Deke Slayton

Astronaut

Birthday March 1, 1924

Birth Sign Pisces

Birthplace Sparta, WI

DEATH DATE Jun 13, 1993 (69)

#148,460 Most Popular

About

One of the original NASA Mercury Seven astronauts, he went to space on the historic Apollo-Soyuz mission in 1975.

Before Fame

He flew more than 50 combat missions over Europe in WW II, and continued to work for the military after studying aeronautical engineering.

Trivia

His training for the Apollo-Soyuz mission included learning Russian and visiting the Soviet Union to train at their spaceflight facilities.

Family Life

He was born in Sparta, Wisconsin, to Charles Sherman and Victoria Adelia Larson. In 1983, he married Bobbie Belle Jones.

Associated With

He trained alongside Thomas P. Stafford for the Apollo-Soyuz mission.