the Kármán line, the 100-kilometer (62.14-mile) boundary.

Jeffrey Shears "Bones" Ashby (born June 16, 1954) is an American mechanical engineer, former naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. Ashby served on three Space Shuttle missions. He is a retired Captain in the U.S. Navy. He now works for Blue Origin as chief of mission assurance.

Robert Henry Lawrence Jr. (October 2, 1935 – December 8, 1967) was a United States Air Force officer. Lawrence became the first African-American astronaut.

Frank, Viscount De Winne (born April 25, 1961, in Ledeberg, Belgium) is a Belgian Air Component officer and an ESA astronaut. De Winne is Belgium's second person in space, following Dirk Frimout. De Winne commanded the ISS Expedition 21, making him the first ESA astronaut to lead a mission. Currently, ESA astronaut De Winne heads the European Astronaut Centre of the European Space Agency in Cologne/Germany (Köln).

Chris Austin Hadfield, born August 29, 1959, is a Canadian retired astronaut, engineer, and former Royal Canadian Air Force fighter pilot. Hadfield became the first Canadian to walk in space. He flew two Space Shuttle missions and commanded the International Space Station. He grew up on a farm in southern Ontario. Watching the Apollo 11 Moon landing on TV inspired him as a child. He attended high school in Oakville and Milton. Hadfield earned his glider pilot license as a member of the Royal Canadian Air Cadets. He joined the Canadian Armed Forces and earned an engineering degree.

John Herschel Glenn Jr., born July 18, 1921, died December 8, 2016, was a United States Marine Corps aviator, engineer, astronaut, businessman, and politician. Glenn became the first American to orbit the Earth, circling it three times in 1962. After leaving NASA, he served as a Democratic United States Senator from Ohio from 1974 to 1999. Glenn flew into space again in 1998 at age 77. Before NASA, Glenn was a distinguished fighter pilot in World War II, China, and Korea. He shot down three MiG-15s. He received six Distinguished Flying Crosses and eighteen Air Medals. In 1957, he mad

Rakesh Sharma, born January 13, 1949, is a former Indian Air Force pilot. Sharma flew aboard Soyuz T-11, which launched on April 2, 1984, as part of the Interkosmos programme. Sharma is the first and only Indian citizen to travel in space. Other Indian origin cosmonauts and astronauts exist.

Thomas Patten Stafford, born September 17, 1930, is an American former Air Force officer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. Stafford graduated from the United States Naval Academy. He then commissioned in the United States Air Force, flying the F-86 Sabre before becoming a test pilot. NASA selected Stafford as an astronaut in 1962. He flew aboard Gemini 6A and Gemini 9. In 1969, Stafford commanded Apollo 10. This mission was the second crewed flight to orbit the Moon and the first to fly a Lunar Module in lunar orbit, descending to nine miles. In 1975, Stafford was

Stephen Nathaniel Frick, born September 30, 1964, is an American astronaut and a veteran of two Space Shuttle missions. Frick grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Pine-Richland High School in 1982. Frick earned an aerospace engineering degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1986. He became a United States Navy officer and trained as an F/A-18 fighter pilot. Frick flew combat missions aboard the carrier USS Saratoga during the Gulf War. He earned a master's degree in aeronautical engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1994. Frick was selected a

Robert Lee Curbeam, Jr., born March 5, 1962, is a former NASA astronaut and a United States Navy captain. Curbeam graduated from Woodlawn High School in Baltimore County, Maryland, in 1980. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the United States Naval Academy in 1984. He obtained a Master of Science in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1990. He also earned a master's degree in Astronautical Engineering from the Naval Postgraduate School in 1991. Curbeam is a member of the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and the Association of Old Crows.

James Benson "Jim" Irwin (March 17, 1930 – August 8, 1991) was an American astronaut, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and United States Air Force pilot. Irwin served as the Apollo 15 Lunar Module pilot. He was the eighth person to walk on the Moon and the first, and youngest, astronaut to die.

Philippe Perrin was a French test pilot and former astronaut for CNES and the European Space Agency. He was born January 6, 1963.

Ellison Shoji Onizuka (エリソン・ショージ・オニヅカ, 鬼塚 承次, Onizuka Shōji, June 24, 1946 – January 28, 1986) was an American astronaut and engineer from Kealakekua, Hawaii. Onizuka flew aboard the Space Shuttle Discovery on STS-51-C. He died during the destruction of the Space Shuttle Challenger while serving as Mission Specialist for mission STS-51-L. He was the first Asian American and the first person of Japanese ancestry to reach space.

