Former U.S. astronaut Frank Borman, who led the first manned flight to orbit the moon and later served as chairman of Eastern Airlines during a period of economic turmoil, has passed away at the age of 95, according to NASA. Borman, who spent nearly 20 days in space on two missions in the 1960s, died on Tuesday in Billings, Montana. Born in Gary, Indiana, on March 14, 1928, he was the oldest living American astronaut until his death, a title now held by Jim Lovell, who is also 95 but slightly younger.
Borman’s fascination with airplanes began during his childhood, and he took flying lessons as a schoolboy in Arizona, funding them by delivering newspapers. After graduating from the U.S. Military Academy in 1950, he became an Air Force fighter pilot. Like his fellow astronauts of that era, he trained as a test pilot before being selected for NASA’s second astronaut program in 1962. Borman emphasized the importance of his prior experience as a pilot in his autobiography, stating, “We were veteran pilots before we became rookie astronauts, and that made the difference.”
His first space mission was on Gemini 7 in 1965, where he served as commander for a 14-day mission that included a rendezvous with another Gemini spacecraft. Three years later, he commanded Apollo 8, the first mission to orbit the moon, making 10 trips around the moon with his two crewmates during Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. One of the mission’s most iconic moments was captured by Borman’s crewmate William Anders in a photograph known as “Earthrise,” showing a partial view of the Earth rising over the lunar surface.
After retiring from NASA and the Air Force in 1970, Borman joined Eastern Airlines as an advisor. By 1975, he became the airline’s president, and a year later, he was appointed chairman. Borman sought to address the airline’s financial challenges by implementing the industry’s first wage freeze but also introducing profit-sharing for employees. However, Eastern Airlines continued to struggle, ultimately leading to Borman’s decision to seek a solution outside the company. Eastern agreed to be acquired by Texas Air Corp in 1986, making it the largest airline holding company in the United States.
Following his retirement in 1986, Borman relocated to Las Cruces, New Mexico, where he assisted in his son’s car dealership, worked on writing a book, and spent time with his family. In a recent interview with Politico to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 8 mission, Borman expressed support for a mission to Mars but deemed attempts to colonize the planet as “preposterous.”
Borman is survived by his wife Susan and their two sons.
