Pioneering astronaut John Young has died

John Young, the only astronaut to participate in NASA’s Gemini, Apollo, and space shuttle programs, has died, NASA reported Saturday. He was 87. Young and Mercury astronaut Gus Grissom took part in the first manned Gemini mission in 1965. Young notoriously snuck a corned beef sandwich on board that flight to the embarrassment of NASA. Young was the ninth man to walk on the moon and the first commander of the space shuttle Columbia. During his long career, he became a champion for flight safety and often raised concerns even when his admonitions were unpopular. “Astronaut John Young’s storied career spanned three generations of spaceflight,” acting NASA administrator Robert Lightfoot said in an emailed statement. “John was one of that group of early space pioneers whose bravery and commitment sparked our nation’s first great achievements in space.”