NASA Astronaut Thomas Stafford Dies at 93

Stafford flew three types of spacecraft, journeyed to the moon, and logged more than 500 hours of spaceflight.

Monday, March 18, 2024 at 04:04 PM ET

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Astronaut Thomas Stafford, Gemini-6 prime crew pilot, is pictured onboard the NASA Motor Vessel Retriever in the Gulf of Mexico during water egress training in August 1965. [Courtesy: NASA]

Key Takeaways:

Thomas P. Stafford, a distinguished NASA astronaut and Air Force general, passed away at 93 after a lengthy illness.
His notable space career included commanding Apollo 10, which orbited the moon, and the groundbreaking Apollo-Soyuz Test Project, the first joint U.S.-Soviet space mission.
A decorated test pilot, Stafford flew over 120 types of aircraft and later contributed significantly to aviation and space development, including NASA's Space Shuttle program.

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Thomas P. Stafford, one of 24 astronauts to journey to the moon, died Monday after a lengthy illness. He was 93.

“Today, [former Air Force] general Tom Stafford went to the eternal heavens, which he so courageously explored as a Gemini and Apollo astronaut as well as a peacemaker in Apollo Soyuz,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said on X, formerly known as Twitter. “Those of us privileged to know him are very sad but grateful we knew a giant.”