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Aug. 26, 2020
Astronaut Gerald Carr, who commanded the last Skylab mission, died Aug. 26, 2020.
“NASA and the nation have lost a pioneer of long duration spaceflight," said NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine. "We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of astronaut Gerald 'Jerry' Carr, whose work provided a deeper understanding of life on Earth and in space.
Astronaut portrait of Gerald Carr. Image Credits: NASA
“A colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, Carr was a test pilot who logged more than 5,300 hours of jet flying time on aircraft including the F-9, F-6A Skyray, and F-8 Crusader. A naval aviator selected for the astronaut class in 1966, he served as Capcom for Apollos 8 and 12 and broke spaceflight duration records on Skylab 4, the final mission to the orbital workshop.
“Recalling the view back to Earth, Carr credited his Skylab crewmate Edward Gibson with the observation that, from space, ‘You can see no boundaries on the Earth, no man-made boundaries, that the barriers that man puts up between himself and his fellow man, that the only boundaries you can see are the natural ones, the rivers, the lakes, things like that.’
“We remember and honor his life and his contributions to the nation.”
Carr's family also issued a statement, saying, “Throughout his life and career, Jerry Carr was the epitome of an officer and a gentleman. He loved his family, he loved his country and he loved to fly. We are all enormously proud of his legacy as a true space pioneer and of the lasting impact of his historic mission aboard America’s first space station. We will remember him most as a devoted husband, father, brother, grandfather and great grandfather. We will miss him greatly.”
For more information about Carr’s NASA career:
https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/carr_gerald_0.pdf
Image (mentioned), Text, Credits: NASA/Brian Dunbar.
R.I.P. ; Orbiter.ch
