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First to go on July 17 was Lt Gen McCartney,
81, a key player initially in military satellites
and Inter Continental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs),
and then in NASA’s civil and manned mission
programmes.
Sally Ride, 61, an educationist and the first
woman astronaut from her country, was the next
to go on July 23.
Both of them died of cancer.
Neil Armstrong, 82, the first man to step foot
on the moon on 20 July 1969, died Aug 25 of heart
surgery complications.
All three are known for the grace and dignity
with which they lived after retirement and continued
to encourage aerospace aviation among youngsters.
And each one fulfilled the mission of their lives
with distinction.
Although McCartney, as a US Air Force (USAF)
officer, was involved in military aerospace and
missile programmes, the spinoff from the research
from those programmes did benefit various aspects
of both civil and military sciences.
According to a statement by NASA (National Aeronautics
and Space Administration), he came from the position
of commander, Air Force Space Division and concluded
a distinguished 35-year military career on Aug.
31, 1987, with a retirement ceremony at the office
of the Secretary of the Air Force in the Pentagon.
Born 23 March 1931, McCartney earned a master's
degree in nuclear engineering from the Air Force
Institute of Technology, Wright-Patterson Air
Force Base, Ohio, in 1955. Upon graduation he
served as project officer for various special
weapons programs, and for nuclear weapons safety
systems studies at the Special Weapons Center,
Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico. He also graduated
from the Armed Forces Staff College, Norfolk,
Virgina., in 1967.
He was assigned charge of the Kennedy Space Centre
in Florida in 1987, following the 28 Jan 1986
space shuttle Challenger tragedy in which all
seven astronauts were killed. McCasrtney always
spent time with people, and in the field, helping
restore confidence to relaunch the shuttle programme
again.
Although several companies produce components
for the space shuttles, Boeing's has creditably
performed design engineering and support for the
Space Shuttle fleet since the first flight in
1981.
Born 26 May 1951, Sally Ride had first gone to
space at the age of 32 on board the Challenger
18 June 1983, and then once again. She is the
youngest US astronaut yet, man or woman.
Significantly, she was part of review panel that
examined the 1986 Challenger and 2003 Columbia
disasters, and helped formulate some new parameters.
The quiet, graceful Sally, as she was popularly
known in the space fraternity, dedicated her life
to inspire young girls to opt for science, and
regarded space ventures as a field of advanced
sciences. She wrote several books for children
on science along with her husband.
She suffered from cancer for 17 months, but lived
the life to fullest, according to her family members.
Sally had opted for space training in 1978 along
with some other women, when NASA decided to look
for doctors, scientists and specialists other
than Air Force and military officers for space
missions.
Said President Barack Obama on her death: Sally
was a national hero and a powerful role model.
She inspired generations of young girls to reach
for the stars.
Neil Armstrong of course has been the most celebrated
of the US astronauts.
His famous words when he first set foot on the
moon, “That’s one small step for man,
one giant leap for mankind,” turned that
singular US achievement into a world celebration
and everybody everywhere, including in India,
shared the smiles.
Born 5 Aug 1930, Neil was an aerospace engineer,
a qualified naval aviator with deck landings,
an Air Force test pilot, and a distinguished astronaut.
He is survived by his second wife Carol, whom
he met at a golf course in 1992 and married in
1994.
A quiet and private person, Neil contributed
generously to his alma mater, the Purdue University,
and various charities. Once, when his barber sold
his hair for $ 3,000 without his permission, Neil
ensured that the proceeds went to a charity.
Neil remained an advocate of aviation and exploration
throughout his life and never lost his boyhood
wonder of these pursuits, said his family.
NASA administrator Charles Bolden observed: “As
we enter this next era of space exploration, we
do so standing on the shoulders of Neil Armstrong.”
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