James Patrick "Mash" Dutton, Jr., born November 20, 1968, is a NASA astronaut pilot in the Class of 2004 (NASA Group 19). Dutton was also a former test pilot in the U.S. Air Force, holding the rank of colonel.

Stuart Allen "Stu" Roosa (August 16, 1933 – December 12, 1994), Col., USAF, was an American aeronautical engineer, pilot, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. Roosa served as the Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 mission, which ran from January 31 to February 9, 1971. The mission landed astronauts Alan Shepard and Edgar Mitchell on the Moon. Roosa conducted experiments from orbit in the Command Module Kitty Hawk. He orbited the Moon 34 times.

Elliot McKay See Jr. (July 23, 1927 – February 28, 1966) was an American engineer, naval aviator, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. The United States Merchant Marine Academy appointed See in 1945. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in marine engineering and a U.S. Navy Reserve commission. As an engineer, See joined General Electric's Aircraft Gas Turbine Division. During the Korean War, See served as a naval aviator flying Grumman F9F Panther fighters with Fighter Squadron 144 (VF-144) from the USS Randolph.

Douglas Harry "Wheels" Wheelock, born May 5, 1960, is an American engineer and astronaut. Wheelock logged 178 days in space aboard the Space Shuttle, International Space Station, and Russian Soyuz. On July 12, 2011, Wheelock announced a return to active duty with the United States Army for Operation Enduring Freedom.

David Mathieson "Dave" Walker (May 20, 1944 – April 23, 2001), Capt., USN, was an American naval officer and aviator. He served as a fighter pilot, test pilot, and former NASA astronaut. Walker flew four Space Shuttle missions during the 1980s and 1990s.

Brian Duffy (born June 20, 1953, Boston, Massachusetts) retired as a U.S. Air Force colonel and became a former NASA astronaut. Duffy flew aboard four Space Shuttle missions.

Richard Noel "Dick" Richards (born August 24, 1946), Capt., USN, Ret., was an American naval officer and aviator. He served as a test pilot, chemical engineer, and former NASA astronaut. Richards flew four Space Shuttle missions during the 1980s and 1990s.

Michel Ange-Charles Tognini (born September 30, 1949 in Vincennes, France) is a French test pilot and Brigadier General in the French Air Force. He was a former CNES and ESA astronaut. From 01.01.2005 to 01.11.2011, he headed the European Astronaut Centre of the European Space Agency. Tognini logged 19 days in space during two flights. He accumulated 4000 flight hours on 80 aircraft, including the MiG-25 and Tupolev 154. Tognini speaks English and Russian.

Curtis Lee "Curt" Brown Jr. (born March 11, 1956) is a former NASA astronaut and retired United States Air Force colonel.

Alfred Merrill "Al" Worden (born February 7, 1932), Col., USAF, Ret., was an American astronaut and engineer. Worden piloted the Command Module for the Apollo 15 lunar mission in 1971. He was one of only 24 people who flew to the Moon, orbiting it 74 times in the Command Module Endeavour.

Fred Wallace Haise Jr. (HAYZ; born November 14, 1933) is an American former NASA astronaut and test pilot. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force. Haise flew as the Lunar Module Pilot on Apollo 13. The Apollo 13 mission aborted before lunar landing. He flew Space Shuttle Approach and Landing Tests in 1977 and retired from NASA in 1979.

William Cameron "Willie" McCool (September 23, 1961 – February 1, 2003), Cmdr, USN, was an American naval officer and astronaut. He piloted the Space Shuttle Columbia mission STS-107. Columbia disintegrated during re-entry into the atmosphere, killing McCool and the rest of the crew. McCool was the youngest male crew member and received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor posthumously.

Malcolm Scott Carpenter (May 1, 1925 – October 10, 2013), Cmdr, USN, was an American naval officer and astronaut. Carpenter became one of the Mercury Seven astronauts selected by NASA in April 1959. Carpenter was the second American to orbit the Earth after John Glenn. Carpenter was the fourth American in space, following Alan Shepard, Gus Grissom, and Glenn. Carpenter joined the U.S. Navy in 1949; he flew a Lockheed P-2 Neptune with Patrol Squadron 6 (VP-6) on reconnaissance missions.

