View source for Biography:Richard F. Gordon Jr.

{{short description|American astronaut}}
{{other people|Richard Gordon}}
{{Infobox astronaut
|name         = Richard F. Gordon Jr.
|image        = RichardFGordon.jpg
|caption      = Gordon in 1964
|type         = [[Organization:NASA|NASA]] [[Astronaut|astronaut]]
|birth_name   = Richard Francis Gordon Jr.
|birth_place  = Seattle, {{wipe|Washington (state)}}, U.S.
|death_date   = {{death date and age|2017|11|6|1929|10|5}}
|death_place  = San Marcos, California, U.S.
|restingplace = Arlington National Cemetery
|education    = [[Organization:University of Washington|University of Washington]] (BS)<br>[[Organization:Naval Postgraduate School|Naval Postgraduate School]]
|rank         = Captain, USN
|selection    = 1963 NASA Group 3
|eva1         = 2
|eva2         = 2 hours 41 minutes
|time         = 13d 3h 53m
|mission      = [[Astronomy:Gemini 11|Gemini 11]], [[Engineering:Apollo 12|Apollo 12]]
|insignia     = [[File:Gemini 11 patch.png|40px]] [[File:Apollo 12 insignia.png|49px]]
|date of ret  = January 1, 1972
|awards       = Distinguished Flying Cross (2)<br/>Distinguished Service Medal<br/>NASA Distinguished Service Medal<br/>NASA Exceptional Service Medal
}}
'''Richard Francis "Dick" Gordon Jr.''' (October 5, 1929&nbsp;– November 6, 2017) was an American naval officer and aviator, test pilot, and [[Organization:NASA|NASA]] [[Astronaut|astronaut]], and a football executive. He was one of [[Astronomy:List of Apollo astronauts#Apollo astronauts who flew to the Moon without landing|24 people to have flown to the Moon]], as command module pilot of the 1969 [[Engineering:Apollo 12|Apollo 12]] mission, which orbited the Moon 45 times.<ref>[https://history.nasa.gov/SP-4029/Apollo_12a_Summary.htm NASA Apollo 12 summary page]</ref> Gordon had already flown in space as the pilot of the 1966 [[Astronomy:Gemini 11|Gemini 11]] mission.

==Biography==
===Early life and education===
Gordon was born in Seattle, Washington, on October 5, 1929, the first of five children of Richard Francis Gordon (1905–1963), a machinist, and his wife, Angela Frances Gordon ({{née}} Sullivan; 1904–1984), an elementary school teacher.<ref name=NYTimes /> He was a Boy Scout, and earned the rank of Star Scout.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scouting.org/About/FactSheets/scouting_space.aspx |title=Scouting and Space Exploration |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304032406/http://www.scouting.org/about/factsheets/scouting_space.aspx |archive-date=March 4, 2016 }}</ref> He graduated from North Kitsap High School in Poulsbo, Washington, in 1947, then entered the [[Organization:University of Washington|University of Washington]], from where he  received a Bachelor of Science degree in [[Chemistry:Chemistry|chemistry]] in 1951 and he was also a member of Phi Sigma Kappa.<ref name="auto" />

===Naval career===
After graduating from college, Gordon joined the United States Navy, and received his wings as a Naval Aviator in 1953. He then attended All-Weather Flight School and [[Engineering:Jet aircraft|jet]] transitional training, and was subsequently assigned to an all-weather fighter squadron at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, Florida.<ref name="auto" />

In 1957, he attended the United States Naval Test Pilot School at [[Engineering:Naval Air Station Patuxent River|Naval Air Station Patuxent River]], Maryland, and served as a flight test pilot until 1960. During this tour of duty, he did flight test work on the [[Engineering:Vought F-8 Crusader|F-8U Crusader]], [[Engineering:Grumman F-11 Tiger|F-11F Tiger]], North American FJ Fury, and [[Engineering:Douglas A-4 Skyhawk|A-4D Skyhawk]], and was the first project test pilot for the [[Engineering:McDonnell Douglas F-4 Phantom II|F4H-1 Phantom II]]. He served with Fighter Squadron 121 (VF-121) at the Naval Air Station Miramar, {{wipe|California}}, as a flight instructor in the F4H-1 and participated in the introduction of that aircraft to the Atlantic and Pacific Fleets. He was also flight safety officer, assistant operations officer, and ground training officer for Fighter Squadron 96 (VF-96) at Miramar. He logged more than 4,500 hours flying time with 3,500 hours of those hours in [[Engineering:Jet aircraft|jet aircraft]]. He was also a student at the U.S. [[Organization:Naval Postgraduate School|Naval Postgraduate School]] at Monterey, California.<ref name="auto" />

