Astronauts
- Theodore Freeman, (COE: MSAE 1960), one of the third group of astronauts selected by NASA. Died in T-38 crash at Ellington Air Force Base.
- Karl G. Henize, (Ph.D. 1954), STS-51-F, 1985.
- James Irwin, (COE: MSAE 1957), Apollo 15, 1971. He was the first man to drive a lunar rover on the Moon.
- Jack Lousma, (COE: BSAE 1959), Skylab 3 1973; STS-3, 1982.
- James McDivitt, (COE: BSE AA 1959, ScD hon. 1965), graduated first in his class. Command Pilot Gemini 4, 1965; Commander Apollo 9; Program Manager for Apollo 12—16. Brigadier general, U.S. Air Force; vice president (ret.), Rockwell International Corporation
- David Scott, (MDNG: 1949–1950; ScD hon. 1971), Apollo 15, 1971.
- Edward White, (COE: MSAE 1959), Hon. PhD (Astronautics) 1965, first American to walk in space (Gemini 4), 1965; died in Apollo 1 test accident, 1967.
- Alfred Worden, (COE: MSAE 1964, Scd hon. 1971), Apollo 15, 1971.
A campus plaza was named for McDivitt and White in 1965 to honor their accomplishments on the Gemini IV spacewalk. (At the time of its dedication, the plaza was near the engineering program's facilities, but the College of Engineering has since been moved. The campus plaza honoring them remains.) Two NASA spaceflights have been crewed entirely by University of Michigan degree-holders: Gemini IV by James McDivitt and Edward White in 1965 and Apollo 15 by Alfred Worden, David Scott and James Irwin (honorary degree) in 1971. The Apollo 15 astronauts left a 45-word plaque on the moon establishing its own chapter of the University of Michigan Alumni Association.
Read more about this topic: List Of University Of Michigan Alumni, Alumni
Famous quotes containing the word astronauts:
“Just opening up the door, having this ordinary person fly, says a lot for the future. You can always equate astronauts with explorers who were subsidized. Now you are getting someone going just to observe. And then you’ll have the settlers.”
—Christa McAuliffe (1948–1986)