NASA Astronaut Group 5

Group 5 astronauts. Back row, from L-R: Swigert, Pogue, Evans, Weitz, Irwin, Carr, Roosa, Worden, Mattingly, Lousma. Front row, from L-R: Givens, Mitchell, Duke, Lind, Haise, Engle, Brand, Bull, McCandless

Main article: List of astronauts by selection

NASA's Astronaut Group 5 was selected by NASA in April 1966. Of the six Lunar Module Pilots that walked on the Moon, three came from Group 5. The group as a whole is roughly split between the half who flew to the Moon (nine in all) and the other half who flew Skylab and Shuttle, providing the core of Shuttle Commanders early in that program. This group is also distinctive in being the only time when NASA hired a person into the astronaut corps who had already earned astronaut wings, X-15 pilot Joe Engle. John Young labelled the group the "Original Nineteen" in parody of the original seven Mercury astronauts.

A chart showing Group 5 assignments in relation to other astronaut groups. Graphed this way, it clearly shows how Group 5 military pilots were assigned ahead of Group 4, with most of Group 4 required to spend a full year at UPT to get qualified as jet pilots, which all of Group 5 (and Groups 1-3) had done early in their military careers).

Group members

• Vance D. Brand (born 1931), U.S. Marine Corps (4 flights)

Skylab Rescue — never flown

Apollo-Soyuz Test Project — July 1975 — Command Module Pilot — First joint U.S./U.S.S.R. mission

STS-5 Columbia — November 1982 — Commander — SBS-C and Anik C-3 satellite deployment mission

STS-41-B Challenger — February 1984 — Commander — Westar 6 and Palapa B2 satellite deployment mission, first untethered spacewalk

STS-35 Columbia — December 1990 — Commander — ASTRO-1 mission

• John S. Bull (1934–2008), U.S. Navy

Resigned from the astronaut corps after learning that he was suffering from pulmonary disease.

• Gerald P. Carr (born 1932), U.S. Marine Corps (1 flight)

Skylab 4 — November 1973–February 1974 — Commander — Third crew of the Skylab space station

• Charles M. Duke, Jr (born 1935), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 16 — April 1972 — Lunar Module Pilot — Fifth manned lunar landing; tenth person to walk on the moon

Also CAPCOM during landing of Apollo 11

• Joseph H. Engle (born 1932), U.S. Air Force (2 flights + ALT)

ALT Enterprise — February through October 1977 — Commander

STS-2 Columbia — November 1981 — Commander — Remote Manipulator System testing

STS-51-I Discovery — August 1985 — Commander — AUSSAT-I, ASC-I, and Syncom IV-4 satellite deployment; Syncom IV-3 repair mission

Was replaced as the Lunar Module Pilot for Apollo 17 by geologist Harrison Schmitt after Apollo 18 had been canceled.

Engle was the only shuttle pilot who had prior hypersonic flight experience, having earned his astronaut wings flying the X-15 rocket plane.

• Ronald E. Evans, Jr (1933–1990), U.S. Navy (1 flight)

Apollo 17 — December 1972 — Command Module Pilot — Last manned lunar landing

• Edward G. Givens, Jr (1930–1967), U.S. Air Force

Killed in automobile accident in 1967 while serving on the Apollo 7 support crew.

• Fred W. Haise, Jr (born 1933), U.S. Marine Corps, (1 flight + ALT)

Apollo 13 — April 1970 — Lunar Module Pilot — Aborted lunar landing; would have been the sixth person to walk on the moon

Slated to land as Commander of Apollo 19

ALT Enterprise — February through October 1977 - Commander

Was to command the original STS-2 flight to rescue Skylab in 1979.

• James B. Irwin (1930–1991), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 15 — July 1971 — Lunar Module Pilot — Fourth manned lunar landing; eighth person to walk on the moon

• Don L. Lind (born 1930), U.S. Navy (1 flight)

Skylab Rescue — never flown

STS-51-B Challenger — April 1985 — Payload Commander — Spacelab mission

His first mission in 1985 came 19 years after being selected as an astronaut, longer than any other American astronaut.

• Jack R. Lousma (born 1936), U.S. Marine Corps (2 flights)

Skylab 3 — July–September 1973 — Pilot — Second crew of the Skylab space station

STS-3 Columbia — March 1982 — Commander — Research and development flight

• T. Kenneth Mattingly, II (born 1936), U.S. Navy (3 flights)

Apollo 16 — April 1972 — Command Module Pilot — Fifth manned lunar landing

STS-4 Columbia — June 1982 — Commander — Final research and development flight, first classified United States Department of Defense payload

STS-51-C Discovery — January 1985 — Commander — First classified United States Department of Defense mission; deployed USA-8 (Magnum 1)

Was the original Command Module Pilot for Apollo 13, but was grounded due to exposure to rubella, which he was not immune to.

• Bruce McCandless II (born 1937), U.S. Navy (2 flights)

STS-41-B Challenger — February 1984 — Mission Specialist — Westar 6 and Palapa B2 satellite deployment mission; McCandless conducted the first untethered EVA

STS-31 Discovery — April 1990 — Mission Specialist — Hubble Space Telescope deployment mission

• Edgar D. Mitchell (born 1930), U.S. Navy (1 flight)

Apollo 14 — January 1971 — Lunar Module Pilot — Third manned lunar landing; sixth person to walk on the moon

• William R. Pogue (1930–2014), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Skylab 4 — November 1973–February 1974 — Pilot — Third crew of the Skylab space station

• Stuart A. Roosa (1933–1994), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 14 — January 1971 — Command Module Pilot — Third manned lunar landing

• John L. Swigert, Jr (1931–1982), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 13 — April 1970 — Command Module Pilot — Aborted lunar landing

Intended as Command Module Pilot on Apollo-Soyuz Test Project but was replaced by Vance Brand because of the Apollo 15 postage stamp incident

• Paul J. Weitz (born 1932), U.S. Navy (2 flights)

Skylab 2 — May–June 1973 — Pilot — First crew of the Skylab space station

STS-6 Challenger — April 1983 — Commander — Maiden flight of Challenger, TDRS A satellite deployment mission

• Alfred M. Worden (born 1932), U.S. Air Force (1 flight)

Apollo 15 — July 1971 — Command Module Pilot — Fourth manned lunar landing

External links

• Astronaut Biographies: Home Page
• Encyclopedia Astronautica entry for NASA Group 5
• Spaceline article on NASA Group 5