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Questions about Donn F. Eisele

Short answers, pulled from the story.

What mission did Donn Eisele fly for NASA?

Donn Eisele flew as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 7, which launched on the 11th of October 1968. The 260-hour mission covered 4.5 million miles and concluded with splashdown in the Atlantic Ocean on the 22nd of October 1968. It was the first crewed flight test of the third-generation American spacecraft.

What were Donn Eisele's duties on Apollo 7?

Eisele served as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 7, responsible for navigating by star sightings and aligning the spacecraft's guidance and navigation platform. He also participated in simulated transposition and docking maneuvers with the Saturn IB's upper stage, and the crew performed eight successful test firings of the service module's propulsion engine.

Why was Donn Eisele removed from the Apollo 1 crew?

Eisele was removed from the Apollo 1 crew after dislocating his shoulder twice during training in January 1966. He was replaced by Roger B. Chaffee. After corrective surgery, he was reassigned to a later mission alongside Walter Schirra and Walter Cunningham.

What did Donn Eisele do after retiring from NASA?

Eisele retired from both NASA and the Air Force in July 1972 and became Country Director of the U.S. Peace Corps in Thailand. He later worked in private business, including as Sales Manager for Marion Power Shovel and in an accounts role at the investment firm Oppenheimer & Company. He also served briefly on the Wilton Manors City Commission in Florida.

How did Donn Eisele die?

Donn Eisele died of a heart attack on the 1st of December 1987 in Tokyo, Japan, at the age of 57. He had traveled there for the opening of a new Space Camp modeled on the facility at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama. His ashes were buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors.

What awards and honors did Donn Eisele receive for Apollo 7?

Eisele received the NASA Exceptional Service Medal during his career and was posthumously awarded the NASA Distinguished Service Medal in 2008 specifically for his Apollo 7 mission. In 1969, his crew received the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences Special Trustees Award for the first live television broadcast from orbit. He was one of 24 Apollo astronauts inducted into the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997.