Gordon Cooper Biography | Wiki, Treasure, Wife, Career, NASA | Celebarticle

Gordon Cooper was an American aeronautical engineer, test pilot, and astronaut who had a speculated net worth of about $8 million. Cooper is primarily known for his works with NASA, where he was the youngest person to be chosen as an astronaut for the Mercury Project.

Income Source of Gordon Cooper

Gordon Cooper was in the Marine Corps before getting an honorable discharge. Cooper was in the US army, starting as a Second Lieutenant. However, Cooper’s main source of income was his extensive work in NASA as an engineer and an astronaut. He earned money via sales of his life rights for multiple TV shows and movies and through various royalty paychecks for his autobiography.

Career and Achievements of Gordon Cooper

Gordon Cooper was part of US army, typically working as a test pilot. It was during his time in the army that he corrected several shortcomings in the F-106 which saved the U.S. Air Force, a great deal of money.

Gordon Cooper enlisted himself as one of the applicants to get a contract to build a space capsule after one of the advertising posters clicked his attention. Gordon was sought by NASA as one of the possible members for Project Mercury, which he was finally chosen to be. Cooper specialized in the Redstone Rocket for the operation. He would pilot the longest flight of the program and would also become the first person to sleep in space during that 34 hour flight period. Cooper was then appointed as the Command Pilot on Gemini-5 along with Pete Conrad.

For the Apollo 10 mission, Gordon Cooper was selected as the backup commander but extenuating circumstances would come to play, eventually make Cooper lose his esteemed command. Soon after the incident, Cooper felt stuck in a stalled career and thus sought for retirement from the Astronaut Corps.

After his departure from NASA, Gordon Cooper served in multiple corporate boards. Cooper ran Performance Unlimited Inc., a manufacturer, and distributor for Race and Marine Engines, as a President for five years. The company also manufactured and distributed fiberglass boats. Gordon was a prolific technical consultant and was hired by multiple companies. He worked for The Walt Disney Company as the vice-president of Epcot and was CEO of Galaxy Group, Inc. Gordon went on to establish his own consulting firm which partnered with companies for a wide range of projects.

Relationships of Gordon Cooper

Gordon Cooper was married twice. Cooper met his first wife Trudy B. Olson because of their shared love for flying. Olson, who had previously worked as a flight attendant, was the only astronaut wife to have a pilot’s license. The couple first met while studying at the University Of Hawaii and remained married for 24 years.

Cooper got married to Suzan Taylor in 1972, a year after his divorce with his first wife. They remained married till Cooper’s death.

Personal Life of Gordon Cooper

Cooper resided in Ventura, California. He suffered from Parkinson’s disease and died at an age of 77 due to heart failure. He is survived by his wife and three daughters (One of his daughters passed away at the age of 57).