Gordon Cooper
Gordon Cooper was a record-setting astronaut in the Mercury and Gemini programs.
Leroy Gordon Cooper, Jr.
Astronaut
March 6, 1927
Pisces
October 04, 2004
77
Shawnee, Oklahoma
Leroy Gordon “Gordo” Cooper Jr. (1927-2004) was an American astronaut and aerospace engineer who was part of NASA’s Project Mercury, where he piloted the Faith 7 spacecraft. He established endurance records during his Mercury Faith 7 flight and Gemini 5 mission. Cooper authored two books, “Leap of Faith” and “Across the Space Frontier,” and participated in documentaries and talk shows, discussing his belief in extraterrestrial life based on his personal UFO sightings.