Alan LaVern Bean (March 15, 1932 – May 26, 2018) was an American naval officer, aviator, aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and NASA astronaut. He became the fourth person to walk on the Moon. NASA selected him as an astronaut in 1963 for Astronaut Group 3. Bean made his first space flight aboard Apollo 12, the second crewed mission to land on the Moon, at age 37 in November 1969. He made his final space flight on the Skylab 3 mission in 1973, the second crewed mission to the Skylab space station. He retired from the United States Navy in 1975 and NAS.

Michael López-Alegría (born May 30, 1958) is an American astronaut. He completed three Space Shuttle missions and one International Space Station mission. López-Alegría performed ten spacewalks in his career. He currently holds the second longest all-time EVA duration record. He also holds the third longest spaceflight record for an American, lasting 215 days aboard the ISS from September 18, 2006, to April 21, 2007. He is married to Daria Robinson of Geneva, Switzerland.

Svetlana Yevgenyevna Savitskaya (Russian: Светла́на Евге́ньевна Сави́цкая; born August 8, 1948) is a retired Soviet aviator and cosmonaut. She flew aboard Soyuz T-7 in 1982, making her the second woman in space. On her 1984 mission, she became the first woman to fly to space twice and the first woman to perform a spacewalk. Savitskaya set several FAI world records as a pilot.

Dominic Anthony "Tony" Antonelli (born August 23, 1967) is a retired NASA astronaut. Antonelli was born in Detroit, Michigan, but grew up in Indiana and North Carolina. He is married and has two children.

James Francis Reilly II (born March 18, 1954) is an American geologist and former NASA astronaut. Reilly flew on three space shuttle missions: STS-89, STS-104, and STS-117. Reilly currently directs the United States Geological Survey.

James Frederick Buchli (born June 20, 1945 in New Rockford, North Dakota) is a retired United States Marine aviator and former NASA astronaut. Buchli flew on four Space Shuttle missions.

Guy Spence Gardner (born January 6, 1948) is a United States Air Force officer and former astronaut. Gardner holds the rank of colonel. He flew as a pilot on two Space Shuttle missions, STS-27 and STS-35. Gardner also served as the 12th president of the Williamson Free School of Mechanical Trades.

Alan Goodwin "Dex" Poindexter (November 5, 1961 – July 1, 2012) was an American naval officer and NASA astronaut. Poindexter joined the 1998 NASA Group (G17) and went into orbit aboard Space Shuttle missions STS-122 and STS-131.

Mark Edward Kelly, born February 21, 1964, is an American politician, former astronaut, engineer, and U.S. Navy captain. He also writes books, acts as a political activist, and serves as an aerospace executive and consultant. Kelly is married to former U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords. As a naval aviator, he flew combat missions during the Gulf War. NASA selected him as a Space Shuttle pilot in 1996. He flew his first mission in 2001 as pilot of STS-108. He piloted STS-121 in 2006 and commanded STS-124 in 2008 and STS-134 in 2011. STS-134 marked his final mission and the Space Shuttle program's last mission.

James Bond Stockdale (December 23, 1923 – July 5, 2005) held the rank of United States Navy vice admiral and aviator. The Medal of Honor went to him for actions in the Vietnam War. He became a prisoner of war for over seven years. Commander Stockdale led aerial attacks from the USS Ticonderoga (CVA-14) during the 1964 Gulf of Tonkin incident. During a later deployment, he commanded Carrier Air Wing Sixteen aboard the USS Oriskany (CV-34). His A-4 Skyhawk jet was shot down in North Vietnam on September 9, 1965.

Christopher J. Ferguson was born September 1, 1961. He is a Boeing commercial astronaut and a retired United States Navy Captain and NASA astronaut. Ferguson piloted the Space Shuttle Atlantis on mission STS-115, which launched September 9, 2006, and returned September 21, 2006. He then commanded STS-126 aboard Space Shuttle Endeavour. In 2011, he commanded STS-135, the final space shuttle mission. Ferguson retired from NASA on December 9, 2011, becoming director of Crew and Mission Operations for Boeing's Commercial Crew Program.

Henry Warren "Hank" Hartsfield Jr., born November 21, 1933, died July 17, 2014, was a United States Air Force officer and a USAF and NASA astronaut. Hartsfield logged over 480 hours in space.