Who's the Greatest Fighter Pilot You Ever Saw?

You're looking at him!

Gordo Cooper, a Mercury astronaut, died on Monday at 77 of natural causes. He was the youngest Mercury astronaut, and many say he was also the orneriest. His death coincided eerily with the second successful test flight of SpaceShipOne.

Last Thursday was my dad's birthday. He brought my sister and I up with the same fascination with aeronautics and space flight that he has always had. For his birthday, I gave him a copy of a book published in 1963 called We Seven, an account of the Mercury program from the astronauts themselves. Also included in his gift was a copy of the 2 disc special edition of The Right Stuff movie and a children's book, Blue Skidoos to the Planets, for him to read with my daughter. I saw the movie in the theater with my dad. I was 6. I still remember it like yesterday.

So, Gordo Cooper's death, while not particularly tragic, like Gus Grissom's, or the Challenger astronauts', or others, still sits heavy with me. Here was a man who really WAS an American hero, and few people my age even know his name. (Heck, my boss, who is 46, didn't know who I was talking about until I said "The Right Stuff" to her.)

Rest in peace, Gordo.