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— CH. 1 · OHIO BOY SCOUT TO NAVAL ACADEMY —

Donn F. Eisele

~4 min read · Ch. 1 of 7
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  • Donn Fulton Eisele was born on the 23rd of June 1930 in Columbus, Ohio. His parents were Herman Eugene Eisele and Lee Ila June Eisele. He graduated from West High School in 1948 after active participation as a Boy Scout. The young man earned the rank of Eagle Scout during his youth. This achievement marked an early commitment to discipline and service. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1952. Eisele chose a commission in the United States Air Force immediately upon graduation. He later obtained a Master of Science degree in Astronautics from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology in 1960.

  • Eisele underwent flight training at Goodfellow Air Force Base in Texas. He also trained at Williams Air Force Base in Arizona and Tyndall Air Force Base in Florida. He received his pilot wings in 1954 after completing these courses. Four years followed as he served as an interceptor pilot in South Dakota and Libya until 1958. He attended the U.S. Air Force Experimental Test Pilot School at Edwards Air Force Base, California. Class 62A included future astronauts Charles Bassett and Theodore Freeman among his classmates. He became a project engineer and experimental test pilot at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico. His total flying time exceeded 4,200 hours. More than 3,600 of those hours were logged inside jet aircraft.

  • NASA selected Donn F. Eisele for its third group of astronauts in October 1963. Early 1966 brought quiet selection as pilot for the Apollo 1 crew alongside Virgil I. Grissom and Ed White. Dislocation of his shoulder occurred twice during training in January 1966. This injury forced his replacement by Roger B. Chaffee on that specific mission. Corrective surgery took place on the 27th of January 1966. Following recovery, Eisele was named to the second crewed Apollo flight with Walter Schirra and Walter Cunningham. The Senior Pilot position held him at this stage. December 1966 saw Apollo 2 canceled as an unnecessary repeat of Apollo 1. Schirra, Eisele, and Cunningham then served as backups to Grissom's crew.

  • The first crewed flight test of the third generation United States spacecraft launched on the 11th of October 1968. Apollo 7 carried Commander Wally Schirra, Command Module Pilot Donn Eisele, and Lunar Module Pilot Walter Cunningham. The mission lasted 11 days until conclusion on the 22nd of October 1968. Eisele performed simulated transposition and docking maneuvers with the Saturn IB launch vehicle upper stage. He acted as navigator taking star sightings to align the guidance platform. Eight successful test firing maneuvers of the service module propulsion engine were completed. The crew broadcast the first live televised coverage of space activities. Splashdown occurred in the Atlantic Ocean just 8 miles from the carrier USS Essex. Eisele logged 260 hours in space during this shakedown flight covering 4.5 million miles.

  • Eisele remained on the crew despite personal complications threatening his status. An extramarital affair with a woman who later became his second wife existed at that time. Astronaut Office Chief Deke Slayton warned all three crew members they were expendable. Any extramarital affairs must not become public knowledge according to Slayton's strict directive. The warning served as a clear boundary for the astronauts before launch. Despite the risk, Eisele stayed on the Apollo 7 roster through the crisis period. The situation highlighted the intense scrutiny faced by early space program personnel regarding private conduct.

  • Donn F. Eisele resigned from the Astronaut Office in 1970 after serving as backup Command Module Pilot for Apollo 10. He took a position as technical assistant for crewed spaceflight at NASA Langley Research Center. Retirement from both NASA and the Air Force came in 1972. July 1972 marked his appointment as Country Director of the U.S. Peace Corps in Thailand. He returned from Thailand two years later to pursue civilian work. Sales Manager duties followed for Marion Power Shovel, a division of Dresser Industries. Private and corporate accounts were handled for investment firm Oppenheimer & Company. These roles represented a significant shift from government service to business operations.

  • Eisele died of a heart attack in Tokyo, Japan, on the 1st of December 1987. He was 57 years old while attending a business trip to open a new Space Camp. His ashes were cremated in Japan before being buried at Arlington National Cemetery with full military honors. The City of Wilton Manors named Donn Eisele Park in his memory after his death. He received posthumous recognition including induction into the International Space Hall of Fame in 1983. Twenty-four Apollo astronauts joined him in the U.S. Astronaut Hall of Fame in 1997. NASA awarded him the Distinguished Service Medal for his Apollo 7 mission in 2008.

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1930 births1968 in spaceflight1987 deaths20th-century American businesspeople20th-century American politiciansAir Force Institute of Technology alumniAmerican FreemasonsAmerican test pilotsApollo 1Apollo 7Apollo program astronautsAviators from OhioBurials at Arlington National CemeteryBusinesspeople from Columbus, OhioEmmy Award winnersFlorida city council membersMilitary personnel from Columbus, OhioPeace Corps peoplePeople from Wilton Manors, FloridaRecipients of the Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)Recipients of the NASA Distinguished Service MedalRecipients of the NASA Exceptional Service MedalU.S. Air Force Test Pilot School alumniUnited States Air Force astronautsUnited States Air Force officersUnited States Astronaut Hall of Fame inducteesUnited States Naval Academy alumni

Common questions

When was Donn F. Eisele born and where did he grow up?

Donn Fulton Eisele was born on the 23rd of June 1930 in Columbus, Ohio. He graduated from West High School in 1948 after active participation as a Boy Scout.

What education did Donn F. Eisele receive before becoming an astronaut?

Eisele received a Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1952. He later obtained a Master of Science degree in Astronautics from the U.S. Air Force Institute of Technology in 1960.

Why was Donn F. Eisele replaced on the Apollo 1 mission?

Dislocation of his shoulder occurred twice during training in January 1966. Corrective surgery took place on the 27th of January 1966 which forced his replacement by Roger B. Chaffee on that specific mission.

How long did the Apollo 7 mission last and when did it conclude?

The first crewed flight test of the third generation United States spacecraft launched on the 11th of October 1968. The mission lasted 11 days until conclusion on the 22nd of October 1968.

When did Donn F. Eisele die and where did he pass away?

Donn F. Eisele died of a heart attack in Tokyo, Japan, on the 1st of December 1987. He was 57 years old while attending a business trip to open a new Space Camp.

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