The aeronautics industry is grieving the loss of a record-breaking astronaut who led the United States’ final Skylab mission.
Denver-born astronaut Gerald ‘Jerry’ Carr died on August 26, aged 88.
The US marine-turned-space pioneer led the record-setting, final mission on the US space station Skylab in 1972.
He has been credited as “a pioneer of long duration spaceflight” by Nasa.
Its administrator, Jim Bridenstine, said: “We send our condolences to the family and loved ones of astronaut Gerald ‘Jerry’ Carr, whose work provided a deeper understanding of life on Earth and in space.
“A colonel in the US Marine Corps, Carr was a test pilot who logged more than 5,300 hours of jet flying time on aircraft including the F-9, F-6A Skyray, and F-8 Crusader.
“A naval aviator selected for the astronaut class in 1966, he served as Capcom for Apollos 8 and 12 and broke spaceflight duration records on Skylab 4, the final mission to the orbital workshop.
“Recalling the view back to Earth, Carr credited his Skylab crewmate Edward Gibson with the observation that, from space, ‘you can see no boundaries on the Earth, no man-made boundaries, that the barriers that man puts up between himself and his fellow man, that the only boundaries you can see are the natural ones, the rivers, the lakes, things like that’.
“We remember and honour his life and his contributions to the nation.”
A statement from Mr Carr’s family added: “Throughout his life and career, Jerry was the epitome of an officer and a gentleman. He loved his family, he loved his country and he loved to fly.
“We are all enormously proud of his legacy as a true space pioneer and of the lasting impact of his historic mission aboard America’s first space station.
“We will remember him most as a devoted husband, father, brother, grandfather, great grandfather and uncle. We will miss him greatly.”