He won the Bendix Trophy race from {{wipe|Los Angeles}} to {{wipe|New York City}} in May 1961, flying an F4H-1 in which he established a new speed record of 869.74 miles per hour and a transcontinental speed record of 2 hours and 47 minutes.<ref name="auto" /><ref>Grossnick, Roy A. [http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART09.PDF "Part 9 – The Sixth Decade 1960–1969."] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080227180919/http://www.history.navy.mil/avh-1910/PART09.PDF |date=February 27, 2008 }} ''history.navy.mil.'' Retrieved: July 21, 2010.</ref>

===NASA career===
[[File:Richard F. Gordon.jpg|left|thumb|Gordon poses in his Apollo 12 space suit]]
Gordon was one of the third group of astronauts, named by NASA in October 1963, being the oldest astronaut in his selection. He had been a finalist for the second selection, in 1962.<ref name="auto" />

====Project Gemini====
{{Main|Astronomy:Gemini 11}}
[[File:S66-54653 PR.jpg|right|thumb|Gordon during his Gemini 11 flight]]
[[File:Astronaut Richard Gordon attaches a tether line from his spacecraft to Agena.jpg|left|thumb|Gordon during his Gemini 11 EVA]]
Gordon served as backup pilot for the [[Astronomy:Gemini 8|Gemini 8]] flight. In September 1966, he made his first space flight, as pilot of [[Astronomy:Gemini 11|Gemini 11]], alongside [[Biography:Pete Conrad|Pete Conrad]]. At the time, the flight set an altitude record of {{convert|1,369|km|miles}}, which still stands as the highest-apogee Earth orbit.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/gemini/gemini-xi/gemini-xi.html|title=Gordon|website=NASA|access-date=August 14, 2016|archive-date=February 1, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120201213341/http://science.ksc.nasa.gov/history/gemini/gemini-xi/gemini-xi.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="nasaremem">{{cite web|url=https://www.nasa.gov/astronautprofiles/gordon|title=Remembering Dick Gordon|date=November 7, 2017|access-date=November 9, 2017|publisher=NASA|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108052706/https://www.nasa.gov/astronautprofiles/gordon/|archive-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref> Gordon was already good friends with Conrad, who had once been his roommate on the [[Engineering:Aircraft carrier|aircraft carrier]] {{USS|Ranger|CV-61|6}}. On the flight, Gordon performed two [[Astronomy:Extravehicular activity|spacewalks]], which included attaching a tether to the [[Engineering:RM-81 Agena|Agena]] and retrieving a nuclear emulsion experiment package.<ref name="auto">{{cite web | url=https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/gordon_richard_0.pdf | title=Biographical Data: Richard F. Gordon Jr. | publisher=NASA | access-date=February 19, 2021 }}</ref>

====Apollo program====
{{Main|Engineering:Apollo 12}}

Gordon was subsequently assigned as backup command module pilot for [[Engineering:Apollo 9|Apollo 9]]. In November 1969, he flew as command module pilot of [[Engineering:Apollo 12|Apollo 12]], the second crewed mission to land on the Moon. While his crewmates, [[Biography:Pete Conrad|Pete Conrad]] and Alan Bean, landed in the [[Astronomy:Oceanus Procellarum|Ocean of Storms]], Gordon remained in lunar orbit aboard the command module ''[[Engineering:Apollo 12|Yankee Clipper]]'', photographing tentative landing sites for future missions.<ref name="auto" />

