John W. Young served as the commander of the first space shuttle mission.
The following sections of this BookRags Literature Study Guide is offprint from Gale's For Students Series: Presenting Analysis, Context, and Criticism on Commonly Studied Works: Introduction, Author Biography, Plot Summary, Characters, Themes, Style, Historical Context, Critical Overview, Criticism and Critical Essays, Media Adaptations, Topics for Further Study, Compare & Contrast, What Do I Read Next?, For Further Study, and Sources.
(c)1998-2002; (c)2002 by Gale. Gale is an imprint of The Gale Group, Inc., a division of Thomson Learning, Inc. Gale and Design and Thomson Learning are trademarks used herein under license.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Encyclopedia of Popular Fiction: "Social Concerns", "Thematic Overview", "Techniques", "Literary Precedents", "Key Questions", "Related Titles", "Adaptations", "Related Web Sites". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
The following sections, if they exist, are offprint from Beacham's Guide to Literature for Young Adults: "About the Author", "Overview", "Setting", "Literary Qualities", "Social Sensitivity", "Topics for Discussion", "Ideas for Reports and Papers". (c)1994-2005, by Walton Beacham.
All other sections in this Literature Study Guide are owned and copyrighted by BookRags, Inc.
John W. Young served as the commander of the first space shuttle mission.
American Astronaut 1930-
Born in San Francisco on September 24, 1930, John W. Young received a bachelor of science degree in aeronautical engineering from Georgia Institute of Technology in 1952. Following graduation Young joined the U.S. Navy. After receiving flight training he was assigned to a fighter squadron. In 1959, after passing test pilot training, Young was assigned to the Naval Air Test Center and set time-to-climb records. He retired from the Navy in 1976.
In 1962 the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) selected Young as an astronaut candidate. On March 23, 1965, he flew on Gemini 3 (the first piloted Gemini mission), and he was on Gemini 10 in 1966. In 1969 Young operated the command module of Apollo 10, and in 1972 he was in command of the Apollo 16 mission to Descartes.
Young served as the commander of the first space shuttle mission in April 1981. His final mission was aboard Columbia in 1983. Young's shared record for the most spaceflights, six, was broken in 2002 by Jerry Ross.
In 1973 Young became chief of the Space Shuttle Branch of the Astronaut Office. A year later he was chosen to be chief of the Astronaut Office. He is the associate director (technical) at Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Apollo (Volume 3);; Apollo Lunar Landing Sites (Volume 3);; Gemini (Volume 3);; History of Humans in Space (Volume 3);; Lunar Rovers (Volume 3);; Nasa (Volume 3);; Space Shuttle (Volume 3).
Ellis, Lee A. Who's Who of NASA Astronauts. New York: Americana Group, 2001.