Bob Collins
A member of one of the most exclusive clubs on the planet has died.
Dick Gordon was one of only 10 living humans who have seen the moon up close.
Gordon was the pilot on Apollo 12, the second mission to the moon on which Charles Conrad and lunar module pilot, Alan Bean got to bounce around on the moon while Gordon, like Michael Collins before him, got to orbit the moon by himself for a few days.
Only six of the original 12 men to walk on the moon are still alive. Buzz Aldrin, Alan Bean, Dave Scott, John Young, Charles Duke, and Harrison “Jack” Schmitt.
There are now only three Apollo moon mission pilots still living: Michael Collins, Al Worden, and Ken Mattingly.
Gordon was also an astronaut on the Gemini 11 flight, the first manned spacecraft to dock with another vehicle in space. In 1966, it linked up with the Agena Target Vehicle which had launched a couple of hours earlier.
Gordon was 88. The youngest member of the “moon club” — Mattingly — is 81.
