Stuart Roosa

Stuart Roosa
NASA, scanned by J.L. Pickering · Public domain · source
Name	Stuart Roosa
Birth date	May 16, 1933
Birth place	Durango, Colorado, United States
Death date	December 12, 1994
Death place	Falls Church, Virginia, United States
Occupation	Pilot, NASA astronaut, United States Air Force officer
Rank	Colonel, United States Air Force
Missions	Apollo 14
Alma mater	University of Colorado Boulder (attendance)

Stuart Roosa was an American astronaut and United States Air Force officer who served as Command Module Pilot for the Apollo 14 mission. A graduate of United States military flight training and test pilot schools, he flew on the third successful lunar landing mission while crewmates conducted surface operations. Roosa later worked with aerospace contractors and remained involved with NASA and aviation communities until his death.

Early life and education

Born in Durango, Colorado in 1933, Roosa was the son of a railroad family and grew up in the American Southwest. He attended public schools in Kenosha, Wisconsin and later enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder before entering military service. Influenced by interwar aviation developments and the Korean War, he pursued flight training that led to assignments within United States Air Force facilities and training commands.

Military career and test pilot work

Roosa was commissioned in the United States Air Force and trained as a fighter pilot, flying aircraft such as the North American F-100 Super Sabre and serving at bases that included Vance Air Force Base and Nellis Air Force Base. He graduated from the U.S. Air Force Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base and worked with test programs alongside programs at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and contractors like Lockheed Corporation and Northrop Corporation. His duties included flight testing of prototype fighters and participation in flight test projects connected to Project Mercury era developments and early Space Race activities.

NASA selection and training

In 1966 Roosa was selected as part of NASA Astronaut Group 5, joining contemporaries from groups associated with Project Gemini and Apollo Program teams. He trained at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas with crews that included veterans from Apollo 7, Apollo 8, and other missions overseen by Flight Directors such as Gene Kranz and administrators like James E. Webb. His training encompassed spacecraft systems, rendezvous techniques developed during Gemini IV and Gemini VIII, and lunar procedures refined after Apollo 8 and Apollo 11.

Apollo 14 mission

Roosa served as Command Module Pilot for Apollo 14, launched in 1971 aboard a Saturn V booster from Kennedy Space Center's Launch Complex 39. The mission commander and lunar module pilot conducted surface operations in the Fra Mauro formation while Roosa piloted the command module in lunar orbit, performing experiments and photography tasks planned by teams including Science Mission Directorate scientists and the Ames Research Center. Apollo 14 recovered contingency lessons from Apollo 13 and implemented procedures refined by flight crews from Apollo 12 and Apollo 11. During the mission Roosa oversaw spacecraft systems, coordinated with mission control specialists at Manned Spacecraft Center and participated in surface support tasks; the crew returned safely and were awarded recognition by officials including representatives of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration leadership.

Post-NASA career and later life

After resigning from active flight status Roosa worked with aerospace firms and consulting groups affiliated with contractors such as McDonnell Douglas and North American Rockwell. He participated in public speaking engagements at institutions including Smithsonian Institution, advisory panels hosted by National Research Council, and industry conferences that involved organizations such as American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. Roosa remained connected to veteran astronaut networks and Astronaut Scholarship Foundation activities while contributing to programs at Johnson Space Center and various flight test organizations. He retired to the Washington, D.C. area and suffered from health issues later in life, passing away in 1994; memorials included tributes from NASA and aviation societies.

Personal life and legacy

Roosa married and was the father of children who have participated in commemorations alongside families of crewmates from Apollo 14 and other Apollo Program missions. His legacy is preserved in museum exhibits at institutions such as the National Air and Space Museum, the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame, and regional museums in Colorado and Oklahoma. Artifacts from his career, flight suits, and mission hardware have been displayed in exhibitions featuring items from Apollo 11, Apollo 12, and later lunar program retrospectives. His contributions remain part of broader histories of the Space Race, Saturn V development, and American crewed lunar exploration efforts. Category:Apollo astronauts Category:United States Air Force officers