Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000

Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002

Posts: 916
From: Fort Mill, SC, USA
Registered: Aug 2000

Posts: 2176
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999

Posts: 115
From: Louisville, Ky USA
Registered: Mar 2006

posted 05-05-2007 01:22 PM            

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Schirra, Conrad, Duke, Young, Mitchell

Should have been: Lovell, Haise

Posts: 42988
From: Houston, TX
Registered: Nov 1999

posted 05-05-2007 01:42 PM               

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Mercury 7: All but Grissom.

Moonwalkers: All but Irwin.

Posts: 194
From: Nauheim, Germany
Registered: Jan 2003

posted 05-05-2007 01:59 PM               

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Mercury 7: All but Grissom

Moonwalkers: All (interviewed 4: Young, Duke, Mitchell, Bean))

Posts: 2732
From: Stuart, Florida
Registered: Jun 2000

posted 05-05-2007 03:27 PM               

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Shepard, Glenn, Wally, Gordo, Carpenter, Deke & Bill Dana.

Armstrong, Aldrin, Bean, Shepard, Mitchell, Scott, Duke, Young, Cernan, Schmitt

posted 05-05-2007 03:35 PM              

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Mercury 7: All but Shepard and Slayton. Have met Bill Dana (the 8th of 7) and have shared some wonderful stories with Shepard's daughter Laura at Cosmosphere

Moonwalkers: Aldrin, Bean, Lovell (should have been one), Mitchell, Scott, Duke, and Cernan.

Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002

posted 05-05-2007 05:16 PM               

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Wally, Gordo & Scott Carpenter.

Armstrong, Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, Duke, Young, Cernan

Posts: 1896
From: Cape Canaveral, FL
Registered: May 2000

posted 05-05-2007 06:03 PM               

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Through today, Mercury 7: Glenn and Carpenter; and moonwalkers: Aldrin, Young and Duke. I was also next to (edit: by which I mean approached hoping to meet) Armstrong and Mitchell but wasn't able to meet them officially.

Edit: In light of the posts made since mine, I did get to see and hear Schirra without approaching him, as I have with Lovell and many others. And I've met Haise as well, since we're counting them

Posts: 577
From: Ohio
Registered: Mar 2001

posted 05-05-2007 06:39 PM               

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Mercury: Shepard, Glenn, Schirra, Slayton\

Moonwalkers: Armstrong, Aldrin, Shepard, Irwin, Cernan, (seen Schmitt give a speech but wasn't close to him)

Posts: 618
From: BURTON ON TRENT /England
Registered: Nov 2002

posted 05-06-2007 03:33 AM               

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Mercury 7 - Scott Carpenter ( 4 times )

Apollo moon walkers - Charlie Duke

Would have been moon walkers - Lovell, Haise

Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003

posted 05-06-2007 07:58 AM               

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Mercury: Shepard, Cooper, Carpenter, Schirra

Apollo Moon Walkers: Aldrin, Bean, Shepard (again), Mitchell, Scott, Young, Duke, Cernan.

Posts: 260
From: worthing west sussex united kingdom
Registered: Aug 2005

posted 05-06-2007 09:10 AM               

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Mercury: Scott Carpenter several times

Apollo: Armstrong, Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott and Duke

Other Apollo: Gordon, Worden, Lovell and Haise.

Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 05-06-2007 09:33 AM               

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Mercury; Shepard, Carpenter.

Moonwalkers; Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Shepard, Scott, Duke, Cernan.

Posts: 1308
From: GA, USA
Registered: Jan 2004

posted 05-06-2007 12:19 PM               

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Mercury: Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra & Cooper.

Moonwalkers: Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, Young, Duke, Cernan & Schmitt, (as well as the two should-of-beens Lovell & Haise!)

Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000

posted 05-06-2007 02:52 PM              

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I met Gus and two of his sons in a non space situation. I was working at my first job out of college at the Shell Refinery on the Ship Channel in 1965. Being a land lubber from Missouri, I was fascinated by all things Ocean. I saw an article in the Houston Chronicle about Drag Boat Races coming us ( I believe it was at Morgans Point up Galveston Bay from Baytown tunnel near LaPorte). Man, Drag Racing and the Ocean. Had to go.

