Search results
Donald Kent "Deke" Slayton (March 1, 1924 – June 13, 1993) was an American Air Force pilot, aeronautical engineer, and test pilot who was selected as one of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts. He went on to become NASA's first Chief of the Astronaut Office and Director of Flight Crew Operations, responsible for NASA crew assignments.
Mar 14, 2022 · Donald K. “Deke” Slayton, one of the original Mercury 7 astronauts that NASA selected in April 1959, lost his chance to become the second American to orbit.
Feb 27, 2024 · Donald K. “Deke” Slayton. Slayton was named as one of the Mercury astronauts in April 1959. Mr. Slayton made his first space flight as Apollo docking module pilot of the Apollo-Soyuz Test Project mission—a joint space flight culminating in the first historical meeting in space between American astronauts and Soviet cosmonauts.
History of Deke Slayton. Donald Kent (Deke) Slayton was born on March 1, 1924 to a local farming family in Sparta, Wisconsin. Growing up Deke always knew he wanted to do something more with his life than farm.
Jan 30, 2014 · Deke Slayton was selected for the Mercury program, but had to wait more than a decade to fly in space after concerns about an erratic heartbeat pulled him out of the flight rotation.
Slayton logged 217 hours, 28 minutes, and 24 seconds during his only spaceflight. From December 1975 to November 1977, he served as manager for the Approach and Landing Test series at NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, at Edwards.
Feb 28, 2018 · Deke Slayton had the heart of a warrior. The native of Sparta was just 19 when he earned his pilot’s wings during World War II. He flew 56 combat missions in B-25 Mitchell bombers in the skies over Europe before returning to the U.S. to train bomber pilots.
Deke Slayton’s legacy as an astronaut, Air Force pilot, and pioneering leader in the U.S. space program has left an indelible mark on the history of space exploration.
Donald K. (Deke) Slayton was one of America’s original Mercury Seven astronauts. He flew on the Apollo-Soyuz Test Program, a joint U.S.-Russian space mission, in 1975. He was born in Sparta, Wis., on March 1, 1924.
Jun 13, 1993 · Donald “Deke” Slayton. Flew 56 combat missions in Europe as a B-25 pilot from October, 1943 to May, 1944. In May 1945, Slayton went to Okinawa with the 319th Bombardment Group and flew seven combat missions over Japan in A-26s.
