In a statement on Thursday, NASA announced the passing of former U.S. astronaut Frank Borman at the age of 95. Borman, who famously commanded the first manned flight to circle the moon and later chaired Eastern Airlines, passed away on Tuesday in Billings, Montana.
Born in Gary, Indiana, on March 14, 1928, Borman was the oldest American astronaut in his time. His fascination with airplanes led him to take flying lessons as a schoolboy in Arizona, working as a newspaper delivery boy to fund the lessons.
After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1950, Borman became an Air Force fighter pilot and went on to train as a test pilot before being selected for NASA’s second astronaut program in 1962.
Borman’s first space flight was on Gemini 7 in 1965, where he served as commander on a 14-day mission. Three years later, he was the commander on Apollo 8, the first lunar orbital mission, where he made 10 trips around the moon with his crewmates.
Following his retirement from NASA and the Air Force in 1970, Borman joined Eastern Airlines as an advisor and eventually became the president and chairman of the company. He introduced measures such as a wage freeze and profit-sharing for employees, but faced criticism for proceeding with costly projects despite financial losses.
In 1986, Eastern Airlines was taken over by the smaller Texas Air Corp, prompting Borman to announce his retirement and move to New Mexico to be closer to his family. He and his wife Susan had two sons.
Discussing the U.S. space program on the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission, Borman expressed support for a mission to Mars but considered the idea of colonizing it as “preposterous.”
Borman’s significant contributions to both space exploration and the aviation industry leave a lasting legacy.
(Reporting by Eric Beech and Dan Whitcom; Editing by Bill Trott and Rosalba O’Brien)
