The US space agency (NASA) on Thursday announced the death of astronaut Frank Borman, the commander of the famous Apollo 8 mission that made the first orbit around the moon. In a statement announcing his death, NASA hailed him as an “American hero.”
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Astronaut Frank Borman, the commander of the famous Apollo 8 mission that first orbited the moon, has died at the age of 95. American Space Agency (NASA) Thursday.
“Borman is an American hero,” NASA President Bill Nelson said in a statement. A pioneer in space exploration died Tuesday in Montana, NASA said.
Interested in flying, Borman began his career as an officer in the US Air Force.
Nelson explained, “Boorman’s exceptional experience prompted NASA to select him among the second group of astronauts.”
Notably, he was sent into space for the first time in 1965 as part of the 14-day Gemini 7 mission.
The Apollo 8 mission launched in December 1968, with Frank Borman and two astronauts, James Lovell and William Anders, aboard. During this mission, the famous “Earthrice” photograph was taken.
“What Borman has accomplished for NASA and our country will undoubtedly inspire the next generation of Artemis to reach new cosmic worlds,” Nelson said.
NASA plans to return to the moon with the “Artemis” project. The “Artemis 2” mission is scheduled to launch at the end of 2024 and will carry humans around the moon, thus becoming similar to “Apollo 8”.
At this time, NASA wanted to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon in preparation for missions to Mars.
France 24/AFP
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