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Author
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Topic: Astronaut John Bull (1934-2008)
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SPACEFACTS
Member Posts: 301
From: Germany
Registered: Aug 2006
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posted 08-14-2008 09:07 AM
   
Former NASA astronaut John S. Bull passed away on August 11, 2008.John S. Bull, former NASA astronaut, dies John Bull, a former NASA astronaut who due to illness was forced to resign while supporting what would become the first crewed mission to the Moon, died August 11 at age 73.  A moment of silence can be signified by an entry with no words and only a period. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 08-14-2008 09:15 AM
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Rick Mulheirn
Member Posts: 4167
From: England
Registered: Feb 2001
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posted 08-14-2008 09:39 AM
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ApolloAlex
Member Posts: 390
From: Yeovil, England
Registered: Oct 2004
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posted 08-14-2008 10:32 AM
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Henk Boshuijer
Member Posts: 450
From: Netherlands
Registered: May 2007
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posted 08-14-2008 11:01 AM
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Joe Frasketi
Member Posts: 191
From: Florida USA
Registered: Aug 2003
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posted 08-14-2008 12:30 PM
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MSS
Member Posts: 633
From: Poland
Registered: May 2003
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posted 08-14-2008 12:32 PM
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Maciej,
Astronauts, Cosmonauts & their flights |
Tom
Member Posts: 1597
From: New York
Registered: Nov 2000
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posted 08-14-2008 02:48 PM
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ea757grrl
Member Posts: 729
From: South Carolina
Registered: Jul 2006
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posted 08-14-2008 04:09 PM
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NavySpaceFan
Member Posts: 655
From: Norfolk, VA
Registered: May 2007
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posted 08-14-2008 04:35 PM
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E2M Lem Man
Member Posts: 846
From: Los Angeles CA. USA
Registered: Jan 2005
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posted 08-14-2008 05:01 PM
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J.M. Busby
Aerospace Legacy Foundation |
KSCartist
Member Posts: 2896
From: Titusville, FL USA
Registered: Feb 2005
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posted 08-14-2008 06:14 PM
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Lunar rock nut
Member Posts: 911
From: Oklahoma city, Oklahoma U.S.A.
Registered: Feb 2007
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posted 08-14-2008 09:42 PM
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randy
Member Posts: 2176
From: West Jordan, Utah USA
Registered: Dec 1999
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posted 08-14-2008 10:19 PM
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East-Frisian
Member Posts: 586
From: Germany
Registered: Apr 2005
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posted 08-14-2008 11:37 PM
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saturn1b
Member Posts: 159
From: Westcliffe, CO
Registered: Jun 2006
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posted 08-15-2008 08:53 AM
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http://spacemuseum.skymtn.com/ |
gliderpilotuk
Member Posts: 3398
From: London, UK
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-15-2008 10:14 AM
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GACspaceguy
Member Posts: 2476
From: Guyton, GA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 08-15-2008 11:16 AM
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kr4mula
Member Posts: 642
From: Cinci, OH
Registered: Mar 2006
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posted 08-15-2008 11:58 AM
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Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 08-15-2008 08:50 PM
Any word on the official cause of death, and if it was related to the condition that kept him from flying in space?I've thought for a long time that Bull stood a good chance of walking on the moon had he not been diagnosed with that pulmonary condition. Deke Slayton stated that he rated Bull near the top of the 5th astronaut group, and was sorry to lose him. RIP. |
jasonelam
Member Posts: 691
From: Monticello, KY USA
Registered: Mar 2007
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posted 08-15-2008 10:06 PM
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astro-nut
Member Posts: 946
From: Washington, IL
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 08-16-2008 09:19 AM
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FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-16-2008 10:46 AM
quote:
Originally posted by Delta7:
Deke Slayton stated that he rated Bull near the top of the 5th astronaut group, and was sorry to lose him.
I have never heard that one, that I recall - what is your source for that? I have read that Deke considered Bull a likely pick for one of the early LMP slots. |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 08-16-2008 10:57 AM
quote:
Originally posted by FFrench:
I have never heard that one, that I recall - what is your source for that?
I'm trying to remember exactly where, but I remember reading that Haise, Mitchell, Irwin and Bull were the top-rated LMPs from that group.
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FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-16-2008 11:05 AM
Indeed, in his book with Mike Cassutt Deke says Bull was "a great guy and would have been one of my early picks for a lunar module pilot." That is, quite possibly, a little different from being near the top of the whole group, as it seems that Deke generally seemed to choose those guys for CMP slots, allowing them a normally quicker route to command positions. Not always, but...In any event, Bull certainly sounds like a talented aviator. I had an E-mail from a member of his group this week saying, amongst other things, "He was a great guy." |
spaceman
Member Posts: 1104
From: Walsall, West Midlands, UK
Registered: Dec 2002
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posted 08-16-2008 11:30 AM
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Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 08-16-2008 11:56 AM
quote:
Originally posted by FFrench:
Deke seemed to choose those guys for CMP slots, allowing them a quicker route to command positions.
