Pete Conrad

Pete Conrad, also known as Charles "Pete" Conrad Jr., was an American astronaut, engineer, and naval officer. He was born on June 2, 1930, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Even though he had dyslexia, he earned a degree in aeronautical engineering from Princeton University, making him the first Ivy League graduate to become an astronaut.

Conrad joined the U.S. Navy and became a skilled pilot. In 1962, he was chosen to be part of NASA's second astronaut class. He flew several important missions, including Gemini 5 in 1965, where he helped set a new space endurance record, and Gemini 11 in 1966. His most famous mission was Apollo 12 in 1969, where he became the third person to walk on the Moon.

Later, Conrad commanded the Skylab 2 mission in 1973. During this mission, he and his crew fixed problems on the Skylab space station right after it launched. For this work, he received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor from President Jimmy Carter in 1978. After retiring from NASA and the Navy, Conrad worked for companies like American Television and Communications Company and McDonnell Douglas. He passed away in 1999 at the age of 69.

Early life and education

Charles Conrad Jr. was born on June 2, 1930, in Philadelphia. He was the first son of Charles Conrad Sr. and Frances De Rappelage Conrad. The Great Depression caused the family to lose their money, and they moved into a smaller home.

Conrad struggled with school because he had dyslexia, which was not well understood back then. He attended the Haverford School in Haverford, Pennsylvania, but was eventually asked to leave. His mother found a new school for him, the Darrow School in New Lebanon, New York, where he learned ways to cope with his dyslexia and graduated in 1949. He was accepted into Princeton University and received a full scholarship from the Navy ROTC.

While in school, Conrad loved flying. He worked at an airfield during summers and even helped fix a plane that had to land unexpectedly. He earned his pilot's certificate before finishing high school and continued flying while he was in college. Conrad graduated from Princeton in 1953 with a degree in aeronautical engineering and became an officer in the U.S. Navy.

Aviation career in the U.S. Navy

After becoming an officer in 1953, Pete Conrad went to Naval Air Station Pensacola in Florida for flight training. He also trained at Naval Air Station Corpus Christi in Texas. By September 1954, he became a Naval Aviator and started working as a fighter pilot. He was very good at Navy flight school and spent several years flying from aircraft carriers in the Navy. Conrad also taught flying at Navy schools near the Gulf of Mexico.

Later, Conrad joined the United States Naval Test Pilot School at Naval Air Station Patuxent River in Patuxent, Maryland. He graduated in 1958 with classmates who later became astronauts, including Wally Schirra and Jim Lovell. He became a captain in the U.S. Navy on December 11, 1969.

Conrad tried to become an astronaut for NASA's first group, the Mercury Seven, but decided to leave the testing process early. Later, he was encouraged by Alan Shepard to try again, and in June 1962, he was chosen to join NASA. Throughout his career, he flew more than 6,500 hours, with over 5,000 of those hours in jet aircraft.

NASA career

Project Gemini

Main articles: Gemini 5 and Gemini 11

Pete Conrad became an astronaut in 1962 as part of NASA's second group, called the New Nine. He was a very skilled pilot and was one of the first to fly on a Gemini mission. As the pilot of Gemini 5 with commander Gordon Cooper, they set a new record for how long a spacecraft could stay in space for eight days. Conrad helped test important systems that were needed for the Apollo program. He later commanded the crew for Gemini 11 with pilot Richard Gordon. During this mission, they reached the highest point ever for a crew flying around Earth.

Apollo program

Main article: Apollo 12

In 1969, Conrad commanded Apollo 12 with Dick Gordon and Alan Bean. The launch was tricky because lightning strikes caused some problems, but the crew managed to land on the Moon. When Conrad stepped onto the Moon, he joked that it was a big jump for him, since he was shorter than Neil. One famous photo from the mission showed Conrad's face in the helmet of Alan Bean.

Skylab

Main article: Skylab 2

Conrad's last mission was commanding Skylab 2, the first crew to visit the Skylab space station. The station was damaged before crew arrival, so Conrad and his team fixed it during spacewalks. They also put up a new sun shield to keep the station safe. President Jimmy Carter honored Conrad for this work in 1978.

Post-NASA career

Pete Conrad left NASA and the Navy in 1973 and began working for American Television and Communications Company. He started as the vice president of operations and chief operating officer, managing existing systems and helping develop new cable television systems.

In 1976, Conrad joined McDonnell Douglas as a vice president and consultant. Later, he became vice president of marketing, handling sales for both commercial and military aircraft. In 1996, he was part of a record-breaking flight around the world in a Learjet that lasted almost 50 hours. Before he passed away, Conrad shared his thoughts on the future of space travel, suggesting missions to Mars and asteroids would be more valuable than returning to the Moon.

Personal life

Pete Conrad had a personal motto: "When you can't be good, be colorful." He met his first wife, Jane DuBose, while they were students. They married in 1953 and had four sons together. Because of his busy career, they spent a lot of time apart, and they divorced in 1988.

Later, Pete met and married Nancy Crane in 1990. He enjoyed many hobbies, including golf, water skiing, and auto racing. Pete was also a Cub Scout during his childhood.

Death

Pete Conrad passed away on July 8, 1999, after an accident while riding his motorcycle. He was traveling from his home in Huntington Beach to Monterey, California with his wife and friends when his motorcycle lost control on a turn. He was taken to a hospital in Ojai, where he later died. Conrad was wearing a helmet and was following the speed limit at the time.

In memory of Conrad and other astronauts who have passed away, a special grove of trees was planted at the Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. After Conrad’s death, NASA added a tree for him. During a ceremony, his Apollo 12 crewmate Alan Bean shared a light-hearted message that Conrad had supposedly sent, asking for his tree to be lit with colorful lights each Christmas instead of the usual white lights. Since then, every Christmas, Conrad’s tree is lit with red lights, while the others remain white. He was honored with a special burial at Arlington National Cemetery, where many of his fellow astronauts attended, and the song "Amazing Grace" was performed by the famous musician Willie Nelson.

Awards and honors

Pete Conrad received many important awards for his achievements. He was given two Navy Distinguished Service Medals and two Distinguished Flying Crosses. He also received the Congressional Space Medal of Honor in 1978, along with two NASA Distinguished Service Medals and two NASA Exceptional Service Medals.

Conrad was honored with the Yuri Gagarin Gold Space Medal, the Harmon Trophy in 1974, and the Thompson Trophy, also in 1974. He was inducted into several halls of fame, including the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1980, the International Space Hall of Fame in 1982, and the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1993. He also received honorary degrees from several universities.

In popular media

Pete Conrad appeared in several movies and TV shows. He was a character in the book The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe, but not in the movie based on it. He also acted in a TV movie called Stowaway to the Moon and in another called Plymouth.

In other films and shows, different actors played him. For example, in the movie Apollo 13, David Andrews played Conrad. In the TV series From the Earth to the Moon, Peter Scolari and Paul McCrane took on the role. Later, in the film First Man, Ethan Embry played him, and in the TV show For All Mankind, Steven Pritchard portrayed Conrad.