Former NASA astronaut Thomas Stafford, who flew to the moon before leading the first international space mission carried out by the United States and Russia, has died at the age of 93.
Stafford's death on Monday (March 18) came after an extended illness, according to Max Ary, director of the Stafford Air and Space Museum in Oklahoma.
"This nation has lost one of its great heroes," said Ary in a call with collectSPACE.com "We are so shocked and saddened by his passing. It's just hard to say because he was bigger than life."
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