After [[Engineering:Apollo 12|Apollo 12]], Gordon served as backup commander of [[Engineering:Apollo 15|Apollo 15]]. He was slated to walk on the Moon as commander of [[Astronomy:Canceled Apollo missions|Apollo 18]], but that mission was canceled because of budget cuts.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/oral_histories/GordonRF/GordonRF_6-16-99.htm |title=NASA Johnson Space Center Oral History Project |date=June 16, 1999 |access-date=November 10, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108020844/https://www.jsc.nasa.gov/history/oral_histories/GordonRF/GordonRF_6-16-99.htm |archive-date=November 8, 2017 }}</ref>

[[File:(Left to right) Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon, and Al Bean pose with the Apollo 12 Saturn V.jpg|right|thumb|Pete Conrad, Dick Gordon, and Alan Bean pose with their Apollo 12 Saturn V Moon rocket in the background on the pad at Cape Canaveral on October 29, 1969]]
Gordon logged a total of 315 hours and 53 minutes in space, of which 2 hours and 41 minutes were spent in EVA.<ref name="auto" />

====Astronaut office====
After his flights, Gordon worked in the astronaut office. He became the chief of advanced programs in 1971. Gordon worked on the design of the [[Engineering:Space Shuttle|Space Shuttle]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/G/Gordon.html|title=Gordon, Richard Francis, Jr. (1929–2017)|access-date=November 9, 2017|publisher=David Darling|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109023649/http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/G/Gordon.html|archive-date=November 9, 2017}}</ref>

He retired from NASA and the U.S. Navy in January 1972.<ref name="auto" />

===Post-NASA career===
After leaving NASA, Gordon served as [[Social:Vice president|executive vice president]] of the New Orleans Saints Professional Football Club in the National Football League (1972–1976);<ref name=NYTimes /> was [[Social:General manager|general manager]] of Energy Developers, Limited (EDL), a {{wipe|Texas}} partnership involved in a [[Finance:Joint venture|joint venture]] with [[Engineering:Rocket|Rocket]] Research Corporation for the development of a liquid chemical explosive for use in the [[Chemistry:Petroleum|oil]] and [[Chemistry:Natural gas|gas]] industry (1977); [[Social:President (corporate title)|president]] of Resolution Engineering and Development Company (REDCO), which provided design and operational requirements for wild [[Engineering:Oil well|oil well]] control and fire fighting equipment on board large semisubmersible utility vessels (1978); following REDCO merger with Amarco Resources, Gordon assumed the additional duties of vice president of marketing, Westdale, an oil well servicing subsidiary of AMARCO operating in North Central Texas and Oklahoma, and also served as vice president for operations, Texas Division (1980); served as director, Scott Science and Technology, Inc., Los Angeles Division (1981–1983).<ref name="auto" />

In March 1982 he became [[Social:President (corporate title)|president]] of Astro Sciences Corporation. This company provides a range of services including [[Engineering:Engineering|engineering]], [[Project management|project management]], project field support teams, to [[Software|software]] and hardware system design for control room applications. In the summer of 1984, Gordon was a technical advisor for and played the part of "Capcom" in the CBS [[Engineering:Miniseries|miniseries]] ''Space'' by [[Biography:James A. Michener|James A. Michener]].<ref name="auto" />

Gordon served as [[Social:Chairman|chairman]] and co-chairman of the Louisiana Heart Fund, chairman of the March of Dimes (Mother's March), honorary chairman for [[Medicine:Muscular dystrophy|Muscular Dystrophy]], and on the [[Organization:Board of directors|boards of directors]] for the Boy Scouts of America and Boys' Club of Greater New Orleans.<ref name="auto" />

