Charles P. Conrad, Jr. 1930-1999
Credit:
Courtesy NASA
Known for his sense of humor and infectious grin,
Charles P. "Pete" Conrad, as commander of the
Apollo 12
mission,
was the third person to walk on the moon.
Not a tall man, Conrad stepped down onto the lunar
surface in November of 1969 and
gleefully
commented, "Whoopie! Man, that may have been a small one for Neil, but
that's a long one for me."
Born June 2nd, 1930 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he graduated from
Princeton University in 1953 and went on to become a Navy test pilot.
Selected as a NASA astronaut in 1962, Conrad is
seen here in 1965 during
a suiting up activity in preparation for his
first space flight - the endurance record setting
Gemini 5 mission.
His final space flight was to Skylab in 1973.
Tragically, Conrad died from injuries in a motorcycle accident on
Thursday, July 8.