True, but Fred Haise WAS the #1 rated guy from that group (according to Deke) and was an LMP from the outset. Plus the fact that Bull would have been an early selectee for any Apollo crew position puts him in the top tier of the group (albeit with some other talented individuals). |
spaceman1953
Member Posts: 953
From: South Bend, IN
Registered: Apr 2002
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posted 08-16-2008 03:46 PM
*Thank you for your work to get us to the Moon. Gene Bella
South Bend |
FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-16-2008 10:14 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Delta7:
but Fred Haise WAS the #1 rated guy from that group (according to Deke)
I don't ever remember reading Deke having said that one, either. I'd certainly be interested in your source there... |
Delta7
Member Posts: 1505
From: Bluffton IN USA
Registered: Oct 2007
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posted 08-16-2008 10:32 PM
Mike Collins, a member of the Group 5 selection committee, said in "Carrying The Fire" that Haise came out as the #1 candidate (using a point scoring system established by Slayton). Slayton, when assigning Haise to the Apollo 8 backup crew, referred to him as "the best trained of the guys available". Clearly, Haise stood out among the rest of the members of Group 5. He served on 2 backup crews (for 2 historic missions) before anyone else from his group served on a crew. He was the only Group 5 astronaut actually entrusted with potential command of a lunar landing mission. He was clearly at the very top of the Group 5 pecking order. IMO, Mitchell, Irwin, Mattingly, Roosa, Worden and Bull, along with Haise (and Givens before his untimely death) constituted the top tier of Group 5. Same as McDivitt/Borman/Armstrong in Group 2 and Scott/Bassett/Collins/Gordon in Group 3. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 552
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 08-16-2008 10:44 PM
quote:
Originally posted by FFrench:
That is possibly a little different from being near the top of the whole group, as it seems that Deke generally seemed to choose those guys for CMP slots, allowing them a normally quicker route to command positions.
Also, according to Deke!, he chose astronauts for CMP slots who were experienced for the early missions. He felt that the CMP needed an experienced astronaut-preferably one with docking experience-for that job. Now, he said this didn't apply for the first couple missions where there was no docking (this is why Apollo 1 was originally Grissom/Eisele/Chaffee... he felt that a "weaker" crew could fly this mission; the same is true for the original crew of Apollo 2 - Schirra/Eisele/Cunningham). So, I doubt Slayton would have assigned a rookie astronaut as a CMP on an earlier flight until he had too. And, if you look at how it worked out... Apollo 13 was the first Apollo docking mission with a rookie CMP. |
RichieB16
Member Posts: 552
From: Oregon
Registered: Feb 2003
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posted 08-16-2008 10:44 PM
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chappy
Member Posts: 231
From: Cardiff, S. Wales, UK
Registered: Apr 2006
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posted 08-17-2008 03:08 AM
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ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 08-17-2008 04:33 AM
Re the original crew of Apollo 1, for our book "In the Shadow of the Moon" Francis French and I received personal confirmation from Harriet Eisele and backup crewmembers Wally Schirra and Walt Cunningham that the original Apollo 1 crew was Grissom, White and Eisele. Deke Slayton was going to place either Eisele or Chaffee with Grissom and White and chose Eisele, but of course an injury soon after meant that he was replaced and reassigned to the backup crew, while Roger Chaffee took his place. I know this contradicts what is said in the book "Deke" (page 164) and I wish I had a confirming memo or document to this effect, but an extensive search of NASA records from that period by a Houston-based researcher failed to turn up any supporting documentation relating to the original crew. However I feel the clear recollections of those three people is more than sufficient. In fact Harriet Eisele told us that the injury saved Donn's life. |
eurospace
Member Posts: 2610
From: Brussels, Belgium
Registered: Dec 2000
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posted 08-17-2008 05:39 AM
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ColinBurgess
Member Posts: 2031
From: Sydney, Australia
Registered: Sep 2003
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posted 08-17-2008 06:10 AM
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Moonwalker1954
Member Posts: 245
From: Montreal, Canada
Registered: Jul 2004
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posted 08-17-2008 07:29 PM
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cddfspace
Member Posts: 609
From: Morris County, NJ, USA
Registered: Jan 2006
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posted 08-18-2008 11:03 AM
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ejectr
Member Posts: 1751
From: Killingly, CT
Registered: Mar 2002
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posted 08-18-2008 11:23 AM
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FFrench
Member Posts: 3161
From: San Diego
Registered: Feb 2002
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posted 08-18-2008 06:42 PM
quote:
Originally posted by Delta7:
Mike Collins, a member of the Group 5 selection committee, said in "Carrying The Fire" that Haise came out as the #1 candidate (using a point scoring system established by Slayton).
Ah, okay, so in Collins' words, not anything Deke wrote - thanks for the clarification... |
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