# Former Astronauts – NASA

Official National Aeronautics and Space Administration Website

- “Earthrise” by NASA Astronaut Bill Anders NASA astronaut Bill Anders took this iconic image of Earth rising over the Moon’s horizon on Dec. 24, 1968. Anders, lunar module pilot on the Apollo 8 mission, and fellow astronauts Frank Borman and Jim Lovell became the first humans to orbit the Moon and the first to witness the sight pictured. After becoming a [&#8230;]
- NASA Administrator Remembers Apollo Astronaut William Anders The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on the passing of Apollo astronaut Maj. Gen. (ret.) William “Bill” Anders, who passed away June 7, in San Juan Islands, Washington state, at the age of 90. “In 1968, as a member of the Apollo 8 crew, as one of the first three people [&#8230;]
- Apollo 10 Ends Successfully Astronaut Eugene A. Cernan, lunar module pilot for the Apollo 10 mission, exits the spacecraft during recovery operations on May 26, 1969. He and the other two crew members already in the raft, Thomas P. Stafford (left) and John W. Young, were brought to the prime recovery ship, USS Princeton after splashdown. The Apollo 10 [&#8230;]
- NASA Administrator to Engage Officials in Italy, Vatican, Saudi Arabia Continuing his engagement to deepen international collaboration and the peaceful use of space, NASA Administrator Bill Nelson will travel to Italy and Vatican City, followed by Saudi Arabia, beginning Thursday. Nelson will meet with key government and space officials in each country. Italy is a longstanding partner in human spaceflight and Earth science. Nelson will [&#8230;]
- NASA Selects New Crew for Next Simulated Mars Journey Lee esta historia en español aquí. NASA has selected a new crew of four volunteers to participate in a simulated mission to Mars within a habitat at the agency’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. Jason Lee, Stephanie Navarro, Shareef Al Romaithi, and Piyumi Wijesekara will step into the agency’s Human Exploration Research Analog, or HERA, [&#8230;]
- The First Space Shuttle In this image from April 12, 1981, the first space shuttle, STS-1, launches from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida with NASA astronauts John W. Young, commander, and Robert L. Crippen, pilot, aboard. STS-1 was meant to demonstrate a safe launch into orbit and a safe return of the orbiter and crew, as well as [&#8230;]
- Gemini VI Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford and Walter M. Schirra Jr. Astronauts Thomas P. Stafford (left), and Walter M. Schirra Jr., pose for the camera during suiting up exercises on Oct. 22, 1965. Stafford was selected among the second group of astronauts in September 1962 by NASA to participate in Projects Gemini and Apollo. In December 1965, he piloted Gemini VI, which made the first rendezvous [&#8230;]
- NASA Administrator Pays Tribute to Space Pioneer Thomas Stafford  The following is a statement from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson on Monday’s passing of Thomas Stafford, a lifelong space exploration advocate, former NASA astronaut, and U.S. Air Force general:&#160; “Today, General Tom Stafford went to the eternal heavens, which he so courageously explored as a Gemini and Apollo astronaut as well as a peacemaker in [&#8230;]
- Apollo 9 Crew Comes Home Fifty-five years ago today, NASA astronauts James A. McDivitt, David R. Scott, and Russell L. Schweickart splashed down 4.5 nautical miles from the USS Guadalcanal, concluding a successful 10-day Earth-orbital mission in space. In this image from March 13, 1969, a recovery helicopter hovers above the Apollo 9 spacecraft; the astronauts were still inside the [&#8230;]
- Apollo 9 Astronaut David Scott’s Spacewalk Astronaut David R. Scott, command module pilot for the Apollo 9 Earth-orbital mission, stands in the command module’s open hatch during his stand-up spacewalk on March 6, 1969. Astronaut Russell L. Schweickart, lunar module pilot, took this photograph of Scott while also performing a spacewalk. He was positioned on the porch of the lunar module [&#8230;]