Many of the early astronauts were in to speed and Machines, and naturally they followed this. For instance, I saw Gordon Cooper at races. I believe he had a boat, not sure if he raced. I later found out talking to Dick Gordon that he became friends with Houston Oilman John Mecom by racing his ocean boats. When Meacom founded the New Oleans Saints, he got his friend Dick Gordon on as an executive. Dick told me he left the Saints because he'd never been around a losing situation.

Anyway,I saw Gus and his boys (spitting images-small, muscular, compact,and tough looking. Introduced myself, shook hands and thanked and congratulated him on Liberty Bell and Gemini I. Then we talked about the races for about 15 minutes. Explained I was new to the whole drag boat scene, and he admitted he somewhat was too, although knowledgeable.

My late wife and I cried in our Frito Pie at a drive in in Henderso, Texas when we heard news that he'd died.

As with all those who fly in space, very brave, and a patriot.

Posts: 24
From: Vienna, Austria, Europe
Registered: Mar 2007

posted 05-06-2007 03:16 PM            

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Wow, you all met so many astronauts and even many of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo astronauts. How did you manage that?

I never met any astronaut or cosmonaut. Hope that changes soon but probably not.

Posts: 194
From: Citrus Heights, CA - USA
Registered: Jan 2006

Posts: 245
From: Montreal, Canada
Registered: Jul 2004

posted 05-06-2007 07:43 PM               

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Mercury: Carpenter, Cooper, Schirra.

Moonwalkers: Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, Duke, Cernan.

Strangely enough, I've never met a Canadian astronaut!

Posts: 2896
From: Titusville, FL USA
Registered: Feb 2005

posted 05-07-2007 03:20 AM               

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I've met every Mercury astronaut save Gus Grissom but I did meet his brother Lowell and his widow Betty as well as his sons.

I've been lucky to meet all twelve moonwalkers and have the photos to remember it by. I also met Schirra, Cunningham, Borman, Lovell, Anders, McDivitt, Schweikart, Stafford, Collins, Gordon, Haise and Roosa.

As far as how I did it. I moved my family to Titusville in 1991 and attend as many funraisers for the HOF as possible. It's been a thrill.

Posts: 139
From: KERALA
Registered: Jun 2005

posted 05-07-2007 06:08 AM            

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Mercury: Alan Shepard

Apollo: John Young

Posts: 609
From: Morris County, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2006

posted 05-07-2007 08:25 AM               

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Been very lucky:

Mercury: Schirra, Carpenter

Moonwalkers: Armstrong, Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, Young, Duke (spoke to him on the phone twice- does that count?).

Will be meeting Lovell and Haise this summer.

Posts: 655
From: Philadelphia, PA USA
Registered: Mar 2002

Posts: 1512
From: Washington, DC, USA
Registered: Apr 2003

posted 05-07-2007 09:03 AM               

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Mercury 7: All but Gus and Gordo

Moonwalkers: All but Neil and Pete.

Posts: 3307
From: Houston, TX
Registered: May 2001

Posts: 1778
From: Dunfermline, Fife, Scotland
Registered: May 2004

posted 05-07-2007 02:14 PM               

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Mercury 7: Scott Carpenter (5 times), should also have met Gordo Cooper but he passed away less than a week before he was scheduled to appear at Autographica 2004.

Apollo program/Moonwalkers: Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, Young, Duke, Cernan. Have also met Walt Cunningham, Jim McDivitt, Rusty Schweickart, Tom Stafford, Dick Gordon, Jim Lovell, Fred Haise & Al Worden.

Skylab: Paul Weitz, Joe Kerwin, Alan Bean & Jack Lousma.

ASTP: Tom Stafford, Vance Brand, Alexei Leonov & Valery Kubasov.

Posts: 2121
From: Essex, UK
Registered: Jul 2001

posted 05-07-2007 04:22 PM               

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Original 7: Carpenter, Cooper and Schirra.

Moonwalkers: Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, Young, Duke, Cernan (Jackson, briefly !).

Posts: 536
From: Delft, Netherlands
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 05-07-2007 04:57 PM               

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Original 7: None.

Moonwalkers: Aldrin, Mitchell, Scott, Young, Schmitt.

Posts: 3811
From: Midwest, USA
Registered: Jul 2005

posted 05-07-2007 05:13 PM               

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I bet nobody has a worse record than I have (...although I'm sure some might be able to tie it). I haven't met a single Mercury astronaut or Moonwalker...ever.

