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posted 01-22-2005 01:25 AM               

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Just reading that nice little article about Jim McDivitt today on collectSPACE, and it leads me to ask if anyone has a recent photo of him? I don't think I've seen one of the man since his Apollo days.

Colin

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From: Sydney, Australia
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From: Syracuse, NY
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posted 01-22-2005 06:32 PM               

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Jim McDivitt is widely recognized as among the best astronauts. I always wondered why he didn't fly more.

Wasn't he a close friend of Ed White in their pre-NASA days?

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From: Sydney, Australia
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posted 01-22-2005 06:50 PM               

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Yes, he and Ed White met at the University of Michigan's engineering school where they were both studying aeronautical engineering for the USAF. They also lived very close to each other at the time in Ann Arbor and became great friends. It was White who later convinced McDivitt to enter the USAF Test Pilot School at Edwards AFB, which McDivitt credits as being one of the best decisions of his life, and they both graduated from Class 59-C in 1960. And of course they were both selected for NASA's Group 2 two years later.

Colin

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posted 01-23-2005 06:31 AM               

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I'm sure some budding authors must have asked before now, but I can tell you that I spoke with Jim by phone just a few days back on another matter and he said he'd hardly read any biographies or autobiographies of any of his fellow astronauts. He just wasn't interested, and mentioned that he lived through it, and wasn't at all excited to read or write about it. He did ask me what I thought was the best book about the early manned space program and I said it had to be Mike Collins' "Carrying the Fire." He replied that he'd heard that elsewhere, but had never read it himself.

But I agree that he does have a fascinating story to tell; just sit back one day and read his terrific interview on the NASA JSC Oral Histories site and you'll see what I mean.

Colin

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posted 01-23-2005 08:25 AM               

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When I attended the Reno Apollo reunion in 2002 I asked both Jim McDivitt and Rusty Schweickart if they had any plans to write a book, as at the time they were the only Apollo flight where none of the crew had written an account of their mission.

Rusty seemed surprised that anyone would be interested; when I told him that I thought people did want to read a first-hand account he replied with a large grin,

"Ah, so you want to know the dirt on Scott and McDivitt eh?"

Later I asked Jim McDivitt the same question; like Rusty he seemed bemused that anyone would care. His reply -

"There'd be no point; nobody would want to read the vanilla version, and I'm not going to tell you what really went on up there."

So what were they up to?

I really hope one or both of them changes their mind, I'd love to read their stories.

Cheers,
Matt

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http://www.spaceracemuseum.com

[This message has been edited by Matt T (edited January 23, 2005).]

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posted 01-23-2005 02:07 PM               

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At Mc Divitt was offered a flyng command on USAF-MOL project,isn't ? and also the LMP seat on Apollo 14.

[This message has been edited by carmelo (edited January 23, 2005).]