Russell L. Rogers | |
---|---|
Born | |
Died | September 13, 1967 Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan | (aged 39)
Nationality | American |
Other names | Russell Lee Rogers |
Alma mater | University of Colorado, B.S. 1958 |
Occupation | Test pilot |
Space career | |
USAF Astronaut | |
Rank | Lieutenant Colonel, USAF |
Selection | 1960 Dyna-Soar Group 1 |
Missions | None |
Russell Lee Rogers (April 12, 1928 – September 13, 1967), (Lt Col, USAF), was an American electrical engineer, U.S. Air Force officer, test pilot, and astronaut in the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.
Early life and education
editRogers was born on April 12, 1928, in Lawrence, Kansas.[1] He received a Bachelor of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Colorado in 1958.[2] He was married with five children.[3]
Test pilot
editRogers flew 142 missions as a fighter pilot during the Korean War.[4]: 3 As a USAF Test Pilot School graduate,[5] he was an experimental test pilot at Edwards AFB, California. During this assignment, Rogers served as a key member of the team that tested the Northrop T-38 Talon jet trainer.[6] In April 1960, he was selected for the X-20 program.[2] After several years supporting the Boeing-led program as a pilot consultant,[4]: 4 Rogers left the X-20 program on December 10, 1963, when it was cancelled.[7]: 3 [8]: xxv–xxvi
After the X-20 program, he remained in the U.S. Air Force on active flight duty as a pilot[2] and was commander of the 12th Tactical Fighter Squadron with the rank of Lt. Colonel at the time of his death.[9]
Death
editRogers was killed when the engine of his F-105 fighter plane failed near Kadena AFB, Okinawa, Japan on September 13, 1967.[2] He ejected from his aircraft, but his parachute failed to deploy properly. He was 39 years old.
References
edit- ^ United States Astronauts. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1963. p. 75. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ a b c d Astronauts and Cosmonauts Biographical and Statistical Data. Washington, DC: US Government Printing Office. 1975. p. 107. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
- ^ "Mary Ann Rogers Obituary". Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. December 29, 2001. Retrieved April 18, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
- ^ a b Jury, William (November 1963). "Saddle The Dragon". Boeing Magazine. Vol. XXXIII, no. 11. Seattle, Washington: The Boeing Company. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
- ^ Eppley, Charles V. (March 1963). "History of the USAF Experimental Flight Test School 4 February 1951 – 12 October 1961" (PDF). Fort Belvoir, Virginia: Defense Technical Information Center. pp. 24–25. Retrieved April 11, 2021.
Rogers graduated with class 58-C
- ^ Miller, Ed Mack (March 1, 1961). "This Trainer Can GO, GO, GO". Arlington, Virginia: Air Force Association. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
- ^ Shayler, David J.; Snowdon, Philip W. (January 1981). "America's Forgotten Astronauts". Spaceflight. Vol. 23, no. 1. London, England: British Interplanetary Society. ISSN 0038-6340. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
- ^ Shayler, David; Burgess, Colin (2017). "The last of NASA's original pilot astronauts". Springer International. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "12 Special Operations Squadron (AFSOC)". Air Force Historical Research Agency. United States Air Force. October 29, 2018. Retrieved April 12, 2021.
External links
edit- Astronautix biography of Russell L. Rogers
- Spacefacts biography of Russell L. Rogers
- Russell L. Rogers at Find a Grave
Category:1928 births
Category:1967 deaths
Category:American astronauts
Category:American electrical engineers
Category:American Korean War pilots
Category:American test pilots
Category:Aviators from Kansas
Category:Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in Japan
Category:People from Lawrence, Kansas
Category:United States Air Force officers
Category:University of Colorado alumni
Category:U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumni
Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1967
Category:20th-century American engineers