Astronaut Profile
Donn F. Eisele
Command Module Pilot
Donn Eisele served as Command Module Pilot on Apollo 7, the mission that proved the redesigned Apollo spacecraft was ready to fly less than two years after the Apollo 1 fire.
OrbitingTruths Archive
Command Module Pilot • Deceased
Biography
The person behind the mission
Donn F. Eisele was a United States Air Force pilot and NASA astronaut who flew a single spaceflight, Apollo 7, in October 1968. The eleven-day Earth-orbit mission was the first crewed test of the redesigned Apollo Command and Service Module following the Apollo 1 fire, and its success cleared the way for NASA's subsequent missions to the Moon. Eisele later worked for the Peace Corps in Thailand before his death in 1987.
Astronaut Details
Born
June 23, 1930
Died
December 2, 1987
Birthplace
Columbus, Ohio, USA
Role
Command Module Pilot
Program
Apollo
Time in Space
10 days, 20 hours
EVA Time
None
Missions
Apollo 7
Recognition
Awards & Honors
- NASA Distinguished Service Medal
- NASA Exceptional Service Medal
- NASA Space Flight Medal