===Personal life and death===
From his marriage (which ended in divorce) to his first wife Barbara Field, who died in 2014, Gordon had six children.<ref name=NYTimes>{{cite news|last1=Goldstein|first1=Richard|title=Richard Gordon, Astronaut Who Reached for Moon and Very Nearly Made It, Dies at 88|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/obituaries/richard-gordon-gemini-and-apollo-astronaut-dies-at-88.html|access-date=November 7, 2017|work=New York Times|date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171107231422/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/07/obituaries/richard-gordon-gemini-and-apollo-astronaut-dies-at-88.html|archive-date=November 7, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Barbara Field Gordon Obituary|url=http://www.ashevillemortuaryservices.com/notices/Barbara-Gordon|publisher=Asheville Mortuary Service|access-date=November 7, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108034857/http://www.ashevillemortuaryservices.com/notices/Barbara-Gordon|archive-date=November 8, 2017}}</ref> He died in San Marcos, California, on November 6, 2017, at the age of 88.<ref name=NYTimes /><ref name="nasaremem" /><ref name=scholarship>{{cite web |url=https://astronautscholarship.org/richard-francis-dick-gordon-jr-apollo-astronaut-naval-aviator-renaissance-man-dies-at-88/ |title=Richard Francis "Dick" Gordon Jr., Apollo Astronaut, Naval Aviator & 'Renaissance Man', Dies At 88 |access-date=November 7, 2017 |url-status=live |publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108020846/https://astronautscholarship.org/richard-francis-dick-gordon-jr-apollo-astronaut-naval-aviator-renaissance-man-dies-at-88/ |archive-date=November 8, 2017 }}</ref> He was survived by five of his children, Carleen Trevino, Richard, Lawrence, Thomas and Diane Briggs; his sisters Barbara Pethick and Mary Frederick, and brother Norman; and two stepchildren, Traci and Christopher, from his second wife Linda,<ref name=NYTimes /> who died on September 12, 2017.<ref name=scholarship /> His hobbies included water skiing and golf.<ref name="auto" /> He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.<ref>{{cite web |title=NASA Memorials and Burials at Arlington National Cemetery |website=[[Organization:NASA|NASA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230429165411/https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-memorials-and-burials-at-arlington-national-cemetery/ |archive-date=2023-04-29 |url-status=live |url=https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-memorials-and-burials-at-arlington-national-cemetery/}}</ref>

==Organizations==
Gordon was a [[Social:Fellow|fellow]] of the American Astronautical Society, an associate fellow of Society of Experimental Test Pilots, a member of the Navy League, and a member of Phi Sigma Kappa.<ref name="auto" />

==Awards and honors==
[[File:ANCExplorer Richard F. Gordon grave.jpg|right|thumb|Grave of Capt. Richard Francis Gordon Jr. at Arlington National Cemetery]]

*Navy Astronaut Wings<ref name="auto" />
*NASA Distinguished Service Medal<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/44062092/arizona_republic/|title=Agnew Confers Awards on Crews of 3 Apollos|newspaper=Arizona Republic|location=Phoenix, Arizona|date=November 14, 1970|agency=Associated Press|page=23|via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
*NASA Exceptional Service Medal<ref name="auto" />
*Bendix Trophy in 1961<ref name="auto" />
*Two Navy Distinguished Flying Crosses<ref name="auto" />
*Navy Distinguished Service Medal<ref name="auto" />
*Phi Sigma Kappa Merit Award in 1966<ref name="auto" />
*[[Organization:Institute of Navigation|Institute of Navigation]] Award for 1969<ref name="auto" />
*Godfrey L. Cabot Award in 1970<ref name="auto" />
*Rear Admiral William S. Parsons Award for Scientific and Technical Progress in 1970<ref name="auto" />
*[[Organization:Johnson Space Center|Manned Spacecraft Center]] (MSC) Superior Achievement Award
*NASA Group Achievement Award<ref name="auto" />
*Richard Gordon Elementary School in Kingston, Washington was named after him.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://richardgordon.nkschools.org/about_us/about_richard_gordon |title=About Richard Gordon |publisher=Richard Gordon Elementary School |access-date=November 8, 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171110040522/http://richardgordon.nkschools.org/about_us/about_richard_gordon |archive-date=November 10, 2017 }}</ref>

