Charles Bassett

Charles Arthur "Charlie" Bassett II ( born December 30, 1931 in Dayton, Ohio, † February 28, 1966 in St. Louis, Missouri) was an American astronaut who in a plane crash before his first space flight with Gemini 9 life came.

Bassett attended from 1950 to 1952, the Ohio State University and from 1958 to 1960, the Texas Technological College, today's Texas Tech University. There he received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering in 1960. He completed another postgraduate studies at the University of Southern California.

Bassett was a pilot in the United States Air Force. As a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California, he acquired a very large flying experience.

Astronauts activity

Bassett was selected with the third group of NASA astronauts in October 1963. In addition to his astronaut training, he was also responsible for the training on the simulators.

On 8 November 1965, he was determined to be pilot of the proposed Gemini 9 mission.

During the flights of Gemini 6 and Gemini 7 in December 1965, he served as the connection spokesman ( Capcom ) of the flight control center in Houston.

Fatal Accident

On February 28, 1966, the main and the backup crew of Gemini 9 flew in two two-seat T-38 Talon jets to St. Louis to McDonnell, the producer of the Gemini spacecraft. Elliott Lake steered the aircraft and a Bassett flew as co-pilot with him. In dense fog flew too close to the sea floor, pulled on landing a building of the St. Louis airport and crashed. Bassett and lake were killed instantly

Charles Bassett left behind his wife and two children. He was buried at Arlington National Cemetery.