But that should change significantly at Spacefest in August!

Posts: 225
From: Syracuse, New York, USA
Registered: May 2003

posted 05-07-2007 09:17 PM               

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Original Seven - Carpenter and Schirra.

Moonwalkers - Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, and Schmitt (met him but do not have his autograph).

I also have Charlie Duke's autograph but have not met him.

Posts: 2915
From: Merritt Island, Florida, Brevard
Registered: Mar 2001

Posts: 320
From: Helsinki, Finland
Registered: Jul 2000

posted 05-08-2007 09:17 AM               

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Original 7: Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra

Moonwalkers: Armstrong, Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Duke, Cernan

Also met Lovell, Haise, Worden, Schweickart, Stafford, Gordon

Posts: 390
From: Yeovil, England
Registered: Oct 2004

posted 05-08-2007 10:50 AM               

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Original 7: Carpenter.

Moonwalkers: Aldrin,Bean,Cernan,Duke,Mitchell and Scott.

Shook there hands, spoke briefly to them and obtained there autographs.

Posts: 221
From: Euless,TX USA
Registered: Mar 2003

posted 05-08-2007 04:56 PM               

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Original 7: Glenn, Carpenter, Schirra and Cooper

Moonwalkers: Aldrin, Bean, Mitchell, Scott, Young, Duke, Cernan and Schmitt

Posts: 846
From: Los Angeles CA. USA
Registered: Jan 2005

posted 05-15-2007 05:01 PM               

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Good grief, I have never calculated this.

Met and worked with Al Shepard (both the icy commander and smilin' Admiral); worked with Wally, considered him an officer, a cut up and a gentleman; knew Deke and he was a real pilot and hero; met the good senator from Ohio; met Scott a couple times; Gordo and his wife were friends.

Know John and Susie Young; received my first astro letter from Ed White, but missed meeting him and Gus Grissom and Roger Chaffee; met Gen. McDivitt; knew Pete Conrad and wife Nancy; know Gen. Stafford (and escorted the whole A.S.T.P. crew around the L.A. Science Center); know Frank and Susan Borman; Jim Lovell and I debated the Agena on Gemini 12 once, we are friends; Dave Scott and I worked on the HBO miniseries; Neil Armstrong I met once but he ran away as I was escorting a friend in an Apollo 11 suit mockup (figure that one out, guys!); worked with Gene Cernan on his book tour here in Los Angeles; Gen. Collins on a space tour show in Oakland, Ca; Dick Gordon is a dear acquaintance; and Buzz Aldrin and I go back to his first book tour in Lakewood, CA and many other times at the Sciencenter in Los Angeles, and the Space Frontier Foundation.

Missed meeting Donn Eisle, but know Walt Cunningham (gave him his set of E2M); informally met Bill Anders (hear that Jake?); gave Rusty Schweickart his set of the Hanks' series; met and did a display for Al Bean; missed meeting Swigert.

I have missed Ed Mitchell.

I did some displays for Fred Haise; missed meeting Jim Irwin but found in a used book shop a copy of his autobiography inscribed to 'Jim'(?); met Charlie Duke and Admiral Mattingly; and Ron Evans at a boy scout jamboree, a year before we lost him.

I escorted five of the the six surviving Mercury astronauts at Al Shepard's 25 year Mercury reunion in 1986 at the Cal. Museum of Science and Industry. This was because of the president of our docents, Bill and Mariwade Douglas, the Mercury physician and his wife. I will never forget Big Al in his tux, asking where the restroom was. I nearly told him to do it in his suit!

Posts: 372
From:
Registered: Mar 2006

Posts: 464
From: Issaquah, WA U.S.A.
Registered: Jun 2002

posted 09-24-2007 02:10 PM               

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OK, it's been a fifteen year effort but I have just completed one of my long-standing goals... I have met every living Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo astronaut!

Saturday I met Jack Schmitt of Apollo 17 and he was the last man - pun intended(!) This challenge has taken me all over the country - to Texas, California (five times), Washington DC (twice), Nevada, Montana, Oregon, Ohio, Vancouver Canada, and numerous other places in the Pacific NW. I specifically appreciate the events at the Museum of Flight in Seattle - both when I worked there - and now that I am in a support role.

I recommend the experience of getting to know these pioneers. They are truly a collective group of amazing individuals!