Description: (Officer, Astronaut, Test pilot, Aerospace engineer, Engineer, Aviator)
Leroy Gordon Cooper Jr. was an American aerospace engineer, test pilot, and United States Air Force pilot. He was among the original astronauts selected for Project Mercury, the first human space program in the United States. Cooper piloted the longest Mercury spaceflight, Mercury-Atlas 9, and later served as the command pilot of Gemini 5, establishing a new space endurance record. In addition to his achievements in space exploration, Cooper had a keen interest in racing cars and boats. He retired from NASA and the Air Force with the rank of colonel in 1970.