With the passing of Frank Borman, commander of the historic Apollo 8 – the first crewed mission to the moon – in Montana last week, the world has lost a vanguard astronaut of the Space Age. At 95, Borman was the oldest living astronaut, a distinction that now passes to his Apollo 8 command module pilot, James Lovell, who is also 95.
Born March 14, 1928 in Gary, Indiana, Borman was an only child who suffered from sinus problems in Indiana’s perpetually cold and humid weather. This forced his parents to move to warmer Tucson, Arizona, where Borman learned to fly at 15. His passion for flying saw him transition through several positions as a fighter pilot, experimental test pilot, and assistant professor of thermodynamics and fluid mechanics at the West Point Military Academy.