Gordon was inducted into the International Space Hall of Fame with nine of his Gemini astronaut colleagues in 1982.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=64|title=Richard Gordon|access-date=November 8, 2017|publisher=New Mexico Museum of Space History|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171109022716/http://www.nmspacemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.php?id=64|archive-date=November 9, 2017}}</ref> He was inducted into the United States Astronaut Hall of Fame on March 19, 1993.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/richard-dick-gordon-jr/|title=Dick Gordon|publisher=Astronaut Scholarship Foundation|access-date=May 31, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171002022410/https://astronautscholarship.org/Astronauts/richard-dick-gordon-jr/|archive-date=October 2, 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/33582881/florida_today/|title=Activities Honor Gemini Astronauts|newspaper=Florida Today|location=Cocoa, Florida|date=March 14, 1993|page=41|via=Newspapers.com|last1=Clark|first1=Amy}}</ref> In 2020, Gordon was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in Dayton, Ohio.<ref>{{cite web |title=Enshrinee Richard Gordon |url=https://nationalaviation.org/enshrinee/richard-dick-gordon/ |website=nationalaviation.org |publisher=National Aviation Hall of Fame |access-date=6 February 2023}}</ref>

==In media==
In the 1998 HBO [[Engineering:Miniseries|miniseries]] ''From the Earth to the Moon'' Gordon was played by Tom Verica.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0894225/|title=Filmography|access-date=November 8, 2017|publisher=IMDB|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525073437/http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0894225/|archive-date=May 25, 2017}}</ref>

==Books authored==
Gordon wrote the foreword for astronaut Al Worden's 2011 book, ''Falling to Earth: An Apollo 15 Astronaut's Journey to the Moon'',<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/212525/falling-to-earth-by-al-worden-with-francis-french/|title=Falling to Earth web site|access-date=November 9, 2017|publisher=Penguin Random House|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150717064329/http://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/212525/falling-to-earth-by-al-worden-with-francis-french/|archive-date=July 17, 2015}}</ref> as well as the foreword to the 2010 book ''Footprints in the Dust: The Epic Voyages of Apollo, 1969–1975'', edited by Colin Burgess.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Footprints-in-the-Dust,674567.aspx|title=Footprints in the Dust – University of Nebraska Press|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|access-date=November 9, 2017|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160107061844/http://www.nebraskapress.unl.edu/product/Footprints-in-the-Dust,674567.aspx|archive-date=January 7, 2016}}</ref>

==Technical papers==
[[File:Dick Gordon during a debriefing in the quarantine van aboard the Hornet.jpg|right|thumb|Gordon following his Apollo 12 flight]]
*Gordon, R. F., ''F4H-1 Navy Preliminary Evaluation'', Phase I, [[Engineering:Naval Air Station Patuxent River|NAS Patuxent River]], Maryland, September 1958.
*Gordon, R. F., ''F4H-1 Navy Preliminary Evaluation'', Phase I Supplement, October 1958.
*Gordon, R. F., ''FJ-4B Fuel Consumption and Performance Report'', Flight Test, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, 1958.
*Gordon, R. F., ''F11F Fuel Consumption and Performance Report'', Flight Test, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, 1958.
*Gordon, R. F., ''Revised Roll Performance Requirements for MIL-SPEC-F-8785''. All Aircraft in Configuration PA, Flight Test, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, 1958.
*Gordon, R. F., ''F8U Spin Evaluation Report'', Flight Test, NAS Patuxent River, Maryland, 1959.
*Gordon, R. F., ''Gemini XI, Gemini Program Mission Report'', NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Report, October 1966.
*Gordon, R. F., ''Apollo XII Mission Report'', NASA Manned Spacecraft Center Report, December 1969.

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Include-NASA|url=http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/gordon-rf.html}}

==External links==
*{{IMDb name|0330543}}
*[http://astrotalkuk.org/2011/04/19/episode-43-april-18th-2011-apollo-12-and-captain-richard-gordon-2/ Episode 43 on astrotalkuk.org] Interview during visit to the UK April 2011
* [https://www.nasa.gov/astronautprofiles/gordon Remembering Dick Gordon]

{{People who have traveled to the Moon|state=expanded}}
{{Gemini program}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordon, Richard F. Jr.}}
[[Category:Apollo 12]]
[[Category:Apollo program astronauts]]
[[Category:Canceled Apollo missions]]

{{Sourceattribution|Richard F. Gordon Jr.}}